In 1970 and 1971, Jo Siffert was given the wheel of the iconic Porsche 917 in its sky blue and orange Gulf Oil livery (short version then long). Though he was once again forced to retire at the 24 Hours, he was otherwise highly successful over the course of both years, becoming one of the most accomplished drivers of the 917 along with Pedro Rodriguez and Brian Redman. He added a win at the Targa Florio (1970) to his track record as well as a second victory in Formula 1 (1971), and participated in the filming of Steve McQueen's movie "Le Mans." In addition to the music composed for the feature film by Michel Legrand, the wealth of music produced during that period also provided a stunning soundtrack for the times.

"We have precise details about Jo Siffert's life by date thanks to the work done by Jacques Deschenaux and Ed Heuvink," explains Michel Janvier. "Just one anecdotal mention was enough at times, like the 1971 French Grand Prix that was held the same day singer Jim Morrison died. We could have flipped the equation, started with news stories and tied them to Jo Siffert's sporting bio. But it wouldn't have been the same. That having been said, his magnificent funeral in Fribourg took place only four days before the release of the Led Zeppelin's legendary song "Stairway to Heaven" for example and it was impossible not to point that out. Olivier and I had to find the right balance with our editor. The book had to remain above all else the biography of a racing driver. I think we pulled it off thanks to the editorial team and the creator of the mock-up with comic book chapters. Let's not forget our colorist, Luc Van Linthout (a.k.a. Stibane, Ed.), who is a fan of vintage cars and knew how to set a great tone for the book. To do this type of subject matter proud, you have to be passionate so it's believable!"

Michel Janvier also notes that Jo Siffert parlayed his fame into television and film appearances: "In the book there is a chapter called 'Jo Siffert et le Cinéma' and another called 'Jo Siffert et la télévision.' We would like to thank Swiss journalist Laurent Missbauer who took on that part of the project. He interviewed Roger Moore about the 'A Persistent Grudge' episode of the series 'Yours, Amicably' in which Jo made an appearance. He also met with Paul Blancpain, Siffert's business manager, about the rental of the cars used in the movie 'Le Mans.' We did our own research on that topic as well. It's not exactly motorsport, but it seemed relevant to include in the biography that Jo Siffert appeared in several films, including 'Grand Prix' playing his own role!"

The globe-trotting life was shared by many drivers of the era, and they didn't hesitate to make their own contributions to the Jo Siffert book. Find out more in the next installment in this series.

ILLUSTRATION (Michel Janvier and Olivier Marin/Editions Paquet): Sporting the sky blue and orange Gulf Oil livery, the Porsche 917 dominated the World Marques Championship in 1970 and 1971. But neither Jo Siffert nor Pedro Rodriguez, its top two drivers, were able to win Le Mans with the car. In 1970 and 1971, the 917 fielded by Porsche Konstruktionen Salzburg and Martini Racing, respectively, gave Porsche its first two victories at the 24 Hours.