This year at the Monterey Car Week auctions, there is one particular house that has paid close attention to the Porsche market and aimed a large portion of their catalog at Porsche enthusiasts like you and me. I'll let you look at the auction listings and decide for yourself who is the committed Porsche auction house, but it's pretty self-evident in my eyes. Like years past, there are some mega interesting lots for sale here, and several of them with pre-estimates in the millions of dollars. This has been an excellent year for Porsche buyers at auction, and Monterey will be no different. You have your choice of two different 964 Flachbau Turbos, a 935 that has logged wins at Le Mans, Sebring, and Daytona, a 550 Spyder, a custom 356 Carrera coupe, plus the requisite Carrera GT, 959, and 2.7 RS offerings. This is going to be an excellent series of auctions, and if your looking to start a collection or help bolster one, you'll regret not attending.
RM Sotheby's
RM is only offering three Porsche lots this year in Monterey, but as luck would have it, they've got some of the hottest markets in Porsche-land right now, a blue-chip and a couple of recent up-and-comers in the collector market. As Porsche people, we've known that the Carrera GT and the 3 liter Turbos were undervalued in the market, and things are finally evening out. It happened really quickly, which took us by surprise in the last couple of years, but RM is capitalizing on the fervor.
Lot 247 - 2004 Porsche Carrera GT (Est. $650,000 - 700,000)
Is there really any Porsche more beautiful than a GT Silver Metallic Carrera GT? This car has become an icon among supercars in just a few short years, and is known as among the last truly analog supercars sold. This is a wild child car that can be extremely fast, and extremely fun, but only in the right hands. If you're inexperienced with high-power cars, you may want to search elsewhere, as you would probably be more scared than excited.
This particular Porsche was sold originally in Hawaii, which seems like an excellent place to have enjoyed everything the CGT has to offer. Take the top out, take it for a run down Saddle road a few times, and then sprint down to the beach for a nice surf. Yeah, that sounds like a great way to spend a day or a week or a lifetime. In 2006, the CGT was shipped off to a new owner in Japan, where it has remained sine then.
Recently this Carrera GT underwent a proper service, with a positive clutch reading of 29.65-millimeters, as it should, having recorded only 3,550 original miles; receipts for this service are on file. It also comes with a collection of original manuals and brochures, including the owner’s manual and the original service booklet, as well as the center-lock tool and lumbar support pieces for the seats.
Other RM Sotheby's Porsche Lots For Sale
Lot 105 - 1977 Porsche 911 (930) Turbo Carrera 3.0L (Est. $250,000 - 325,000)
Lot 143 - 1956 Porsche 356A 1600 Speedster (Est. $400,000 - 450,000)
Gooding & Co.
Still riding high on the results of their Seinfeld auction earlier this year, Gooding has brought an exciting assortment to Northern California as well. I didn't think a 997 GT2 would hit the collector market this quickly, but they have one, as well as a gorgeous 997 Speedster. The Rothmans SC/RS is really, really cool, but when its in the same auction as an ex-Paul Newman 935 with winning history, it's overshadowed. Toss in a couple four-cam cars, a 959, and a stupidly rare 2.7 RS Homologation.
Lot 038 - 1973 Porsche 911 Carrera 2.7L RS Homologation (Est. $1,300,000 - 1,500,000)
Chassis: 9113601429 Engine: 6631397
Following the success of the 917 in the early 1970s, Porsche shifted their focus on GT class racing, and worked to develop the Carrera RS that has since become an icon of Porsche history. As a proof of concept for FIA inclusion in Group 4 classification, Porsche built 17 fully-decked racing versions of the Rennsport Carrera, which have since been dubbed "Carrera RSH" with H equalling 'Homologation'. The RSH was even more hardcore than the M471 lightweight package cars, losing a further 30 kilos of weight This car happens to be one of those 17. This is the only one of the 17 delivered in Signal Orange, as it arrived at the Glöckler dealership in Frankfurt.
Perhaps the most important to collectors, this car comes with a full detailed report from Porsche and RS expert Jürgen Barth. Mr. Barth was working with Porsche and was involved in the homologation process in-period. Documentation is also provided by Jean Pierre Cornu, a classic car historian, including every piece of research he found regarding 1429's history. According to Barth's report, 1429 retains the original chassis number tag, type plate, engine (no. 6631397), stamped production number (103 7964), and gearbox (no. 7831393).
Lot 042 - 1958 Porsche 550A Spyder (Est. $5,000,000 - 6,000,000)
Chassis: 550A-0145 Engine: P90127 (Non-original)
Here is another exciting entry in Gooding's listings. This 550A Spyder is billed as a period-correct Spyder with extensive racing history, including a Le Mans podium and a handful of race victories to its credit. Picking up from the 550 Spyder's success, the 550A introduced a number of updates and changes to the specification, including a new space frame, a new rear suspension design, and moved the spare wheel to the front of the car for improved weight distribution. The changes led to legendary driver Ken Miles to call the 550A "the greatest long-distance racer in the world”.
The car's full provenance is shown below, but the most significant pieces of its competition history include a class win at the 1000 Km Nürburgring, and class win at the 12 Hours of Reims, and a class podium and 5th overall finish at the 1958 24 Hours of Le Mans. This was Porsche's highest finish for the mid-engine family of racers at Circuit de la Sarthe. With a long history of racing, run through the early 1960s, the car took nine major victories. A decent record for any racing chassis, let alone one in the 50s and 60s, when attrition was king.
The car was initially purchased from Porsche by Count Carel Godin de Beaufort of the Netherlands, a proper racer in his own right. Following his time with the car, he sold the 550 to a dealership in 1960 in Toronto, Canada. Jim Muzzin purchased the car and continued campaigning it through 1962, eventually selling the car on to a collector in California in 1967. The car then bounced through a few owners in California, until it was brought back to Germany in the early 1990s, then Italy in 2002.
