Starting A Porsche 917 K Is A Hilariously Long-Winded Process

Owning a race car has to count as the number one dream of any card-carrying gearhead. Imagine cruising down the PCH in a 1970 Porsche 917, the car that gave the German brand its first Le Mans victory and inspired the 918 hypercar. It would be like living in a dream. Bruce Canepa drives his 917 on the street.

Unfortunately, the reality of owning a race car is much closer to a nightmare. Before you even get to the harsh ride, zero sound insulation, and lack of any driver assistance, you have to start the thing.

RM Sotheby's recently uploaded a video showing the process of starting a 1970 917 K. And no, it doesn't have keyless entry. The demonstration is done by the current owner of the car, Paul Lanzante. This particular car was once owned by Steve McQueen and was one of the stars of the 1971 film Le Mans.

On a cold day, you first have to heat the oil via a heating pad underneath the oil tank. Inside the tank, a small blade gives you a visual indication of when the oil is up to starting temperature. It's good to go when the oil gets to around 2 inches below the blade.

Following that, you active one of two master switches. There is an exterior master switch that would have been operated by the mechanic and another interior master switch for the driver. Both need to be activated for the car to work.

Though the 917 has an onboard battery, you need to connect an auxiliary battery to ensure there's enough voltage to get that massive engine to turn over.

From there, things get a little easier. The 917 has a small dashboard housing all the main switches. Push the two fuel pump switches, and activate the ignition switches.

Finally, you can move on to the key. Turn it slightly, and you'll hear the fuel pumps activating. Give one final glance at the warning lights, take it out of gear, and you're good to go. No, just kidding. There's still some more stuff to do.