This Factory-Restored Race-Winning Porsche 906 Is Expected To Fetch Up to $2.5M at Auction

Besides being the last street-legal racing car from the German automaker, the Porsche 906 Carrera 6 is also one of the rarest Porsches out there, as the company only produced 62 units in 1966. According to FIA regulations, at least 50 units had to be sold in order for the model to be homologated for the new Group 4 Sports Car category. A modified version of the 906, however, also competed in the Group 6 Sports Prototype class.

Built as a highly aerodynamic endurance racer, the Carrera 6 was the German marque's response to the Ferrari 206 Dino, and it quickly distinguished itself as a force of nature on race courses. It took the checkers at the 24 Hours of Daytona on its first outing in 1966 and then went on to win at Sebring, Monza, and the Targa Florio.

The Porsche 906 was the successor to the 904 model and was designed by Ferdinand Piëch, the grandson of the company's founder Ferdinand Porsche. Instead of a boxed steel structure, the Carrera 6 was based on a light yet strong tubular space frame on which an unstressed fiberglass body shell was mounted. The car's very streamlined body had an overall height of just 38.6 inches (980 mm) and weighed way less than its predecessor.

Behind the cabin of the Porsche 906 regularly sat a 2.0-liter flat-six lightweight racing engine with carburetors producing 220 horsepower (223 ps) 145 pound-feet (197 Nm) of torque. That might not sound like much by today's standards, but considering the lightness of the car, it actually is plenty of power, and the relatively small engine didn't stop it from reaching 170 mph (280 kph) at Le Mans. In some examples, the mill was replaced with a fuel-injected 8-cylinder when the car was being used by the factory racing team, especially in hill climbing events.

The engine was also significantly lighter, making extensive use of magnesium and aluminum alloys. The shift to a space frame and fiberglass body meant that gullwing doors were required. The result of all these changes was a much lighter car that tipped the scales at just 1,275 lbs (578 kg), which was approximately 250 pounds (113 kg) lighter than the 904.

Since so few units were built, all Carrera 6 specimens are extremely valuable and highly coveted by collectors. One of the most successful and historically significant Porsche 906 units is set to soon roll across the auction block and is expected to fetch between $2.2 million and $2.5 million.

This is chassis No. 906-120, which left the factory in 1966 to be delivered to its first owner, prominent Japanese driver Shintaro Taki. The car has a rich endurance racing history, as it went on to participate in the next several race seasons between 1966 and 1974, during which it put numerous high-profile wins under its belt.

It competed in five major Japanese races in 1966 and won the Clubman round at the Suzuka road circuit, as well as the All-Japan race at the Mt. Fuji circuit. The car was also the first-place winner at the 1968 Suzuka 500 and sat on the podium at the Suzuka 1000 in 1967 and 1969.

This particular Carrera 6 takes power from an enlarged 2.5-liter power plant developing about 260 hp (264 ps) at around 6,500 rpm, though it's not certain at what point in its career the original 2-liter engine was enlarged to 2.5-liters.

The single-overhead-cam flat-six engine fitted on the racer is fed through a pair of 46IDA 3C Weber carbs and coupled to a 911-sourced five-speed manual transmission. The 906 also boasts four-wheel disc brakes and four-wheel fully independent suspension, which were cutting-edge features back when the car was introduced.

Though it exchanged hands on several occasions throughout its lifetime, this historically significant 906 specimen remained in its original matching numbers condition. Yokohama-based Porsche enthusiast and collector Takashi Yasunaga was among the car's stewards at some point. In 1992, he commissioned the Stuttgart-based carmaker to thoroughly inspect and restore the car in order to return it to its former glory.

This factory-restored 1966 Porsche 906 unit is considered a fascinating piece of Porsche history and is eligible for various historic competition events around the world, such as Goodwood Revival and RennSport.

For Porsche enthusiasts and car collectors, this 1966 Porsche 906 Carrera Six Endurance Racing Coupe set to go under the hammer in August is a unique opportunity not to be missed. That's if they are willing to fork out up to $2.5 million.