Tag Archives: race cars

991 935

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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.

Alta F2

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1951 Alta Formula 2

Offered by Bonhams | London, U.K. | December 15, 2023

Photo – Bonhams

Geoffrey Taylor’s Alta Car and Engineering Company was founded in 1929 and produced sports racing and a few road cars prior to WWII. In 1950, they built a Formula One car and entered five races as a constructor. But F1 was, as always, expensive. So Taylor turned his attentions to F2.

Their first Formula Two car was built in 1951, and this example is the second of five constructed. It competed in races in 1951 and 1952 and was purchased by its current owner in 1974.

It’s never been restored. The Alta F2 car was powered by a 2.0-liter inline-four that was rated at about 130 horsepower. The estimate is $76,000-$150,000, which is quite a range. More info can be found here.

Ford GT Mk II

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2020 Ford GT Mk II

Offered by Mecum | Kissimmee, Florida | January 2024

Photo – Mecum

From a performance – and pedigree – standpoint, Ford’s second-generation GT blew the first-gen out of the water. It arrived in 2017, and production continued into 2022 (the first gen lasted just two model years). These were more powerful, faster, and more expensive. And they had racing trophies to back it up.

The GT race car, in the hands of Chip Ganassi drivers, scored class victories at Le Mans and Daytona. So it only made sense that Ford would offer some of that racing prowess to the public. The GT MK II was launched in 2019 as a track-only variant of the road-going GT. The twin-turbocharged 3.5-liter V6 was modified to produce 700 horsepower.

It gained a big rear wing and lost some niceties (and weight in the process). This car is #18 of 45 built and wears a Gulf livery. These were over $1 million new, and this one hasn’t been used. Click here to read more about it.

F40 GT

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1990 Ferrari F40 GT

Offered by RM Sotheby’s | Las Vegas, Nevada | November 17, 2023

Photo Courtesy of RM Sotheby’s

Ferrari’s sensational F40 went on sale in 1987 and actually hung around until the early 1990s, which is quite a while in the world of limited-run Ferrari supercars. Three of four examples were prepped by Michelotto to “LM” specification, which increased interest in customer F40 racing cars.

So to that end, nine examples of the “GT” ended up being produced. It retains a twin-turbocharged 2.9-liter V8 that was eventually rated for up to 550 horsepower in race spec. This particular chassis was purchased new by the designer of the Mugello race track and campaigned in the Italian GT Championship.

It competed in seven rounds in 1992 and eight the following year. The car was later taken back to its 1992 look, and it is one of 21 F40s to race in a major sanctioned series. The car now has an estimate of $3,250,000-$4,000,000. More info can be found here.

McLaren MP4/21

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2006 McLaren-Mercedes MP4/21

Offered by Bonhams | Abu Dhabi, U.A.E. | November 25, 2023

Photo – Bonhams

The 2006 Formula One season was a classic Fernando Alonso/Michael Schumacher dogfight, with Alonso coming out on top. Behind Ferrari and Renault was McLaren, and this was their car for that year. Kimi Raikkonen was in one car, while Pedro de la Rosa replaced Juan Pablo Montoya in the other car midway through the season.

It was an Adrian Newey design and was powered by a Mercedes-Benz 2.4-liter V8 good for 750 horsepower. The competition history for this chassis, MP4/21-2, includes:

  • 2006 Bahrain Grand Prix – 3rd (with Kimi Raikkonen)
  • 2006 Malaysian Grand Prix – 22nd, DNF (with Raikkonen)
  • 2006 Australian Grand Prix – 2nd (with Raikkonen)
  • 2006 San Marino Grand Prix – 5th (with Raikkonen)
  • 2006 European Grand Prix at Nurburgring – 4th (with Raikkonen)
  • 2006 Spanish Grand Prix – 5th (with Raikkonen)
  • 2006 Monaco Grand Prix – 20th, DNF (with Raikkonen)
  • 2006 French Grand Prix – 5th (with Raikkonen)

McLaren restored the car before selling it off, and it hasn’t been used since. The pre-sale estimate is $2,500,000-$3,500,000. Click here for more info.

Stanguellini

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1959 Stanguellini Formula Junior

Offered by Bring a Trailer Auctions | November 2023

Photo – Bring a Trailer

Automobili Stanguellini started producing Fiat based cars after WWII, including a handful of road cars. But the company’s most popular and famous product were their formula junior race cars.

Formula Junior was a precursor to Formula Two that existed between 1958 and 1964. Right place, right time, for Vittorio Stanguellini. This car is one of three originally purchased by Briggs Cunningham and was raced by Walt Hansgen for his team. Power is from a 1.1-liter Fiat inline-four.

This car was restored in the 2000s and has been used in historic and vintage racing events over the next 20 years. These are rare and sought-after old race cars. This one has a few days left, and you can read more about it here.

