A Brief History of Porsche 917-022
By Eddie LePine and Jack Webster.
There are few racecars throughout the history of motorsport that instantly invoke strong
feelings when you see them – feelings of history, of wonder, of nostalgia. We can think of just a
few examples that have brought feelings like those to the surface for us: cars like an Ayrton
Senna McLaren, a Gilles Villeneuve Ferrari or perhaps a Juan Fangio or Stirling Moss Mercedes (or anything in Champion Racing livery? Ed)

Steve McQueen sitting on 917-022 at Le Mans – Porsche photo
But in our view, there is one car, and one car only, that embodies all of the feelings (and more)
that we have laid out in the above paragraph. That one car perhaps represents, better than any
other, the reason we have taken the path we have taken in our motorsports journey. Whether
that be as a driver, team manager, journalist or photographer. It is the memory of that specific
car, and all it represents, that continues to inspire and propel us forward in our passion for
motorsport.
That car is Porsche 917-022. Better known to generations of racing fans as “Steve McQueen’s
917” from the movie Le Mans.

Steve McQueen with 917-022 at Le Mans from Micheal Keyser’s book, “A French Kiss with Death”
That very car is going to be sold to a new owner shortly at the Mecum Auction being held in Kissimmee, Florida on January 18, 2025. Freshly restored to its past glory as a movie star, it is being offered for sale by Porsche aficionado Jerry Seinfeld so that a new owner can be the temporary custodian of this incredible piece of history, before it is passed along to other custodians in the future.
The car already has quite a storied past, having been one of the original 25 Porsche 917s lined
up at Stuttgart for homologation by the FIA back in 1969.

The line up of 25 Porsche 917s at Stuttgart – Porsche photo
This particular chassis (#022), was not sold to a race team, but to Steve McQueen’s Solar Productions for use in Steve’s passion project and tribute to motorsports: Le Mans. The film, which ended up costing Steve McQueen his
production company among other things, was well received by racing fans, but few others at
the time of its release in 1971 (the filming took place during the 1970 running of Le Mans). After
its short theatrical release, the film was put in the vault and would have likely faded into
Hollywood obscurity had it not been for dedicated hardcore racing fans (like ourselves) and the
invention of VHS video, which made possible the introduction of the film to new generations of
racers and race fans.

The movie cars on set for the making of Le Mans – Porsche photo
Le Mans became a cult classic and, as we and others became even more involved in motorsports at various levels, the film not only aged well as a fictional movie, but many of the scenes in the movie ended up being mirrored in our real-life experiences in racing.
McQueen’s genius at the time was in telling the story as a real racer, and not just a Hollywood
bullshit tale of fiction with unrealistic derring-do and contrived drama. The fact that his character does not win the race is a testament to this. That is why the film has held up so well even today. It was a pure racing movie, made by a real racer.

917-022 at Solar Production garage, Le Mans from Michael Keyser’s book, “A French Kiss with Death”
“The idea that such a rare historic car could sell for so little at that time will pain contemporary collectors”
- Brian Redman
But we digress. Back to the story of 917-022. After the filming of the movie (and the associated
financial drain and drama connected with the production), it came time to part with 917-022.
The car was purchased by Reinhold Joest and he campaigned the car 5 times in 1971 (4 times
with co-driver Willi Kauhsen and once solo by Jo Siffert). Its best finish was a second at Vallelunga in Italy with Siffert, which would be 917-022’s final competitive appearance. After the 1971 season, the FIA new regulations meant the days of the 5 litre sports prototypes were over, so the car had nowhere to race. Unlike today, there were no vintage events in which to race an obsolete race car. Cars like 917-022 were just surplus and not very desirable.

917-022 as raced by Reinhold Joest and Willi Kauhsen at Nürburgring in 1971 – Porsche photo
In 1975, Brian Redman (who drove the real Gulf-Porsche 917K #20 at Le Mans in 1970, chassis
917-004), heard that 917-022 was going up for auction where it was being sold to settle a
mechanic’s lien. Redman was the high bidder and paid £8500 (about $13,500). There is a
wonderful story told by Brian (as only the witty Mr. Redman can relate) about his ownership of
the car in his excellent book: “Brian Redman – Daring Drivers and Deadly Tracks”.
After owning the car for a short period of time, Brian sold the car to 1970 Le Mans winning
driver Richard Attwood for £30,000 (a nice profit at the time). Attwood had the car painted in
the colors of his red and white winning #23 car and owned the car for many years, before
selling it (with Redman acting as his agent) at the RM Auction in August of 2000 in Monterey.
The car sold for $1.32 Million to noted Porsche collector Frank Gallogly (who also owned the
1971 Sebring winning Elford/Larrousse Martini Porsche 917).

Attwood’s and Seinfeld’s 917s at Rennsport Reunion, Daytona. James Edmonds photo
Quoting Redman at the time of his sale of 917-022 (from his aforementioned book): “The idea
that such a rare historic car could sell for so little at that time will pain contemporary collectors,
as it does me even today. Then, in desperate need of £20,000 to secure the loan that made my
farming ambitions possible, I needed a cash buyer with some relationship to an exotic racing
car. The perfect person was Richard Attwood, my friend and occasional co-driver who, of
course won the 1970 Le Mans 24 Hours in a 917.”

917-022 at Rennsport Reunion, Daytona. James Edmonds photo
After acquiring 917-022 at Monterey, Frank Gallogly only owned the car for some 8 months,
selling it to Symbolic International and Bill Noon in April of 2001. From there it was a short time
before Porsche afficionado Jerry Seinfeld acquired the car and has owned it ever since. The car
underwent an extensive and proper restoration to the exact specifications as when it was used
by Steve McQueen in the making of Le Mans and frankly, looks better today than it ever did
back in its movie or post-movie racing days.
We spoke with Brian Redman about his history with this car, the movie and the Le Mans 1970
race and to this day, Brian Redman considers the 1970 Le Mans 24 Hours the race he should
have won (they were leading by over 5 laps when co-driver Jo Siffert missed a shift and blew
the engine on the front straight, right in front of Redman and everyone from Porsche).
For the longest time, Brian did not like to talk about the Le Mans 1970 race, nor did he see the
McQueen movie for many years (“Too many bad memories” he told us at one point).
But we can hope that with his continuing promotional association with Porsche 917-022 via the
Mecum Auction, that Brian will get some well-earned recognition for being
the person who likely saved 917-022 from the scrap heap back in 1971.

917-022 at Rennsport Reunion, Daytona. James Edmonds photo
Just as 917-022 has long been associated with our passion for motorsport, our association with
Brian Redman has followed a similar trajectory. We have always idolized drivers and heroes like
Redman, as he has been the embodiment of what we all knew a racing driver could and should
be. To this day, a finer role model certainly could not be found in racing, or in life.
The presale estimate for 917-022 is $25 million. It will be interesting to see the final result from what promises to be the most exciting auction in recent times. You can watch live on Motortrend or MAX
To whoever takes stewardship of 917-022 – we trust that you will honor its legacy and historical
significance and will be a good custodian of this gem of motorsports history until it is passed on
to the next generation – that car, and what it represents, means a lot to us all.

917-022 at Rennsport Reunion, Daytona. James Edmonds photo