THRILL OF THE CARS EVEN WHEN PARKED

Proper racing cars should be a bit scary even when parked and the Porsche 917/30 on show with the Porsche Club GB was just that.

Chassis five of six was on show and is the car owned by Australian Peter Harburg. The vast monster is finished in the colours of the car entered by Roger Penske for Mark Donohue in the 1973 Can-am series when Donohue was so successful that the rules were changed for 1974.

This fearsome rocketship fields a 5.4-litre, twin-turbo engine turning out 1000bhp and more and is capable of 240mph. Donohue famously lapped the Talledega tri-oval at an average of 220mph.

Take a closer look and your respect for the drivers of the era grows still further. The forward cockpit position puts the driver’s feet ahead of the front axle, with scant protection offered by the front of the tube chassis. Stunning, brutal, completely mad and scary even when parked: that’s the Porsche 917/30.

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