Porsches may not often fetch the eight-figure prices at auction that some Ferraris do, but some of its more sought-after models can still go for big bucks. Like the 959 you see here.
One of the top lots from RM Sotheby’s Paris sale, the 1988 Porsche 959 Sport set a new world record for its kind when it sold for €1.96 million – or $2.08 million at current exchange rates.
That’s more than double the $935k that the last 959 (an ’87 Komfort model – which RM sold in Arizona last month. It’s also significantly more than the $1.21 million RM garnered for another in 2015, or the $1.32 million Gooding & Company sold one for the following year (both in Monterey).
Held up as an example of Porsche’s best work, the 959 was a technological powerhouse and one of the preeminent supercars of the 1980s. Zuffenhausen only made 284 of them, of which 29 were Sport models with a roll cage instead of the Komfort version’s luxuries (and 220 pounds less weight).
What’s more is that the 959 wasn’t even the top lot of the sale. RM also sold a 1934 Alfa Romeo Tipo B P3 racer for €3.9 million, and a rare factory Ferrari Daytona Spider for €2.15m – both of which were eclipsed by the Ferrari Dino prototype that Artcurial sold for €4.4 million at its own auction surrounding the same event.
The 959 was the top of the extensive array of Porsches sold, which also included a ’95 911 Turbo Cabriolet (€1.34m), a ’94 911 Turbo S (€900k), and a unique 901 cabrio prototype (€650k). Oh, and that stunning 911 R? €515k, which just goes to show how valued these most driver-focused of Porsche sports cars have become in such a short span of time.
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