In 2013, the current owner contracted noted Porsche historian Andy Prill to inspect the 550A for the intent of its purchase. Mr. Prill's report, which accompanies the lot sale, provides detailed analysis of the Spyder and its history. Prill states that he feels this 550A is among the top 3 in the world. Perhaps most importantly, while the engine in the car is non-original (a spare case appears to have been used and stamped with a modified version of the original case number) it was fully rebuilt in 2012 and had been used little since.
This car would surely be welcome at any car show or vintage racing event, including Le Mans Classic or even the Monterey Motorsport Reunion happening the same weekend. Coming with such high regard from Andy Prill and Jürgen Barth means that this 550A is the real deal. If you're looking for a blue-chip collectible Porsche with real Le Mans history, this could be your answer.
Racing History
1000 Km Nurburgring, FIA World Sports Car Championship, Germany, June 1, 1958, Von Frankenberg/De Beaufort, (6th Overall, 1st in Class)
24 h Le Mans, FIA World Sports Car Championship, France, June 21-22, 1958, De Beaufort/Linge, (5th Overall, 2nd in Class)
12 h Rheims, France, July 5-6, 1958, Carel Godin De Beaufort, (1st in Class)
Zandvoort NAV Race, The Netherlands, July 6, 1958, Carel Godin De Beaufort, (2nd Overall, 1st in Class)
Zandvoort, The Netherlands, July 26, 1958, Carel Godin De Beaufort, (1st in Class)
Gaisberg Hillclimb, Austria, August 15, 1958, Carel Godin De Beaufort, (2nd in Class)
Goodwood, World Sports Car Championship, United Kingdom, September 13, 1958, De Beaufort/Heins, (8th Overall, 2nd in Class)
Innsbruck Airport Race, Austria, October 5, 1958, Carel Godin De Beaufort, (2nd in Class)
Saint Eugene Montreal MG CC Races, Canada, June 14, 1959, Peter Ryan, (2nd Overall, 1st in Class)
Harewood Acres, Canada, June 20, 1959, Peter Ryan, (3rd Overall, 1st in Class)
Green Acres London ASC, Canada, July 4-5, 1959, Peter Ryan, (3rd Overall)
Harewood Acres, Canada, August 12, 1959, Peter Ryan, (1st in Class)
Harewood Acres Autumn Cup Race, Canada, September 12, 1959, Francis Bradley, (1st Overall, 1st in Class)
Harewood Acres CRDA International Challenge, Canada, September 19, 1959, Francis Bradley, (2nd Overall)
LASC Green Acres, Canada, May 14, 1960, Jim Muzzin, 4th
LASC Green Acres Modified, Canada, June 2, 1962, Jim Muzzin, 1st
Lot 057 - 1956 Porsche 356A 1500 GS Carrera Dean Jeffries Custom Coupe (Est. $550,000 - 750,000)
Without wanting to sound biased, this is hands down my favorite Porsche being sold in the Monterey auctions this year. This might look a little strange to some Porsche enthusiasts, but it's a modified and customized Carrera Coupe. You might think that it would be insane to modify a Carrera Coupe these days, and you'd probably be right, but this car was modified in-period, back when this was just another used car with a fiddly engine. Today, though, this is a one-of-a-kind Porsche, and something like that is getting harder and harder to find. If you want a Porsche that nobody else has, this might be the one for you.
Dean Jeffries, for those who don't know, is a 1950s and 60s custom hot-rod builder in the same vein as George Barris, which is fitting, because Jeffries used to work for Barris. Among his accomplishments in the rod and custom world, Jeffries built the Monkeemobile and the "Black Beauty" from television's The Green Hornet. He was also a master painter and hand lettering specialist, perhaps best known as the painter of James Dean's 'lil Bastard. This car, it could be argued, is the one that launched his career in customizing.
In the late 1950s, Jeffries owned a mildly modified 356A coupe, and with some smooth talking he managed to trade his A for this Carrera. Dean immediately set about frenching in the headlights and taillights. A pair of Merc 300SL-style rear cabin vents were added by Bill Hines, and the interior was finished off by Eddie Martinez. There are many surfaces, including the ends of the doors, which were customized with an engine-turned finish. Jeffries initially gave the car a coat of pearlescent silver, and decided later that he preferred pearl gold. While only in his ownership through the early 1960s, Dean had made his mark.
In 1962 Dean sold the car to Albert Nussbaum, who would later turn out to be a notorious bank robber, a man ranked in the top ten most wanted by the FBI at the time. Nussbaum took the car to his sister's house in Florida. After he was incarcerated, the Porsche remained in Florida for a few years, passing from owner to owner undocumented. At some point during its stay in Florida, the four-cammer was taken out and replaced with a standard flat four.
In 1971, Jack Walter, a 19-year old fan of Dean Jeffries' work, purchased the Porsche. Mr. Walter has owned the car since then, and began comprehensively restoring it in 2008. In 2011, while the Porsche was still finalizing restoration, it was shown at the Pebble Beach Concours, where Jeffries was in attendance to see his creation again after many years. Dean broke down crying and pronounced the car to be 'bitchin'.
Other Gooding & Co. Porsche Lots For Sale
Lot 010 - 1989 Porsche 911 Carrera 3.2L Clubsport (Est. $350,000 - 425,000)
Lot 013 - 2011 Porsche 911 (997) GT2 RS (Est. $550,000 - 650,000)
Lot 019 - 1988 Porsche 959 Komfort (Est. $1,300,000 - 1,500,000)