2022 Monterey Week Auctions: Top Porsche Cars

Top Porsche racing cars on offer at Monterey Week 2022 auctions include two classic 718 RSK Spyders, a 908/02, and a modern RS Spyder Evo.

1959 Porsche 718 RSK Werks Spyder
Robin Adams ©2022 Courtesy of RM Sotheby’s

Four race-winning Porsches are on offer at the various Monterey Motor Week 2022 classic car auctions. The most-expensive Porsche is at the Gooding Pebble Beach auction: a 2007 Porsche RS Spyder Evo (Estimate: $6,000,000 – $8,000,000) with a race record including two overall wins and four 1st in class finishes. Two 1959 Porsche 718 RSK Spyders are on offer: a Werks racing car and one owned by Ed Hugus. Both are beautifully restored to complement successful racing histories. The 1969 Porsche 908/02 was originally a Werks car but was entered in five Le Mans races as a private entry.

Million-Dollar Porsche Cars at Monterey 2022 Auctions

1959 Porsche 718 RSK Werks Spyder on sale at RM Sotheby's Monterey 2022
Robin Adams ©2022 Courtesy of RM Sotheby’s

Porsches are playing a surprisingly minor role at the 2022 Monterey Motor Week auctions in California, USA, in mid-August. Only 14 Porsches in the various auctions have upper estimates exceeding a million dollars, of which RM Sotheby’s and Bonhams are offering one each while Gooding has a dozen. Unless Mecum springs a last-minute surprise, no 959, Carrera GT, or 918 will be available.

The top Porsches on offer at Monterey Week 2022 sales are:

YearCarEstimate ($)Auction HouseAuction
12007Porsche RS Spyder Evo6,000,000 – 8,000,000GoodingPebble Beach
21959Porsche 718 RSK Werks Spyder4,800,000 – 5,200,000RM Sotheby’sMonterey
31959Porsche 718 RSK4,500,000 – 5,500,000GoodingPebble Beach
41969Porsche 908/024,000,000 – 5,000,000GoodingPebble Beach
51973Porsche 911 Carrera RS 2.7 Lightweight1,750,000 – 2,250,000GoodingPebble Beach
61958Porsche 356 A 1500 GS/GT Carrera Speedsger1,400,000 – 1,800,000GoodingPebble Beach
71988Porsche 962C1,400,000 – 1,800,000GoodingPebble Beach
81951Porsche 356 Coupe1,250,000 – 1,500,000GoodingPebble Beach
91976Porsche 9341,250,000 – 1,500,000GoodingPebble Beach
101994Porsche 964 Turbo-Look Speedster1,200,000 – 1,500,000GoodingPebble Beach
112020Porsche 9351,000,000 – 1,400,000GoodingPebble Beach
121994Porsche 964 Turbo 3.6 S Flachbau1,000,000 – 1,300,000GoodingPebble Beach
131995Porsche 911 Type 993 GT2850,000 – 1,200,000BonhamsQuail Lodge
141977Porsche 934/5850,000 – 1,000,000GoodingPebble Beach

Top Porsche Racing Cars at Monterey Week Sales 2022

The four most expensive Porsche cars at Monterey 2022 sales are:

2007 Porsche RS Spyder Evo

2007 Porsche RS Spyder Evo
© Gooding

The 2007 Porsche RS Spyder Evo (Estimate: $6,000,000 – $8,000,000) is the most expensive Porsche on offer at any Monterey Motor Week 2022 classic car auctions. It is a race winner and will be offered in a public sale for the first time.

When it was unveiled in 2005, the Type 9R6, more commonly known as the RS Spyder, was Porsche’s first sports racing prototype since the 911 GT1. This new cutting-edge sports racing car was built to compete in Le Mans Prototype Class 2 (LMP2). In June 2005, the very first RS Spyder hit the track at Weissach in Germany, and since then, the purpose-built competition machine quickly became one of the most successful prototype racing cars in all of Porsche history. With its lightweight carbon fiber monocoque chassis and all-new 3.4-liter four-cam V-8 engine that revved to 10,000 rpm and produced 478 hp, the prototype was destined for greatness. Porsche entrusted the Penske Racing team to campaign its RS Spyders in ALMS races, and thus, the new prototype made its competition debut at the 2005 season finale at Laguna Seca. The RS Syder went on to dominate its competition outright, clocking both class and overall wins and securing the LMP2 championships for three consecutive years. 

The RS Spyder offered here, chassis 9R6.702, is the second of six updated Evo-specification examples built for the 2007 racing season, and is one of just 17 RS Spyders built between 2005 and 2008. In March 2007, 9R6.702 made its official debut at the 12 Hours of Sebring where it was driven by Sascha Maassen, Ryan Briscoe, Emmanuel Collard, and Hélio Castroneves. Chassis 9R6.702 would go on to capture back-to-back overall wins at Salt Lake City and Lime Rock and served as an integral part of DHL Porsche Penske Racing’s 2007 and 2008 ALMS Championship seasons. Its outstanding race record included two overall wins and four 1st in class finishes. 

1959 Porsche 718 RSK Spyder

White 1959 Porsche 718 RSK at Gooding Pebble Beach 2022
© Gooding

One of the most beautiful and successful of all the Porsche Spyders is the 718 RSK, a competition thoroughbred that took the racing world by storm in 1958 when it won its class at the 12 Hours of Sebring and 24 Hours of Le Mans. The pinnacle of collectible Porsches of the 1950s and 1960s, the RSK officially cemented its legacy in the world of motorsport when it won the 1959 Targa Florio outright, leading Porsche’s 1-2-3 sweep at the legendary Sicilian event. 

