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The 1979 Porsche 935 Paul Newman Raced at Le Mans is Heading to Auction

On September 26, 2008, Paul Newman succumbed to lung cancer at his home in Westport, Connecticut. Even if he is no longer with us, the legend of Paul Newman soldiers on and fascinates stronger than ever.
1979 Porsche 935 raced by Paul Newman at Le Mans 1 photo
Photo: Mathieu Heurtault, Gooding & Company.
During his 83-year tenure in the realm of the living, Paul did many things us mortals could only dream of. Newman played Butch Cassidy, directed movies, fought for what he believed in so viciously that he was placed nineteenth on Richard Nixon’s enemies list, he did a lot of cool stuff. I, for example, envy Paul for a car that he raced in the latter part of the 1970s.

That car is estimated to fetch from $4.5 to $5.5 million at auction for three main reasons: it’s extremely powerful, it has mythological status among Porsche fans, and it was raced by Paul Newman in the 1979 24 Hours of Le Mans alongside team owner Dick Barbour and co-driver Rolf Stommelen.

This old-school “Hawaiian Tropic” livery Porsche 935 from 1979 makes my mouth water just looking at it. As fate would have it, the team brought this epic Porsche to a hugely impressive overall finish. For a privateer, second place is more than enough reason to pop the champagne. But then again, do remember that Paul Newman drove this car to the finish line, which is why a bottle of champagne doesn’t cut it.

Believe it or not, Paul Newman and his red-painted Porsche 935 attracted the largest crowd in Le Mans history. In 1980, 1979 edition of Le Mans, Apple sponsored the car. Yes, the company that designed your iPhone, iPad, and iMac. Considering that this Porsche 935 remains the only racing car the tech giant has ever supported, then it’s not that ludicrous to bring into the open that the iCar is a 36-year-old notion.

Need another reason for liking this slant-nosed brawler? So be it, I'm much obliged. Chassis 009 0030 pictured here also prides itself on an absolute win at the 1981 24 Hours of Daytona and a first overall at the 12 Hours of Sebring in 1983. Still not impressed? Oh well, is an air-cooled twin-turbo flat-6 enough to float your boat? How about a top speed of up to 220 mph on the 3.7-mile (6 km) long Mulsanne Straight?

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About the author: Mircea Panait
Mircea Panait profile photo

After a 1:43 scale model of a Ferrari 250 GTO sparked Mircea's interest for cars when he was a kid, an early internship at Top Gear sealed his career path. He's most interested in muscle cars and American trucks, but he takes a passing interest in quirky kei cars as well.
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