Spent some wonderful time with Vic Elford in the Porsche area at the show. Vic drove for Porsche in the late 1960's and early 1970's, winning the European Rally title in a 911 in 1967, the 24 hours of Daytona in a 907 in 1968, the Sebring 12 hours in a 917K in 1971. At LeMans in 1971, he was clocked at 240 mph on the Mulsanne straight, a record that stood for almost 20 years longer. Known as "quite Vic", he was both a gentleman and a professional.
We shared several stories about racing in those years, and then talked about the current cars and the Porsche brand. Here is a sampling of our conversation:
Question: "What is that makes Porsche special for you?" Answer: "Whenever you get in and drive a Porsche, you trust it completely. No other car gives me that feeling of trust and quality."
Question: "Do you think Porsche has devalued its brand by selling Cayennes and Panameras?" Answer: "Absolutely not. Every Porsche offered today is perfection with a capital "P". No other brand even comes close."
Question: " Which is your favorite Porsche?" Answer: " I was greatly impressed by a Panamera diesel I drove recenty in the Italian alps. And the new 991 is so beautiful. But for a pure driver's car, I like the Cayman S."
Question: "I have read that the 917 was a difficult and dangerous car to drive. Is that true?" Answer: "Oh no, it was so simple and predictable, even at very high speed."
Question: "What was your toughest race?" Answer: "Driving long shifts in heavy rain at Nurburgring."
As we stood beside the 917L he drove at LeMans, I marveled at how small and low it was, making the Boxster nearby seem huge by comparison. The dashboard was crude felt, with a single tachometer mounted on top of it, just to the left of the simple steering wheel. I could not conceive of how it must have felt to Vic at 240 mph.
Here is pic of Vic and me by his car...
