Le Mans Diecast

1970

After a disasterous debut in 1969, the Porsche 917's came back with a vengeance.

The GT cars were in 2.0, 2.5, and unlimited subcategories. Just like today where people whine endlessly about the lack of car diversity, the same problems existed in this "golden age". For example, the GT-unlimited class had only two participants, both corvettes. And all eight cars in the GT 2.5 litre class were Porsche 911S's.

Le Mans - The Movie

Ultra-cool Steve McQueen made his famous semi-reality film about Le Mans at the actual race. They started the project with no script, and didn't really put much of a story to go with their race footage. The film company entered a Porsche 908 in the race just so they could get filming of cars at speed. This car ended up outlasting the works Ferrari and Porsches, and the legend is that they would have been in position to contest for a win if they hadn't had to change film so often.

Steve McQueen himself had taked a famous second at Sebring that year, and was on the entry list partnered with Jackie Stewart. According to his biography on E! television (which is trashy but somewhat trustworthy), he was really into cocaine at the time. He would get high and come back to the chateau where they were staying and hold a gun to his wife's head, asking if she was having an affair. It is more than likely true that he did a few laps in the 917 completely wacked out on blow.

The Gulf Porsche 917K short-tail cars which star in the movie are NOT available in proper diecast form. The Wyer-Gulf team developed their own unique bodywork which had the distinctive "flipper" between the center rear channel. There would need to be a special mould done to correctly model these cars. This would likely be one of Minichamps' infamous "box set" models where a mould cannot make a group of variants.

Le Mans 1970

Place

Car
Sponsor

Car # Class

Model

Ref. #

Image

Sportscars, up to 5000cc engine displacement
1 Porsche 917K 'Porsche Salzburg'
Hans Hermann
Richard Attwood 		23
S 5.0		 Minichamps
Porsche Dealer		 WAP 020 042 97
      Solido
100 Series		 186
      Brumm
Retro		 R218
      Super Champion
 ?
      Minichamps
 430 70??23  
      Altaya
 ??  
      Auto Art
 67071
2Porsche 917L 'Martini'
Gérard Larrousse
Willy Kauhsen 		3
S 5.0		Minichamps
400 706103 
   Altaya
'Le Mans Legends'		30
   Super Champion
?
5Ferrari 512S Coda Lunga
Hughes de Fierlant
Alistair Walker 		12
S 5.0		Fabbri
Ferrari Collection		23
DNF Porsche 917L 'Shell'
Vic Elford
Kurt Ahrens 		25
S 5.0		 Super Champion
 ?
DNF Porsche 917K 'Sandeman'
David Piper
Gijs van Lennep 		18
S 5.0		 Brumm
Retro		 R254
      Super Champion
 ?
Prototypes, up to 3000cc engine displacement
N/C Porsche 908/2 (Camera Car)
Herbert Linge
Jonathan Williams 		29
P 3.0		 Best
 ??  
DNFMatra MS650
Jack Brabham
François Cevert 		32
P 3.0		Bizarre
BZ193 
DNF Matra MS650
Jean-Pierre Jabouille
Patrick Depailler 		30
P 3.0		 Bizarre
 BZ194  
Prototypes, up to 2000cc engine displacement
DNF Chevron B16
Ian Skailes
John Hine 		49
P 2.0		 Bizarre
 BZ312  
DNF Chevron B16
Clive Baker
Digby Martland 		44
P 2.0		 Bizarre
 BZ310  
DNF Ligier JS1 Ford
Guy Ligier
Jean-Claude Andruet 		50
P 2.0		 Spark Model
 S0541  
GT Class - Unlimited engine displacement
90 Chevrolet Corvette
Henri Greder
Jean-Pierre Rouget 		2
GT Unlimited		 Vitesse
Limited Edition		 L086
DNFChevrolet Corvette 'Credit Agricole'
Joseph Bourdon
Jean-Claude Aubriet 		1
GT Unlimited		Vitesse
Limited Edition		L098
GT Class - Up to 2000cc engine displacement
6 Porsche 914-4 'Sonauto'
Guy Chasseuil
Claude Ballot-Léna 		40
GT 2.0		 Detail Cars
 345
      Solido
 36

1971

Take a Modified Ferrari 512S, and Modify it further...

