Three very special Porsches with motorsport heritage are going to sale at Amelia Island next month
Gooding & Company will sell a trio of rare Porsche racing cars at Amelia Island on March 8 this year in its annual Florida sale.
Leading the trio is a 1979 Porsche 935, one of the seven examples that were built in Stuttgart for competition that year. It’s expected to sell for $2,550,000 - $3,000,000 (£1,982,400 - £2,332,250, €2,260,650 - €2,659,600). Although for customer programs, these were factory-built and developed machines, and were equipped with an inverted gearbox and larger brakes to improve performance and reliability for the long-distance endurance races it competed in.
Otis Chandler, former publisher of the Los Angeles Times newspaper, was the first owner of this 935 (chassis no. 930 990 0027), having it custom built as a result of being one of Porsche’s VIP customers. He had it finished in Vintage Racing Blue to match the Sunoco-liveried 917/30 he owned. The 935 made one race appearance in Chandler’s hands, at Riverside’s Los Angeles Times Grand Prix of Endurance in ‘79, and held the car until 1993.
Its latest owner has ensured it’s been restored to a high standard, and as such it could be considered one of the finest 935s of any age in existence.
The second Porsche in the trio is a Kremer-built 962C from 1987, which can boast Le Mans 24 Hours experience, and is set to break the million dollar threshold at $1,000,000 – $1,250,000 (£777,800 - £972,250, €886,850 - €1,108,550). Although Kremer had the option of buying said car from Porsche for its ‘87 Le Mans effort, it decided to build it itself instead, using a new aluminum honeycomb tub.
The risk was worthwhile, as it finished the race in fourth overall. A year later the car hadn’t lost any of its competitive nature, and finished eighth. You may recognize the livery, as Leyton House lent its name to Formula 1 cars in the late 1980s and early ‘90s.
No Porsche sale is complete without a 911, a role which is filled by this 1973 Carrera 2.7 RS Lightweight, set to be sold off for $1,000,000 – $1,200,000. This lightweight model is one of 200 built, and has had only four owners since new. The latest owner has restored the car back to its factory condition and livery, including the green Carrera graphics and wheels.
Amelia Island always attracts a brilliant array of cars, so expect more great motors to be added to the auction roster alongside this trio of iconic Porsches.
