Photo: silverarrowcarsltd/Bring a Trailer
Some might argue that the Porsche 959 is the best sports car of all time, but let me tell you this: it is the only car that won both the grueling Paris-Dakar Rally and the 24-Hours of Le Mans in 1986.
Unveiled by Porsche in 1985 at the Frankfurt Motor Show, the 959 faced numerous problems that forced the carmaker to postpone deliveries until 1987. Yet, in January 1986, three cars entered the Paris-Dakar rally. They finished in the first, sixth, and 25th positions, proving that they were fast and reliable. René Metge was at the wheel of the winning vehicle, and the same driver climbed on top of its class-podium at Le Mans on June 1st, the same year, using the road-race version of the Porsche 959, dubbed 961. But it was basically the same vehicle, with different engine and suspension settings and modified aerodynamics. He also clinched the seventh overall position in the final ranking in the endurance race.
In the following year, Porsche started the sales of the 959 with a staggering price of over $225,000 (391,304 USD in today's money). For comparison, a brand-new Rolls-Royce Silver Spur was about 100-grand in the same year. But Porsche didn't care about the U.S. market. Thus the car was not officially imported stateside. Moreover, Bill Gates bought one in 1988, and it was seized by the U.S. Customs and held in storage for eleven years without being crushed. Maybe they just forgot that they have such a rare vehicle over there.
The car you see here is one of the 337 "Komfort" trim-level examples produced between 1986 and 1988 and left the factory in 1987. Most of its life was exhibited in a museum in Japan, in a controlled environment. Come 2015, the car traded hands when it was purchased by silverarrowcarsltd from Oakville, Ontario, Canada. I put it up for auction this month on Bring a Trailer website. The car comes with a Certificate of Authenticity issued by Porsche and signed by Detlev von Platen, President and CEO of Porsche Cars North America.
This Guard Red painted car went through a mild refresh in 2021 when it received a fresh set of Bridgestone tires and a new front wheel. Also, the R134a air conditioning refrigerant is new. As for the nasty sides: the height-adjustable suspension does not work, and they couldn't fix it. The same goes with the ABS, but at least the brakes are in running order. The odometer of this 450 ps (443 hp) supercar shows a mere 1,300 kilometers (808 miles). Power comes from a twin-turbo 2.85-liter air-cooled engine and is going in all corners via a six-speed manual gearbox. The flat-six powerplant received regular maintenance, as required by Porsche's manual and proved by additional literature.
At the moment of writing, there were 27 bids, and the price was $2,110,000. We'll update the news after the deal closes.
Later udate: the car was sold with $2,120,000
In the following year, Porsche started the sales of the 959 with a staggering price of over $225,000 (391,304 USD in today's money). For comparison, a brand-new Rolls-Royce Silver Spur was about 100-grand in the same year. But Porsche didn't care about the U.S. market. Thus the car was not officially imported stateside. Moreover, Bill Gates bought one in 1988, and it was seized by the U.S. Customs and held in storage for eleven years without being crushed. Maybe they just forgot that they have such a rare vehicle over there.
The car you see here is one of the 337 "Komfort" trim-level examples produced between 1986 and 1988 and left the factory in 1987. Most of its life was exhibited in a museum in Japan, in a controlled environment. Come 2015, the car traded hands when it was purchased by silverarrowcarsltd from Oakville, Ontario, Canada. I put it up for auction this month on Bring a Trailer website. The car comes with a Certificate of Authenticity issued by Porsche and signed by Detlev von Platen, President and CEO of Porsche Cars North America.
This Guard Red painted car went through a mild refresh in 2021 when it received a fresh set of Bridgestone tires and a new front wheel. Also, the R134a air conditioning refrigerant is new. As for the nasty sides: the height-adjustable suspension does not work, and they couldn't fix it. The same goes with the ABS, but at least the brakes are in running order. The odometer of this 450 ps (443 hp) supercar shows a mere 1,300 kilometers (808 miles). Power comes from a twin-turbo 2.85-liter air-cooled engine and is going in all corners via a six-speed manual gearbox. The flat-six powerplant received regular maintenance, as required by Porsche's manual and proved by additional literature.
At the moment of writing, there were 27 bids, and the price was $2,110,000. We'll update the news after the deal closes.
Later udate: the car was sold with $2,120,000
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