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The Porsche 917 engine is quite extraordinary.
It's an iconic 12 cylinder engine, so that generally impresses people.
It's an engine using several technologies which were modern for the time,
in other words employing noble materials like titanium, magnesiums and high alloy steels.
Perhaps complex, but reliable,
it has often taken cars beyond the chequered flag, operating for hours on end.
Motul's initiative in restoring such a car is interesting
because it's a car that has marked the history of car racing,
and that of cars in short.
By restoring and putting such a car back on a circuit Motul has brought the legend alive.
We've already been through the engine start-up procedure to make sure it could still be used.
There was no question of re-conducting it, the budget would have been too high.
This procedure lasted some 30 hours
to be sure all possible precautions had been taken for the start-up
and to see if the engine was still fit to run.
And we were very satisfied in that respect because everything worked fine from the outset.
Motul is a time-honoured brand,
which looks resolutely to the future but knows where its roots lie,
and its roots have clearly been in very high level motor sport for a very long time.
So what we share is also part of our heritage.
I was thrilled to climb back inside
but realised I must have been a bit mad at the time,
because the car safety isn't much good.
But you remember the pleasure not the fear.