From the Porsche Museum to dusk at Le Mans. ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏

THE MAKING OF THE PINK HOUR

The Porsche 917/20 raced only once in its audacious pink livery. Created to combine the stability of the short-tail 917 with the lower drag of the long-tail, its unusual proportions soon earned it a nickname: the Pink Pig.

It never reached the chequered flag at Le Mans in 1971, yet one appearance was enough to make it unforgettable.

GO BEHIND THE SCENES

Rebuilding an icon

To recreate it, we began with historical material and a visit to the Porsche Museum in Stuttgart. The car was then built from scratch in 3D, from its chassis and bodywork to its wheels, lights and smallest details.

Bringing the Pink Pig to life

Texturing transformed the grey model into the car that raced at Le Mans: pink bodywork, red butcher’s markings, subtle scratches and even traces of race-day repairs.

A scene chosen together

The Automobilist community helped shape the final composition: more than 200 people chose the angle, nearly 300 voted for sundown, and a final vote gave the artwork its name, The Pink Hour.

The final artwork

The finished scene captures the 917/20 pulling away from its pursuers at dusk, with the Dunlop Bridge behind it and the last light falling across its unmistakable livery. It may look like a photograph taken in 1971. It is not. Every car, surface, reflection and trace of light was created in 3D to imagine a moment no camera ever captured quite this way.

DISCOVER THE FULL MAKING OF

The Porsche 917/20 never won Le Mans. It became an icon anyway.

Image of The Pink Hour | 1971 Porsche 917/20 | 24h Le Mans Fine Art Print

DISCOVER MORE

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