Peter Falk should rightfully be remembered as a true Porsche legend. The engineer, who has died aged 93, played key roles in the success of the Stuttgart marque’s two most famous sportscars: the 917 and 956/962.
Falk was present as the lead engineer from Porsche at the Osterriechring test in late 1969 when, together with the JW Automotive squad, the instability problems of the original 917 were solved. The late John Horsman, JWA’s engineering boss, always claimed credit for the eureka moment in the understanding of the car’s aerodynamics. The understated Falk, however, always insisted it was an Anglo-German collaboration.
The 917K – K for kurzheck, or short-tail – that resulted from the test gave Porsche the first outright victory at the Le Mans 24 Hours it so coveted the…
