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After the Race Reveals Life-Size Porsche 917 Sculpture – A Pinnacle of Automotive Art

Boutique Belgian company After the Race, also known simply as ATR, has revealed a series of life-sized sculptures that faithfully reproduce the legendary Porsche 917 race car.
Porsche 917 ATR 19 photos
Photo: Pierre Pironet/ After the Race
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Aimed at discerning fans who want to complete their Porsche-focused collection with the “ultimate craftsmanship and art experience,” the 917 ATR sculptures will each be individually built and will feature the names of the drivers on them.

The legendary Porsche 917 had a short but eventful racing history. Introduced at the 1969 Geneva Motor Show, the incredibly fast race car won 24 Hours of Le Mans in 1970 and then again in 1971, as well as lots of other prestigious racing events, like Daytona, the Nürburgring, Brands Hatch, Watkins Glen, and the Österreichring in Austria.

Developed by the German engineers at Porsche in just one year, the 917 boasts the special body design of the Le Mans racers and is powered by an air-cooled flat-12 engine. The smallest displacement it came in was 4.5 liters, and in this configuration it was capable of churning out 580 horsepower, allowing the car to do the 0 to 60 mph ride in 2.5 seconds and reach a top speed of 250 miles per hour (402 kph).

Porsche 917 ATR life\-size sculpture
Photo: Pierre Pironet/ After the Race
Nowadays, it is considered the most iconic race car ever built and is highly sought after. The 917 revolutionized the way endurance racing cars were created, so it’s only natural to see it used as inspiration for art pieces.

Leveraging the incredible talents of well-known artist Edmond “Pogo” Thonnard, After the Race will build only twelve 917 ATR sculptures, each one unique and special in its own right. For those who aren’t familiar with the name, Thonnard is said to be one of the founders of European street art, along with the likes of Banksy, Jef Aérosol, Keith Harring, and Speedy Graffito.

The 917 ATR bodies are made to 1:1 scale from fiberglass laid by hand to look exactly the same as the original Porche 917. They also boast an internal welded aluminum frame meant to give the body rigidity and provide mounting points for display.

Each build will measure 4120mm x 2080mm x 900mm (162.2 in x 82 in x 35.4 in), with a total weight of 85 kilograms (187 pounds).

The Porsche 917 sculptures will be made to order, and interested parties will be able to choose from four emblematic liveries, including the 1970 Daytona winner, the 1971 Le Mans model from the Steve McQueen movie, and the 1970 and 1971 Le Mans winners. The artist will add “Martini” or “Psychedelic” decorations to the builds on demand.

“This artisanal, handmade design is the culmination of research, development and production work that spans 4 years and 4,000 hours of work. This hand-crafted design has then, through various techniques, been captured enabling us to produce this limited edition series,” the creators of this life-size sculpture say on their webpage.

Porsche 917 ATR life\-size sculpture
Photo: Pierre Pironet/ After the Race
Jean-Denis “JD” Claessens, the founder of After the Race, will work closely with artist Edmond Thonnard in building these unique Porsche bodies. As mentioned, no digital scans or CAD files are used, with the bodywork entirely made by hand, in an attempt to follow the manufacturing methods of the 1970s.

Other design elements, like paint, decor, and racing patina, are also entirely handmade, thus ensuring that each 917 ATR, despite sharing the same body, is unique and “a pinnacle of automotive art.”

The custom Porsche 917 ATR sculptures will each take six months to complete and will be numbered and signed by the artist. The future owner will be able to either display the body in a suspended position or hang it on a wall.

The creators don’t mention what the price of such an art piece would be, but they do say that it includes a two-day stay in Brussels to see how the construction of the sculpture is going, plus a surprise experience.
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About the author: Ancuta Iosub
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After spending a few years as a copy editor, Ancuta decided to put down the eraser and pick up the writer's pencil. Her favorites subjects are unusual car designs, travel trailers and everything related to the great outdoors.
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