Kremer 917

1981 Porsche 917 K-81

Offered by RM Sotheby’s | Monaco | May 2024

Photo Courtesy of RM Sotheby’s

Porsche’s 917 is one of the most legendary race cars of all time. It was produced in quite a few variations after its 1969 introduction, including the quite famous 917K and the ultimate evolution: the 917/30.

Porsche stopped racing the 917 after the 1973 Can-Am season and moved on to the 936 for 1975. However, in 1981, Le Mans changed their rules and it sort of opened the door for the 917 to return to the 24 Hour. Porsche themselves didn’t have much interest, but Kremer Racing did. With the support of Porsche, they built a new 917 to Group 6 specifications and dubbed it the 917 K-81.

It’s a Kremer aluminum spaceframe chassis underneath similar to that of a Porsche-built 917, and it is powered by a 5.0-liter flat-12. The competition for this chassis consists of:

  • 1981 24 Hours of Le Mans – 38th, DNF (with Bob Wollek, Xavier Lapeyre, & Guy Chasseuil)
  • 1981 1000km Brand Hatch – 26th, DNF (Wollek & Henri Pescarolo)

Not super successful, and after Brands Hatch, that was it for the 917. The current owner acquired this car in 2011 and used it at various track days. The 5.0-liter engine was rebuilt recently, and the whole package has an estimate of $3,800,000-$5,500,000. Click here for more info.

991 935

2019 Porsche 935

Offered by Bring a Trailer | January 2024

Photo – Bring a Trailer

Porsche’s 991 generation of the 911 was exiting production at the end of 2019. Their big send off was the 911 GT2 RS, of which 1,000 were produced between 2018 and 2020. There was a track-only Clubsport variant as well. To take things even further, Porsche unveiled the 991 GT2 RS-based 935 in September 2018.

It’s a track-only car, but it was never homologated for a racing series, meaning you just go rent a track if you want to use it. Just 77 were built, and the name pays homage to the 935 race cars of the 1970s, specifically the 24 Hours of Le Mans-winning 1978 935/78. This is #13 of the 77. Porsche offered a series of classic livery wraps from the factory, but this one wears its bare carbon-fiber finish.

Power is from a twin-turbocharged 3.8-liter flat-six rated at 700 horsepower. This thing is full of race-ready goodness (more of which you can read about here) but it seems unlikely many get used to even a fraction of their potential, as they are doomed to trade hands as collectables. This one is going on five years old and still has less than 600 miles.

964 Turbo 3.6

1994 Porsche 911 Turbo 3.6

Offered by RM Sotheby’s | New York, New York | December 2023

Photo Courtesy of RM Sotheby’s

Porsche’s 964-generation of the 911 went on sale in 1989 with the Carrera 4 coupe. It was only around through 1994, so it was relatively short-lived. But being a relatively modern, air-cooled version of the 911, prices have gone up. Way up.

The Turbo arrived in 1990 with a turbocharged version of the previous-generation’s 3.3-liter flat-six. Come 1993, Porsche had finally found the time to slap a turbo on the 964’s 3.6-liter flat-six, and thus the Turbo 3.6 was born. Produced for just two years, about 1,500 were built. Output was rated at 355 horsepower, which was almost 40 more than the 3.3 car.

The 3.6 was the hero car in the movie Bad Boys, and there were even more exclusive sub variants of the Turbo 3.6, but we’ll save those for another day. Remember how we said things have gotten expensive? The estimate for this sub-7,000-mile car is $525,000-$625,000. Click here for more info.

Porsche Twin-Grille Roadster

1962 Porsche 356B 1600S Twin-Grille Roadster

Offered by Bring a Trailer Auctions | October 2023

Photo – Bring a Trailer

The Porsche 356 Speedster is a sought after collector car. It was eventually replaced by the Porsche 356 Convertible D. The Convertible D, in turn, was replaced by the 356B Roadster in 1960.

In 1962, Porsche introduced the T6 body style, which brought two engine lid grilles, a widened front trunk lid, and a fuel door that shifted to the right-front fender. The Roadster’s final year was 1962, which means the twin-grille roadster was only available for one year. And only 248 were built, all with coachwork by D’Ieteren Freres.

This example is powered by a 1.6-liter Super flat-four that was rated at 75 horsepower. It was refreshed 15-20 years ago and is now available on Bring a Trailer for the second time. Click here for more info.

Porsche 550 Coupe

1956 Porsche 550A Coupe Prototype

Offered by RM Sotheby’s | Monterey, California | August 17-19, 2023

Photo Courtesy of RM Sotheby’s

RM throws out every superlative they can think of in the description for this car. It’s a little much, but the point is taken: this is an important and likely unrepeatable opportunity. Porsche’s 550 Spyder is already a legendary car, for reasons good and bad, and they command seven figures every day.

Porsche built four coupe prototypes of the 550. It’s got a slick fastback profile and is powered by a 1.5-liter flat-four. These were fully prepared race cars developed as a replacement for the 550 RS. The competition history for this chassis, 550A-0104, includes:

  • 1956 24 Hours of Le Mans – 5th, 1st in class (with Wolfgang von Trips and Richard von Frankenburg)
  • 1957 12 Hours of Sebring – 9th (with Ken Miles and Jean-Pierre Kunstle)

It also ran in SCCA races around the U.S. before being tracked down and restored by a Porsche collector in the 2000s. Since then, it’s been shown here and there. It’s got a pre-sale estimate of $5,500,000-$7,500,000, which seems low considering with 550 Spyders go for and the race history this car has. Anyway, you can found out more about it here.

Update: Not sold.

