VIN: the Racing Team AAW Porsche 917 Spyder chassis 01-021
History of chassis 01-021
Chassis 01-021 was the AAW Racing Team 917 Spyder raced by Leo Kinnunen to victory in the 1971 Interserie Championship (the first of three back-to-back titles for Kinnunen in the premier European Group 7 series).
The original chassis 021 was a conventional 917 sold to Finnish industrialist Antii Aarnio-Wihuri for his AAW Racing Team. It raced at the 1970 Monza, Spa and Nurburgring 1000km races before heading to the Le Mans 24 Hours where it crashed out following a 180mph tyre blowout.
021 was subsequently sent back to Porsche for repair. However, because there was little time before AAW’s next race at the Norisring two weeks later, the mechanical components were stripped from 021 and rebuilt around a new chassis: 012.
It is unclear whether the original chassis 021, once repaired, was used as the basis for AAW’s 917 Spyder or a new chassis was simply numbered 01-021 for carnet reasons...
01-021 contested all seven races that made up the 1971 Interserie Championship. While cars like the McLaren M8E, BRM P167 and Ferrari’s seven-litre 512 M were undeniably faster on single lap pace, the 917’s reliability and Kinnunen’s consistency delivered Porsche its second Interserie title on the bounce.
The Finnish ace only failed to finish off the podium twice all year; he was fourth in the penultimate race at Imola and 01-021 was withdrawn from the race at Norisring following Pedro Rodriguez’s fatal crash.
Elsewhere, Kinnunen picked up a win on home soil around the Keimola track in Finland, a brace of second place finishes at Zolder and Hockenheim and a pair of thirds at Imola and again at Hockenheim for the season finale.
Kinnunen accrued 81,000 points compared to 59,600 for series runner up Peter Gethin.
After the 1971 Interserie Championship had concluded, the AAW Racing Team entered 01-021 for one final race: the non-championship Paris 1000km at Montlhery where Kinnunen and Gerard Larrousse came home second behind the Gulf Racing 917 K of Derek Bell / Gijs van Lennep. As the Gulf machine was a Group 5 entry, Kinnunen and Larrousse took a class win in what the organisers dubbed Group 6.
At the end of what had been a very successful season, chassis 01-021 returned to Porsche who subsequently loaned it to Ernst Kraus for a trio of late season Interserie races in 1972 after Kraus’s own 917 Spyder (chassis 031) had incurred damage at Hockenheim. In his three outings with the now plain white 01-021, Kraus finished eighth around Keimola and posted DNFs at the Norisring and Hockenheim.
During 1973, chassis 01-021 was used for three races by the Finn, Lasse Sirvio, who finished in the top ten at all three of his outings with the car. In 1974, 01-021 is believed to have been used for a one-off appearance by Swede, Sten Hillgard.
Chassis 01-021 remained in its Spyder format until 1999 when, under the ownership of Bob Rapp, it was converted by Gunnar Racing to 917 K trim. At the same time many of the original components from 01-021 were built up into a brand new chassis.
Notable History
Antii Aarnio-Wihuri (Racing Team AAW), Finland
White & Blue livery
02/05/1971 INT Imola (L. Kinnunen) 3rd oa (#11)
06/06/1971 INT Zolder (L. Kinnunen) 2nd oa (#11)
04/07/1971 INT Hockenheim (L. Kinnunen) 2nd oa (#11)
11/07/1971 INT Norisring (L. Kinnunen) WDN (#11)
22/08/1971 INT Keimola (L. Kinnunen) 1st oa (#11)
12/09/1971 INT Imola (L. Kinnunen) 4th oa (#11)
03/10/1971 INT Hockenheim (L. Kinnunen) 3rd oa (#11)
17/10/1971 IND Paris 1000km, Montlhery (G. Larrousse / L. Kinnunen) 2nd oa, 1st Gr.6 class (#3)
Leased to Ernst Kraus, Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Germany
06/08/1972 INT Norisring (E. Kraus) DNF (#17)
27/08/1972 INT Keimola (E. Kraus) 8th oa (#17)
01/10/1972 INT Hockenheim (E. Kraus) DNF (#17)
24/06/1973 INT Norisring (L. Sirvio) 9th oa, 7th Gr.7 class (#??)
15/07/1973 INT Hockenheim (L. Sirvio) 7th oa, 7th INT class (#??)
22/07/1973 IND Santa Monica (L. Sirvio) 8th (#??)
18/08/1974 INT Kassel-Calden (S. Hillgard) 14th oa (#??)
1999 sold to Bob Rapp and converted to 917 K trim
Original 01-021 parts built up around a brand new chassis
Text copyright: Supercar Nostalgia
Photo copyright: Porsche - https://www.porsche.com
