Photo: Mecum Auctions
If you haven't yet written your letter to Santa, here's a great idea for a gift: a 1989 Porsche 962 IMSA race car. The ultra rare piece of motorsport history will be sold at auction, between January 15 and January 25. OK, so it's about a month after Christmas, but let's give Santa some time on this one since it's such a special request.
How special? Well, this isn't any old Porsche 962. It's the one that won the Daytona 24-Hour race in 1989, for Jim Busby Racing. The actual car driven by the legendary Derek Bell - with co-drivers Bob Wollek and John Andretti - to his final 24-Hour victory. It was also the model's 50th win in international competitions.
But wait, there's more! Five-time Le Mans 24-hour winner Bell said the 1989 962 was his favourite Group C Porsche prototype ever. It's worth to mention that four of the five Le Mans victories under Bell's belt, as well as all of his three Daytona wins and two World Sports Car Championships, were achieved at the wheel of a Porsche. Needless to say, the man knows his Porsches.
The car has chassis number 962-108 and is one of the most iconic from that period. Its 1989 success was particularly hard earned, as most people thought Porsche was passed its peak and was no longer competitive. But the 962 driven by Bell grabbed the win at Daytona and also at the Palm Beach Grand Prix. In the 1988 and 89 IMSA seasons, it finished on the podium five times.
The Porsche 962 is potentially worth millions, but it's virtually priceless, as it's one of the most successful cars in motorsport history. Together with its predecessor, the 956, they dominated competitions for 12 years and were at the apogee of performance. The 956 still holds the record for fastest time around the Nurburgring, despite setting it in 1983. We're talking about cars that had as much as 750 hp and could hit 380 km/h. Man, the 80s were awesome!
The Mecum Kissimmee auction in January will feature no less than 29 Porsches, including a pair of very low-mileage 2005 Carrera GTs.
But wait, there's more! Five-time Le Mans 24-hour winner Bell said the 1989 962 was his favourite Group C Porsche prototype ever. It's worth to mention that four of the five Le Mans victories under Bell's belt, as well as all of his three Daytona wins and two World Sports Car Championships, were achieved at the wheel of a Porsche. Needless to say, the man knows his Porsches.
The car has chassis number 962-108 and is one of the most iconic from that period. Its 1989 success was particularly hard earned, as most people thought Porsche was passed its peak and was no longer competitive. But the 962 driven by Bell grabbed the win at Daytona and also at the Palm Beach Grand Prix. In the 1988 and 89 IMSA seasons, it finished on the podium five times.
The Porsche 962 is potentially worth millions, but it's virtually priceless, as it's one of the most successful cars in motorsport history. Together with its predecessor, the 956, they dominated competitions for 12 years and were at the apogee of performance. The 956 still holds the record for fastest time around the Nurburgring, despite setting it in 1983. We're talking about cars that had as much as 750 hp and could hit 380 km/h. Man, the 80s were awesome!
The Mecum Kissimmee auction in January will feature no less than 29 Porsches, including a pair of very low-mileage 2005 Carrera GTs.
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