Porsche 910

1967 Porsche 910

Offered by Bring a Trailer Auctions | June 2023

Photo – Bring a Trailer Auctions

If only Porsche went in order with their model name/numbering scheme. That would make the 911 the follow up to this, the 910. Imagine what a street-legal follow up to this car would’ve looked like. Instead, they are entirely unrelated.

The 910 was an evolution of the earlier 906 and for some reason slotted in between the 906 and 907 in terms of P-car prototype racers. The 910 was produced in 1966 and 1967. Just 27 were built, and this one was never raced under the Porsche works factory banner. It was used as an R&D car before being sold into private hands and later raced, including at the:

  • 1973 24 Hours of Daytona – 38th, DNF (with Ed Abate and Bill Cuddy)

It is powered by a 2.0-liter flat-six that made around 200 horsepower. At one point during its life it had a 2.2-liter flat-eight installed that made closer to 300 horsepower. That engine, which is extremely rare and valuable on its own, is included in this sale. This car was recently repainted and was previously used on European tours (so there’s a hope of getting it road registered). You can read more about it here.

Update: Sold $2,500,000.

924 Carrera GT

1981 Porsche 924 Carrera GT

Offered by Bring a Trailer Auctions | June 2022

Photo – Bring a Trailer Auctions

The 924 is not the most-loved Porsche of all time. It was the entry-level replacement for the 914, a car that was co-marketed by Volkswagen. The 944 replaced the 924 in the U.S. market beginning with the 1983 model year, however, the 924 remained on sale elsewhere in the world through 1988.

There was a 924 Turbo and a sporty 924S, but the real halo car in this range is the homologation Carrera GT (and GTS). Based on the 924 Turbo, the CGT featured an increased compression ratio and an intercooler for the turbocharged 2.0-liter inline-four that pushed output to 210 horsepower. More modified race versions (Carrera GTR) made up to 375 horsepower.

Just 400 road-going examples of the Carrera GT were built, and they are visually differentiated from standard road cars with their fender flares and hood scoop. As of this writing, bidding is already at $54,000, enough to buy a few really nice 924s. Click here for more info.

Update: Not sold, high bid of $119,937.

Ruf Rt 12 R

2015 Ruf Rt 12 R

Offered by Mecum | Indianapolis, Indiana | May 13-21, 2022

Photo – Mecum

The most famous Rufs are based on the Porsche 930, 3.2 Carrera, and the 993. Porsche’s 997 generation of the 911 was produced for the 2005 through 2013 model years, and that’s what this Rt 12 R is based on. Okay, not based on. Don’t forget Rufs are most certainly their own thing and not at all tweaked Porsches. No way.

The Rt 12 was offered between 2004 and 2012. Trim levels included “S” and “R”, with the R being more hardcore. In this spec, the twin-turbocharged 3.8-liter flat-six makes 720 horsepower and 693 lb-ft of torque. The bodywork is also revised and includes a GT3-esque rear wing and attractive center-lock Ruf wheels. Top speed was about 230 mph.

All 997 Turbos had all-wheel drive. The Rt 12 offered rear-wheel drive as an option. Just 13 R-spec Rt 12s were built, and this is one of only two in RWD configuration. This is a pretty crazy yet completely unassuming supercar. Read more about it here.

Update: Not sold, high bid of $1,100,000.

356 Carrera Zagato Speedster

1960 Porsche 356 Carrera Zagato Speedster

Offered by RM Sotheby’s | Amelia Island, Florida | March 5, 2022

Photo Courtesy of RM Sotheby’s

Philosophical question: if a car is produced by a manufacturer and later sent to a coachbuilder, what is the maximum length of time between those two acts to where the car is still considered what it is claimed to be? Most would agree that an Aston Martin DB4 tweaked by Bertone a few months after it was built is just fine.

But what if you take a 1960 Porsche 356B and send it to Zagato in 2016 for a new body? Is it still a coachbuilt 1960 356? That’s what we have here. There was a Porsche-Zagato Speedster raced in 1958 and 1959. That car no longer exists. In the 2010s, an American collector persuaded Zagato to recreate that Speedster. There was also a coupe version produced. In all 18 were built, and only one of the Speedsters ended up with a 1.6-liter Carrera flat-four.

This car, which is a real, Zagato-bodied 356 (though it just so happened it was bodied in 2016), carries an estimate of $450,000-$550,000. Click here for more info.

Update: Sold $472,500.

Porsche Indy Car

1990 March-Porsche 90P

Offered by Gooding & Company | Pebble Beach, California | August 13-14, 2021

Photo – Gooding & Company

Porsche North America contested three Indy Car seasons: 1988, 1989, and 1990. The company used specially built March chassis and then stuck their own powerplant behind the driver. For 1990, they had a brand new chassis designed, dubbed the 90P.

Power is provided by a turbocharged 2.6-liter Porsche V8 capable of 725 horsepower. Porsche’s two drivers in 1990 were Teo Fabi and John Andretti, the latter of which piloted this chassis, #5. The competition history for this car includes:

  • 1990 Indianapolis 500 – 21st, DNF (with Andretti)
  • 1990 Budweiser Grand Prix of Cleveland – 5th (with Andretti)
  • 1990 Molson Indy Vancouver – 5th (with Andretti)
  • 1990 Texaco/Havoline Grand Prix of Denver – 6th (with Andretti)

Actually, John Andretti drove this car in all but two of the 1990 points races. He finished 10th in the championship. The car was sold by Porsche to a collector in 2017, and then this car passed to the current owner the following year. It’s a ready-to-go historic open-wheel car with a pre-sale estimate of $350,000-$500,000. Click here for more info and here for more from this sale.

Update: Sold $346,000.