917 ATR: THE PINNACLE OF AUTOMOTIVE ART

The 917 ATR is a life-size sculptural reproduction of the Porsche 917 race car, built entirely by hand using the manufacturing methods of the 1970s. Created by Belgian boutique studio After the Race, only 12 examples will ever exist, each one unique, each one requiring six months of artisanal work from first frame to final paint.

What Is the 917 ATR?

The 917 ATR is not a restoration. It is not a replica in the conventional sense. After the Race founder Jean-Denis Claessens and artist Edmond Thonnard have spent four years developing a process that recreates the Porsche 917 body using the same hand-shaping and welding techniques used in the original 1970s racing program. The result is a limited series of automotive sculptures that hold the physical presence and patina of a genuine period race car, without ever having turned a lap.

Four Years of Research, 4,000 Hours per Piece

The development of the 917 ATR took four years of research before a single piece entered production. Each sculpture then demands 4,000 hours of work: hand-formed aluminum bodywork over a tubular aluminum frame, welded to the same standards applied to race cars fifty years ago. The patina, race livery details, and decorative markings are all executed by hand. No CAD files. No computer scans. Every curve is shaped through the same manual craft that made the original 917 the most technically audacious racing car of its era.

Twelve Pieces: No Two the Same

The series is limited to 12 numbered and signed sculptures. Despite sharing the same physical form, no two 917 ATRs are identical: the paint, racing graphics, patina, and finish are all handmade, and clients can have the names of drivers incorporated into their piece. The audience for this series is collectors who regard the highest level of workmanship as the primary criteria for acquisition, people who want the pinnacle of automotive art rather than a vehicle that moves.

Read more about the 917 ATR at Autoevolution's full reveal coverage and at the official 917 ATR studio page. For more automotive art and motorsport collectibles, explore Racing and Emotion's motorsport seat art chairs at TheArsenale, the Surf 917 LH surfboard inspired by the Porsche 917 legend, and TheArsenale Gallery for the full fine art and mobility collection. Photo: After the Race