Reflections: Tommy Kendall's 1973 Porsche 917/30 Can-Am Dreamscape

California's Tommy Kendall ranks among the most successful road racers in American history. Kendall's family built its reputation on the high banks of Daytona and on the winding road course at Riverside in Porsche products, and while it would be expected for a son to follow in his father's footsteps, Kendall reveals his desire to race was inspired by an unlikely source: The cockpit of Mark Donohue's Penske Racing Porsche 917/30 that decimated the opposition during the 1973 Can-Am season.

"It's a long story, but Pete Smith owned the Porsche dealership in North Hollywood who sold cars to Steve McQueen and Robert Redford, Pete was a neighbor of ours, and that's how my dad got into Porsches and into racing," Kendall (pictured with the car, ABOVE) told RACER.

"My dad ended up buying a car from Otis Chandler, and at the time, Otis owned Donohue's Can-Am Killer, the 917/30. Otis needed a place to store it, so it spent about a year in my dad's shop. I got to ride in it once when I was 14, and then it spent that time in our shop. So I would climb in a lot, sit in the seat, and dream about becoming a driver."

If Kendall's charmed childhood wasn't already thoroughly amazing, the recent $4.4 million price tag for the twin-turbo flat-12 917/30 (first in the 1973 Can-Am gallery below, photo courtesy of Porsche) at auction makes it one of the most expensive personal teenage hangouts the world has seen.

"It was sitting in that car where I imagined a career for myself, and inside Donohue's car is where I began imagining what it would be like to race," he continued. "Little did I know at the time – this was 1981 – that I would go on to race in Trans-Am and break Mark's win record, and do it at the track where he set his record. It all ties back to being a teenager dreaming in Donohue's 917/30."

UPDATE

After reading Kendall's reflections on Tuesday, his friend Mark Hotchkis, a fellow Southern Californian and son of famed Porsche racer, sent the following photo (RIGHT) and tale of a harrowing 1500-horsepower birthday present in the same car. Like Kendall, Hotchkis went on to have a successful driving career, racing and winning in Barber Saab and Indy Lights.

"This was my 12th birthday at Riverside...maybe Mr. Chandler gave rides on a regular basis!," Hotchkis wrote. "Reading your Tommy Kendall piece brought back memories of three life-altering laps for me, barely strapped in to the 917/30, while wearing a parka vest. My right arm was wrapped around Otis' seat and left arm arm was braced against who knows what. Clearly my mom had no idea this was happening!"

Click on the thumbnails for larger images.

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