Auction of an exclusive black 1988 Porsche 959

For any true lover of Porsche, the 959 is an icon representing the brand’s reinvention in the wild 1980s. Its design, inspired by the iconic 911, and its capability both on and off the track soon turned it into a legend that would endure over the years. As one would expect, being a legend drives its value up, and with just 337 units built by the Stuttgart marque, it is to be expected that its value will be very high.

The Porsche 959 was born in the mid-1980s with the aim of introducing a new racing car into Group B rallying. This category required manufacturers to build several units homologated for road use, but always based on the competition model, although in reality it should have been the other way around, as the brands built the racing car first.

The engineering masterpiece that was the Porsche featured a lightweight body, aerodynamics bordering on perfection and high-performance mechanics that catapulted the 959 to the top of the world’s fastest vehicles, holding this honour for a period of time, just before the arrival of the Ferrari F40. As an anecdote, it is worth noting that Porsche has taken part in many disciplines of motorsport with the 959 or variants derived from it, including the legendary Paris-Dakar Rally, where it managed to claim the title.

With such an impeccable track record, it is to be expected that when an original unit comes up for sale, its price reaches astronomical figures and, at auctions, a bidding war breaks out to take the model home. At Pebble Beach 2015, which takes place this August, the house of Gooding & Company will auction a black Porsche 959, which represents one of only 50 units sent to the United States.

This unit of the Porsche 959 was built in 1988 in a black shade of which only two units are known to have been produced with identical specifications. It is in original condition, with a six-cylinder turbocharged boxer engine that delivers 444 CV, enough to reach a top speed of 317 km/h. It is paired with a six-speed manual gearbox and, to keep weight in check, the roof is made of Kevlar. The price it is estimated to reach at auction ranges between 1.6 and 1.8 million dollars.

Source | WorldCarFans