Penske took these modifications farther, and changed the shape of the rear section. This must have worked because they were the fastest 512 on the grid. However, there this means that there is no accurate diecast of this car. (Not that the Brumm models are all that collectable).

Scuderia Filipinetti also made extensive modifications and even put a Porsche 917 windshield on their car. They called it the "512F", and this car went on to run some Can-Am races.

...More about the Ferrari 512M

Le Mans 1971

Place

Car
Sponsor

Car # Class

Model

Ref. #

Image

Sportscars, up to 5000cc engine displacement
Martini International Racing
1 Porsche 917K 'Martini'
Helmut Marko
Gjils Van Lennep 		22
S 5.0		 Brumm
Retro		 R220
      Solido
100 Series		 198
      Minichamps
 400 716122
   Altaya
Le Mans Series		37 
DNF Porsche 917L 'Martini'
Vic Elford
Gerard Larousse 		21
S 5.0		 Minichamps
Porsche Dealer		 WAP 020 043 97
      Super Champion
 ?
      Minichamps
 430 716791
      Minichamps
 430 716721
DNF Porsche 917/20 (The Pink Pig)
Willy Kauhsen
Reinhold Jöst 		23
S 5.0		 Minichamps
 430 716923
      High Speed
 HF9229
JW Gulf Automotive
2 Porsche 917L 'Gulf'
Richard Attwood
Herbert Müller 		19
S 5.0		 Super Champion
 ?
      Minichamps
 400 716119
DNF Porsche 917L 'Gulf'
Jo Siffert
Derek Bell 		17
S 5.0		 Minichamps
 430 716717
DNF Porsche 917L 'Gulf'
Pedro Rodriguez
Jackie Oliver 		18
S 5.0		 Minichamps
 430 716718
   Super Champion
64
3 Ferrari 512 M
Sam Posey
Tony Adamowicz 		12
S 5.0		 Brumm
Retro		 S043
4 Ferrari 512M 'Sandeman'
Chris Craft
David Weir 		16
S 5.0		 Brumm
Retro		 R230
DNFPorsche 917K
Dominique Martin
Gérard Pillon 		57
S 5.0		Brumm
Retro		R338 
DNF Ferrari 512 M
Corrado Manfredini
Giancarlo Gagliardi 		6
S 5.0		 Brumm
Retro		 S045
DNF Ferrari 512 M
Hughes de Fierlandt
Alain de Cadenet 		9
S 5.0		 Brumm
Retro		 S044
DNF Ferrari 512 M
Georg Loos
Franz Pesch 		10
S 5.0		 Brumm
Retro		 S047
DNF Ferrari 512 M
José Juncadella
Nino Vaccarella 		15
S 5.0		 Brumm
Retro		 S046
Prototypes, up to 3000cc engine displacement
DNF Matra Simca MS660
Jean-Pierre Beltoise
Chris Amon 		32
P 3.0		 Bizarre
(Unreleased)		 BZ336  
N/C Ligier JS3 'BP'
Guy Ligier
Patrick Depailler 		24
P 3.0		 Solido
Retro Le Mans		 7160
DNF Porsche 908/2 Flunder 'Novestyle'
Louis Cosson
Helmut Leuze 		30
P 3.0		 Best
 9150
DNF Porsche 908/2 Flunder 'Auto USDAU'
Hans-Dieter Weigel
Claude Haldi 		60
P 3.0		 Best
 9111
GT Class - Unlimited engine displacement
DNF Chevrolet Corvette 'Mammouth'
Jean-Claude Aubriet
Jean-Pierre Rouget 		1
GT+2.0		 Vitesse
Limited Edition		 L116
DNF Chevrolet Corvette 'Craven "A"'
Henri Greder
"Marie-Claude Beaumont" 		2
GT+2.0		 Vitesse
Limited Edition		 L122
GT Class - 2.0 Litre
DNF Porsche 914/6 GT
Gerd Quist
Dietrich Krumm 		69
GT 2.0		 Minichamps
(Unreleased)		 400 716569  
Prototype - 2.0 Litre
DNF Lola T212 Ford
Guy Edwards
Roger Enever 		50
P 2.0		 Bizarre
(Unreleased)		 BZ050