The 1959 Porsche 718 RSK (Estimate: $4,500,000 – $5,500,000), chassis 718-024, at Gooding Pebble Beach, was sold new to famed American racing driver and Le Mans winner Ed Hugus, who raced the RSK at the 1959 24 Hours of Le Mans in its distinctive “Lucybelle III” livery. Later sold to amateur racer Don Ives, 718-024 competed in various SCCA and USAC events, as well as the famous Pikes Peak Hillclimb, from 1960-1963. Since the 1970s, this RSK has been owned by noted American collectors and vintage racers, including Don Orosco and Dr. Greg Johnson. 

Beyond its Le Mans history and outstanding provenance, what really makes this RSK an extraordinary example is its exceptional, award-winning restoration, with a level and detail that is utterly unmatched, performed by Mark Allin and the team at Rare Drive, Inc. The project was approached with immense attention to detail, and extensive research was done to ensure that the car presented exactly as it raced at Le Mans in 1959. Indeed, the restoration team did just that. Back in 1959, when the RSK was first delivered to Ed Hugus at Le Mans, it was finished in silver with beige upholstery. As he did with all of his other competition cars of the time, Hugus quickly repainted the car white with blue stripes, the traditional American racing colors, and had “Lucybelle III” written across the front fender, along with a small red heart painted on the tail. 

Since the completion of the restoration process in 2021, chassis 718-024 has been selectively shown at the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance® and the Audrain Newport Concours d’Elegance, where it was awarded First in Class.

1959 Porsche 718 RSK Werks Spyder

1959 Porsche 718 RSK Werks Spyder on sale at RM Sotheby's Monterey 2022
Robin Adams ©2022 Courtesy of RM Sotheby’s

If Gooding’s estimate is correct, the $4,800,000 to $5,200,000 expected for the 1959 Porsche 718 RSK Werks Spyder, chassis 718-006, at the RM Sotheby’s auction is relatively modest. This 718 RSK was one of only ten Werks cars produced and thus an official factory entry with a successful racing record.

This 1959 Porsche 718 RSK Werks Spyder, chassis 718-006 famously won first in class at both the 1959 12 Hours of Sebring and first in class at the 1000 km of Nürburgring, further cementing the RSK’s reputation as the “Giant Killer.”  Despite difficult conditions at Sebring, chassis 718-006 managed to finish first in class and third overall.

Boasting an incredible racing record in the hands of legendary drivers including von Trips, Bonnier, Herrmann, Maglioli, Barth, and MacAfee, 718-006 had podium finishes in more than half of all events entered throughout its career and two first-in-class finishes at prestigious international endurance races. Additionally, chassis 718-006 was the first Porsche to pioneer the double-wishbone rear suspension, leading to its campaign success on the track and forever changing the landscape of how Porsche racecars were developed, making this car even more significant in terms of Porsche design and history.   

Having recently benefitted from a comprehensive restoration, chassis 718-006 has appeared at both Amelia Island and Rennsport VI and was featured in Excellence magazine.

1969 Porsche 908/02

1969 Porsche 908/02 at Gooding Pebble Beach
© Gooding

Developed by Porsche as the successor model to the 907, the 908 was the brainchild of Ferdinand Piech and engineer Helmut Bott. The first iteration of the 908 was introduced as a coupe, fitted with either short or long-tail bodywork. In 1969, revised regulations resulted in the upgraded, all-new 908/02 Spyder, which was built exclusively with aluminum frame tubes, as well as a lighter five-speed transaxle, a revised 3.0-liter engine, and fiberglass bodywork that weighed a mere 13 kg, bringing the car’s to weight to just 600 kg. After its initial run on the competition circuit, the 908/02 quickly became a model that would dominate many races in its inaugural season, fortifying Porsche’s reputation and legacy as a racing powerhouse. 

The 1969 Porsche 908/02 (Estimate: $4,000,000 – $5,000,000), chassis 010, was completed in 1969, and shortly thereafter began its accomplished racing career with the BOAC 6 Hours race at Brands Hatch in the UK. This very rare factory “works” 908/02 was raced by Porsche at the 1969 Brands Hatch 6 Hours, Targa Florio, and the Nürburgring 1000 Km. In privateer hands, it also competed at the 24 Hours of Le Mans four times. With a roster of drivers that include legends such as Vic Elford, Richard Attwood, Rudi Lins, Gérard Larrousse, Kurt Ahrens, Masten Gregory, and Pedro Rodriguez, this example has very likely enjoyed the greatest driver lineup for any Porsche 908. 

Having had just a handful of owners since new, chassis 010 underwent an exacting restoration from 2011 to 2015, during which it was brought back to the vibrant day-glow livery and “works” specification from its time at the 1969 Targa Florio. The comprehensive restoration was a multifaceted process managed by Louie Shefchik’s team at J & L Fabricating in Puyallup, Washington. The body and frame was sent to Kevin Jeanette at Gunnar Racing in Florida, and the engine was sent to the experts at Jerry Woods Enterprises for a full rebuild and cosmetic restoration. Chassis 010 is being sold accompanied by extra “Flunder” bodywork fitted in 1971 for the car’s third owner, André Wicky, along with its history files and a package of spare parts.

Monterey Week 2022 Classic Car Auctions

Top classic car auctioneers with sales during Monterey Week 2022 include Gooding (Pebble Beach), Bonhams (Quail Lodge), RM Sotheby’s, Broad Arrow, and Mecum.

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