Who doesn’t want to be Michael Delaney? The crew at Project 917 has it right, we all want to be Michael Delaney. Heck, if your priority is actually racing at Le Mans, being Michael Delaney might actually be better than being McQueen. We’ve covered this team before, and since then their goals have expanded. First, they plan to make a 917 simulator using a replica 917 concept. Phases two and three are related, as they both relate to making full-scale 917s for consumers. Let’s begin with the first phase.
Phase 1: The Simulator
The proposed simulator is based around the front half of a 917, with wraparound screens and full motion. For all intents and purposes, this is as close to racing at Le Mans in 1970 as we mere mortals will get without the help of H.G. Wells. Considering what video games look like today, they have a long way to go from their development shots to make this a fully immersive experience. With time and funding this could prove to be a very special simulator.
Phase 2 and 3: The Cars
Phases two and three of this project involve making first road and track oriented 917 replicas, followed by an updated road car version of the 917. Though there are a few 917 replicas out there, including kits from Bailey and Race Car Replicas. Project 917 promises some updates to the basic 917 concept using modern technology and young, fresh engineers in a partnership with Coventry and Warwick University.
Project 917’s IndieGogo campaign begins on May 30th. We will update here with a link when the campaign goes live.