Mercedes W04 F1

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2013 Mercedes-AMG W04

Offered by RM Sotheby’s | Las Vegas, Nevada | November 17, 2023

Photo Courtesy of RM Sotheby’s

Mercedes-Benz took quite the hiatus from Formula One, departing in 1955 after murdering a bunch of spectators. They returned as an engine supplier in the 1990s, but didn’t come back with a full team effort until the 2010 season, a year after purchasing reigning champions Brawn GP.

After three somewhat disappointing seasons, they showed up in 2013 with this, the W04 that was to be fielded by drivers Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg. It would take them to second in the constructors championship, bettering the fifth they achieved the year prior. It was clear they were onto something, as the following year they would win the championship… and then keep doing so year after year after that.

The W04 is powered by a 2.4-liter V8 with a KERS system that can produce 750 horsepower (or 830 with the KERS enabled). All while revving to a cool 18,000 rpm. This was the last season of F1 to feature V8 engines. The race history for this chassis, #F1W04-04 includes:

  • 2013 Malaysian Grand Prix – 3rd (with Lewis Hamilton)
  • 2013 Chinese Grand Prix – 3rd (with Hamilton)
  • 2013 Hungarian Grand Prix – 1st (with Hamilton)
  • 2013 Belgian Grand Prix – 3rd (with Hamilton)

This chassis was actually used in 14 races that year. It has somehow escaped Mercedes’ hands and has a pre-sale estimate of $10,000,000-$15,000,000. Click here for more info.

Peugeot 3008 Dakar

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2017 Peugeot 3008 DKR

Offered by RM Sotheby’s | Munich, Germany | November 25, 2023

Photo Courtesy of RM Sotheby’s

Peugeot‘s 3008 road model is a compact SUV. And it looks nothing like this. I think, for this rally raid race car, they carried over the headlights and grille shape. And that’s about it. But hey, it gives everyone who drives a 3008 the feeling that their front-wheel-drive hatchback wagon could go anywhere if they slapped some Red Bull graphics on it.

Peugeot entered five of these in the 2017 Dakar Rally. It’s powered by a twin-turbocharged 3.0-liter diesel V6 that makes 340 horsepower. So it can pretty go much anywhere, and fast. The competition history for this chassis, C22, includes:

  • 2017 Dakar Rally – 3rd (with Cyril Despres and David Castera)
  • 2019 Dakar Rally – 3rd (with Sebastien Loeb and Daniel Elena)
  • 2022 Dakar Rally – 42nd (with Khalid Al Qassmi and Dirk von Zitzewitz)

After its last outing it was rebuilt and should be instantly usable. It has an estimate of $370,000-$700,000 – a range that says “we have no idea what this is worth.” Click here for more info.

Gillet Vertigo

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2002 Gillet Vertigo Race Car

Offered by Bring a Trailer | October 2023

Photo – Bring a Trailer

Gran Turismo fans know exactly what this is. The Vertigo is the product of Gillet Automobiles of Belgium. They’ve been making versions of it since the early 1990s, and some of them look quite different than others, but this is the most famous one.

The race car (there are apparently a few road cars) was aimed at the FIA GT Championship, and it won its class three years in a row in the late 2000s. Power is provided by tuned 3.0-liter Alfa Romeo V6, and the car features a carbon fiber monocoque and bodywork.

This particular car competed in the 2005 FIA GT series, winning its class at Zhuhai in China. It’s said to be one of three such race cars built. It was later restored by Tony Gillet himself and has about a week left to bid on. Click here for more info.

Ferrari 412P

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1967 Ferrari 412P

Offered by Bonhams | Carmel, California | August 18, 2023

Photo – Bonhams

This car is proof that, if you watch long enough, just about everything will come up for sale. Ferrari‘s “P”-line of sports prototype race cars are among the most valuable and sought after vehicles in the world. Only four 412Ps were built, and two of those were actually converted from P3s.

This car, chassis number 0854, is one of two factory-built 412Ps. But not much left on it is from the factory. The car was purchased by David Piper in 1968, and the original aluminum body had seen a few years of hard racing duty at that point. And instead of repair it, he replaced the body with a fiberglass one. Which was then destroyed in a fire in 1969. It was then rebuilt again, and this time as a spyder, before it was actually restored to how it looked when new. This was done by the current owner, famed Ferrari guy Jim Glickenhaus.

With these old racing cars, it’s sort of like the “idea” of them. Eventually every part will be replaced, but as long as you can link the chain back to when it was new, then you’ve got the real deal.

The engine is a 4.0-liter V12 that makes somewhere around 420 horsepower. The period racing history for this chassis includes:

  • 1967 1000km Spa – 3rd (with Richard Attwood and Lucien Bianchi)
  • 1967 24 Hours of Le Mans – 23rd (with Attwood and Piers Courage)

All of this is good and well, but there is still one more important detail (it’s not the price, which most cannot afford anyway and will be well into the eight figures). It’s this: this car has license plates. The late 1960s is when the end came for sports prototypes to also be made street legal. By the 1970s, the cars were too extreme. This is pretty extreme, but you can still take it to the grocery store. Click here for more info.

Update: Sold $30,255,000.