Porsche 911 GT3 RS Jo Siffert: Tribute to a Legendary Driver

With the 911 GT3 RS Tribute to Jo Siffert, Porsche also celebrates the first victory of the legendary 917 nearly 55 years ago.

On August 10, 1969, Siffert and Kurt Ahrens won the first international 1,000-kilometer race at the Österreichring near Zeltweg. This victory marked the beginning of the glorious history of the 917, initially daunting due to its high-speed driving challenges and complex aerodynamics. The craftsmen of Porsche Exclusive Manufaktur created this extraordinary one-off piece as part of the Sonderwunsch program. This jewel will be displayed in Swiss Porsche centers in August 2024 before being one of the stars of the “Auto Zürich” show from November 7 to 10, 2024. The buyer of this masterpiece will be randomly selected from all interested enthusiasts.

Jo Siffert: The Legacy of an Exceptional Driver

Joseph “Jo” Siffert retains a mythical aura in Switzerland, 50 years after his passing. This native of Fribourg was an exceptionally talented and charismatic race car driver. Siffert lived his passion for motorsport with unmatched intensity, participating in 298 races over 11 years, sometimes several in the same weekend. “Jo Siffert, with Kurt Ahrens, launched the success story of the 917 by winning the race at Zeltweg in 1969. The passion with which he pursued his racing dream is still impressive today and fits perfectly into the spirit of our brand – Driven by Dreams,” says Michael Glinski, General Director of Porsche Schweiz AG.

An Automotive Work of Art: The 911 GT3 RS Tribute

The family of Jo Siffert was closely involved in the creation of this very special 911 GT3 RS. His son Philippe, a former Formula Ford and Formula 3 driver, and his grandson Jérémy attended project workshops in Zuffenhausen. “It was extremely exciting to witness the creation of this Porsche in honor of my father,” says Philippe Siffert. “With meticulous attention to historical details and craftsmanship of the highest quality, the employees of the Porsche Sonderwunsch Manufaktur transformed an already rare 911 GT3 RS into an absolutely unique piece – imbued with the spirit of Jo Siffert.”

References to the 917: A Design Charged with History

“This tribute model is an inspiring car in two ways: on one hand, its visual design is based on that of the 917 with which Jo Siffert and Kurt Ahrens won at the Österreichring nearly 55 years ago,” says Alexander Fabig, Vice President of Individualization & Classic at Porsche AG. “On the other hand, this unique piece showcases the extensive options for exterior and interior customization that we offer through the Sonderwunsch program.”

The car is mainly painted in Pure White and, like the car that inspired it, features contrasting sections in Viper Green on the front fenders and some parts of the front. The two colors come from the “Paint to Sample” program. The central section of its large rear wing is also painted in this shade of green. The starting number is the same as that used during the inaugural 1,000-kilometer race. The “29” appears on the doors, the front hood, under the rear wing, and on the tire valve caps. The classic Porsche lettering with striped design on the doors and side sections was also inspired by the original vehicle.

With great attention to detail and the support of Bosch and Shell, Porsche’s design experts also reproduced contemporary sponsor stickers. The Bosch sticker with the spark plug is positioned on the rear fenders. The Shell sticker with the shell logo is placed under the rear window, near the service hatches for oil and water.

The silhouette of the 917KH can be seen on the center lock of the satin black magnesium wheels; this stylized view also adorns the side plates of the rear wing. A special helmet-shaped badge is positioned on the B-pillars: as a personal reference, the name and signature of Jo Siffert are represented there.

An Elegant Racing Interior

The interior exudes a racing elegance: Race-Tex predominates in black and Guards red. The helmet motif is embroidered on the headrests. The door sills are adorned with the silhouette of the 917 combined with the signature. Even the vehicle key has been carefully customized: the side reinforcements are painted in Pure White or modern Viper Green, with the silhouette of the 917 printed in the respective contrasting color. Jo Siffert’s autograph is embossed on the center console cover and in the leather key case.

The Legend of the Porsche 917 and Jo Siffert

“We owe a large part of the 1969 World Sports Car Championship to Jo Siffert. He was by far the fastest man on our team,” recalled former senior race engineer Peter Falk about the Swiss in 2018. Porsche won seven of the ten races that season. Siffert took five of those victories with British driver Brian Redman and one with Kurt Ahrens – that of August 10, 1969, in Zeltweg. “Our victory in Zeltweg marked the start of the success story of the 917, and it was a great pleasure and honor for me to share the cockpit with Jo,” says his teammate Ahrens.

In 1968, the FIA surprised everyone by changing the rules of the World Constructors’ Championship and increasing the displacement limit to five liters – and the number of units required for homologation had been reduced to 25 cars. The three-liter Porsche 908 was no longer truly competitive. A new five-liter car was needed – the 917. Today, its record is legendary: after winning the World Sports Car Championship title in its inaugural campaign in 1969, Hans Herrmann and Richard Attwood achieved the coveted triumph at Le Mans in 1970. Helmut Marko and Gijs van Lennep were able to repeat this greatest triumph of motorsport for Porsche in 1971. George Follmer, in 1972, and Mark Donohue, in 1973, dominated the North American CanAm series with the turbo versions of over 1,000 PS 917/10 and 917/30, later developments of the 917.

Jo Siffert would not have the chance to see these later events: after his career with Porsche, he died in a fatal accident at the age of 35 during a Formula 1 race at Brands Hatch (UK) on October 24, 1971.

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