Really nice interior Sean.
Jamme, to the best of my knowledge, no correct 917 has the battery installed alongside the engine. All of them have the battery in the cockpit. It has nothing to do with drivers being able to cut them off--that's what the ignition kill switches are for, which Sean has included on the dash and which appear on the top of the front left side exterior of the cars. It's a small brass-colored 'L' shaped lever.
Here's the provenance of chassis 023:
http://962.com/registry/917/917-023/index.htm
The car was temporarily renumbered by Vasek Polak as 021, but eventually restored.
Here's the car today, with the battery in the correct place:
http://www.pelicanparts.com/swapmeet...L/Page-541.htm
http://www.pelicanparts.com/swapmeet...L/Page-532.htm
http://www.pelicanparts.com/swapmeet...L/Page-530.htm
Exterior kill switch clearly visible here:
http://www.pelicanparts.com/swapmeet...L/Page-540.htm
There's a ton of additional reference there by the way.
http://www.pelicanparts.com/swapmeet...n_04/Page4.htm
Sean, I could quibble about some of your paint choices--the Girling calipers are more a pure aluminum color than the slightly brassy color I see on my monitor, the clamshells could be lighter, and in general, on an as-new or restored early Porsche prototype car, it would probably be more appropriate to have the grey panels in semi-gloss, as well as the tube frame--but the two 917s I have waiting to be built will be lucky to have the beauty of yours. Inspiring work!