Peter Falk should rightfully be remembered as a true Porsche legend. The engineer, who recently died aged 93, played key roles in the success of the Stuttgart marque’s two most famous racing sportscars, the 917 and 956/962.
Falk was present as the lead engineer from Porsche at the Osterriechring test in October 1969 when, working 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 pattern of the dead gnats splattered on the bodywork gave a clue. The understated Falk, however, wasn’t the type to do the same for Porsche. He always insisted it was an Anglo-German collaboration.
