Three historic turbocharged competition Porsches are on offer at Gooding Amelia Island 2018 including a 1974 Porsche 911 Carrera RSR 2.1 Turbo, the first turbocharged Porsche to race at the 24 Hours of Le Mans.
Gooding announced three historic turbocharged competition Porsches as lead cars for the Amelia Island classic car auction in March 2018. This group is led by the revolutionary 1974 Porsche 911 Carrera RSR 2.1 Turbo (estimate: $6,000,000-$8,000,000), the first turbocharged Porsche to race at the 24 Hours of Le Mans, that finished second overall at the 1974 race. Two further turbocharged Porsches with excellent in-period racing provenance are the 1976 Porsche 934 (Estimate: $1,200,000-$1,600,000) that finished 10th Overall at the 1979 24 Hours of Daytona, and a 1990 Porsche 962C (Estimate: $1,500,000-$2,000,000) campaigned at the 1990 and 1991 Le Mans 24 Hours races.
Gooding Amelia Island 2018 Sale
Gooding & Company’s traditional Amelia Island Auction is held on March 9, 2018, at the Omni Amelia Island Plantation, Amelia Island, Florida, USA.
In 2017, Gooding gained $30,568,700 – only half of the record $60 million Gooding earned 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.
Turbocharges Competition Porsches at Gooding Amelia Island 2018
Porsches traditionally perform well at Gooding Amelia Island classic car auctions and many will be available at the 2018 sale. The James G Hascall Porsche Collection of 12 exceptionally Porsches were announced previously but the highlights of the sale are likely to be the three turbocharged competition Porsches.
The 1974 Porsche 911 Carrera RSR 2.1 Turbo is one of the most significant and most valuable cars in Porsche’s impressive racing record. This racing car changed the course of history for Porsche by fundamentally altering the company’s approach to production and racing cars.
The DNA of the groundbreaking RSR Turbo can be found in the two additional historic Porsche race cars on offer – the 1976 Porsche 934 and the 1990 Porsche 962C. All three of these cars are important representatives of Porsche’s rich motorsport history, as demonstrated by their achievements at major endurance races, such as the 24 Hours of Le Mans and the 24 Hours of Daytona.
“The RSR 2.1 Turbo is truly an integral piece of Porsche’s motor sport legacy and its influence can be seen in the company’s subsequent road and racing models,” states David Gooding, President and Founder of Gooding & Company. “This car set the stage for the iconic Porsche 930 and its racing counterpart, the 934. Turbocharged Porsches, like the 962, dominated endurance racing for years. With the marque celebrating its 70th anniversary this year, Porsche is most definitely in the spotlight and on the minds of collectors.”
1974 Porsche 911 Carrera RSR 2.1 Turbo
The Carrera RSR 2.1 Turbo represents a turning point in the history of competition Porsches, as it was the first use of turbocharged engines in a production-based racecar. The last of four examples built for the Martini & Rossi sponsored works team, this 1974 Porsche 911 Carrera RSR 2.1 Turbo (estimate: $6,000,000-$8,000,000), known as R13, was the most successful of the RSR Turbos.
R13 instantly became a racing legend, when it captured a spectacular 2nd Place Overall finish at the 1974 24 Hours of Le Mans. During its active career, it was raced by many era’s great drivers – including Gijs Van Lennep, Herbert Müller, and George Follmer – and competed at important venues including Brands Hatch, Watkins Glen, and Daytona.
Once owned by influential California dealer and racer Vasek Polak, this Porsche remains in wonderfully original, well-preserved condition, making it particularly appealing. It is faithfully presented in its original Martini & Rossi colors, one of the all-time great liveries in the history of motor racing. Few racing cars of this caliber have remained so correct and untouched, while representing such an important piece of Porsche history.
1976 Porsche 934
Introduced for the 1976 season, the 934 was Porsche’s highly anticipated Group 4 GT variant of the all-new turbocharged 930 – a factory-built racing machine that maintained close ties to its road car counterpart.
This 1976 Porsche 934 (estimate: $1,200,000-$1,600,000), chassis 930 670 0162, is regarded as among the very best of its type, with an outstanding decade-long international racing history and a complete, unbroken provenance. Angelo Pallavicini purchased the car new and campaigned it at numerous European events before taking the 934 to the US for the 24 Hours at Daytona, where he finished in 10th place overall and 4th in the GTO class.
Restored and maintained by noted Porsche specialists, this outstanding Light Yellow 934 would make an ideal entry for any number of historic racing events including Le Mans Classic, as well as a standout at marque gatherings like the Rennsport Reunion in September 2018.
1990 Porsche 962C
The Porsche 962 and its predecessor, the 956, are among the most important models in the history of endurance racing. Between 1982 and 1987, the Porsche 956 and 962 won Le Mans six times. In addition to factory team cars, Porsche built additional 962C cars for privateers to campaign, with one of the most notable being Brun Motorsport GmbH.
For the 1990 season, Brun ran two Porsche 962Cs in World Sports Prototype Championship, including the 1990 Porsche 962C (estimate: $1,500,000-$2,000,000), chassis 962-160, offered at Gooding Amelia Island 2018. This 962C saw its first racing action at that year’s 24 Hours of Le Mans, where it wore the iconic livery of Spain’s Repsol oil company. With a shorter tail than the factory works cars, 962-160 outpaced all other competitors and held the lead until just 15 minutes from the end of the race, when the engine expired.
With an outstanding race record and just two owners from new, 962-160 is among the most desirable competition cars of its era and is eligible for numerous vintage motorsport events, including Historic Group C races and the upcoming Rennsport Reunion.
RM Sotheby’s also recently announced a special collection of Porsches for its Amelia Island 2018 sale. The Exclusively Porsche Collection includes eleven Type 964 Porsche 911 models from a private collection.
See Amelia Island 2018 for all pre-sale announcements and results once available.