Gulf Timeline
1970
Arguably, it was during the illustrious 2 year association between John Wyer's Gulf team and the Porsche 917 that the legend was born. In the hands of some of the greatest ever sportscar drivers including Jo Siffert, Pedro Rodriquez, Jacky Oliver, Dereck Bell, Brian Redman and Leo Kinnunen, the Porsche 917 was capable of generating speeds in excess of 220mph. In Gulf powder blue one of the greatest ever sportscars enjoyed world domination, achieving 22 podium finishes including 12 wins and a 1-2 in the Spa 1000km in 1970. Gulf also enjoyed success with a 1-2 at the Targa Floria in Porsche works 908's.
Ask the man in the street who won at Le Mans in 1970 and he may tell you that it was Steve McQueen in a Gulf Porsche 917. The movie of the 1970 Le Mans 24 Hours was remarkable publicity for Gulf, it quenched an audience's thirst for speed, gave the Gulf brand global recognition. Its iconic images remain as popular today - four decades on!
Ironically, in a near perfect two-season programme for the Gulf Porsche 917's, one of the very few ‘failures' was at Le Mans, where despite three-car entries in both years, a second place in 1971 (Attwood/Mueller) was the only notable success.
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