This 1968 Porsche 908 Could Be Your Vintage Racing Dream Come True

With events like the Monterey Motorsports Reunion, the Goodwood Revival, the Grand Prix de Monaco Historique, and the Le Mans Classic, vintage racing holds untold action for those who still believe “they don’t make ’em like they used to.” All you need is the right car to participate. And this could be just the ticket.

It’s a 1968 Porsche 908 – one of only a handful short-tail, ex-works examples still in existence. And it’s been announced as an early highlight for the Pebble Beach auctions this summer.

A further evolution of the 904, 906, and 907 that came before it, the 908 had an incredibly long lifespan, remaining in competition up until the early 1980s – exceedingly rare for a racing prototype.

This was a rare early example used by the factory team, but it was only raced the once in period. That was at the Spa 1000 km race in ’68, when it crashed out early and was retired. A Swiss collector bought it from the factory and put it in storage for decades until it was discovered in the early 1990s by an American expert, who brought it to the US and sold it to a collector on the West Coast.

Its new owner commissioned a comprehensive restoration and has enjoyed driving it over the past dozen years in historic racing events – including the second, third, fourth, and fifth (latest) editions of Porsche’s Rennsport Reunion. It also featured in the Porsche by Design exhibition at the North Carolina Museum of Art. But now it’s ready for a new owner.

“The 908 is unquestionably one of the most successful endurance racing platforms that Porsche ever produced,” says David Swig of RM Sotheby’s. “For Porsche collectors, this is an actively campaigned, fully prepared, turn-key vintage racer that they could get into today and take to the track.”

The auctioneer expects it to fetch upwards of $2.3 million when the gavel drops in late August at the Monterey Conference Center. Scope it out in the extensive and artful gallery of images below by Robin Adams for RM Sotheby’s.