2019 Gooding Amelia Island Sale (Competition Porsches Announcement)

Three top competition Porsches – a 935, Kremer 962C and 911 Carrera 2.7 RS Lightweight – were announced for the Gooding Amelia Island 2019 sale.

Gooding announced a trio of rare competition models to be offered at the company’s annual Amelia Island Auction on March 8, 2019. These cars include a 1979 Porsche 935, one of only seven examples built by the factory for 1979, a 1987 Porsche 962C built by Kremer with a fantastic Le Mans pedigree, and a 1973 Porsche 911 Carrera 2.7 RS Lightweight that has been restored to its factory specification and livery. These racing Porsches join the previously announced Jan Koum collection of limited-production Porsches.

Gooding Amelia Island 2019 Auction

1961 Ferrari 250 GT SWB California Spider Amelia Island Record (2016) © Gooding

Gooding & Company scheduled its Amelia Island Auction on March 9, 2019, at the Omni Amelia Island Plantation, Amelia Island, Florida, USA.

In 2019, Gooding earned $22 million at Amelia Island selling 78 of 89 lots offered for a respectable sell-through rate of 88%. The average price was $282,666 per car with six cars sold for over a million dollar.

In 2018, Gooding earned $35.5 million with a high 94% sell through rate – 81 of 86 lots were sold but unfortunately, the unsold lots included the two most-expensive cars in the sale. The average price was $438,818.

In 2017, Gooding gained $30,568,700 with a sell through rate of 78% with 69 of 88 lots offered sold. The average price was $443,025. However, Gooding earned a record $60 million at Amelia Island in 2016, when the sell-through rate was 87% with an average price of $871,915 per car sold. The 2016 sale memorably included 14 Porsches from the Jerry Seinfeld Collection.

1979 Porsche 935

The 1979 Porsche 935 (Estimate: $2,550,000 – $3,000,000) is one of only seven examples built for 1979 and represents the ultimate development of Porsche’s successful customer 935 program. These final 935s were factory equipped with the inverted gearbox and larger brakes – features that improved performance and reliability.

This particular car, chassis 930 990 0027, was originally built to order for Otis Chandler, famed publisher of the Los Angeles Times and one of Porsche’s VIP customers. While most 935s were delivered with plain, white bodywork, Chandler requested that his be finished in the “Vintage Racing Blue” to match his Sunoco-liveried 917/30. Chandler raced the car only once – at the 1979 Los Angeles Times Grand Prix of Endurance at Riverside – and kept it in his incomparable private collection until 1993.

Sympathetically restored by the current owner, a noted Porsche collector, and maintained in his stable of historic racing cars for the past 15 years, this 935 is among the finest examples in existence.

Porsche 935s and 934s sold mostly for around $1.5 million in recent years but provenance could greatly influence the price. Gooding sold the 1979 Porsche 935 that Paul Newman raced at Le Mans and that won the 1981 24 Hours of Daytona for a more impressive $4,840,000 at Pebble Beach 2016.

1987 Kremer Porsche 962C

The Porsche 962 and its predecessor, the 956, are among the most important models in the history of endurance racing. In addition to factory team cars, Porsche built 962s for private teams, such as this car’s original owner, brothers Erwin and Manfred Kremer of Kremer Racing.

While Kremer previously purchased a 962 from Porsche, this 1987 Kremer Porsche 962C (Estimate: $1,000,000 – $1,250,000) was specially built by Kremer itself for the team’s efforts at the 1987 24 Hours of Le Mans, utilizing a new Thompson-built aluminum honeycomb tub, which was renowned for its rigidity and lightness.

This innovative 962C became a dedicated weapon, finishing 4th overall in the 1987 24 Hours of Le Mans, and returning the following year to place 8th overall. With such an impressive race record, this exceptionally original Kremer Porsche 962C is easily among the most desirable sports racing cars of its era.

In recent years, Porsche 962s have sold at auctions for between around a million and $2.2 million. Provenance is hugely important with Kremer certainly not hurting.

1973 Porsche 911 Carrera 2.7 RS Lightweight

With its “Carrera” name recalling Porsche’s past racing models and the “RS” model suffix denoting Rennsport, German for racing or motorsport, this new purpose-built 911 model debuted in 1973, featuring aggressive weight reduction measures including thinner-gauge steel for the body, lightweight glass, and minimal interior appointments.

The 1973 Porsche 911 Carrera 2.7 RS Lightweight (Estimate: $1,000,000 – $1,200,000) is one of only 200 examples built and has had only four owners since new. Restored to show-quality condition under its current ownership, this Porsche is beautifully presented it its original white livery with green Carrera graphics and wheels.

Gooding Amelia Island 2019 Auction

1979 Porsche 935

1987 Kremer Porsche 962C

1973 Porsche 911 Carrera 2.7 RS Lightweight

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