Every year I get really excited when early Auction season rolls around. There’s always some interesting stuff coming across the auction block, and the Scottsdale, Arizona sales kick off the year with a great start. There have traditionally been a lot of high-dollar cars to show up to this weekend of auction action, but this year it seems that most of them have either already found a home, or the big money lot sellers have moved on to other preferred marques. There is a 959 Komfort available, a pair of Carrera GTs, and a trio of 918 Spyders, so if you wanted a Porsche supercar collection, you’d better register for a bidder’s paddle. There is a surprising dearth of uber-collectibles in the Porsche world to be sold at Scottsdale this year, save one particularly gorgeous 550A Spyder, and one uber-rare 964 Flachbau. Granted this is only the first of many major auctions this year, and we’ll continue bringing coverage of all of them just to be sure. Maybe the results will surprise us.
Bonhams –
Bonhams, as per usual, is the auction house to grab my attention. They’ve got my three favorite cars for sale of the entire show, head and shoulders above the rest, of course. I’ve got a long and well-documented affection for the Fuhrmann 4-cam powered Porsches, making a few of these no-brainers to add to the favorites list. They’re surprisingly selling a 2016 911R, so we’ll see how those values have held up to attacks from the recent 911 GT3 Touring announcement. The addition of a 997 Turbo, a car that isn’t particularly rare or collectible, to the roster is something of an oddity, but could make a good bargain for some intrepid buyer.
Lot 44 – 1958 Porsche 550A Spyder – Est. $4,500,000 – 5,500,000
Chassis no. 550A-0145 – Engine no. P90127
This is the second to last Spyder Porsche ever made, and one of only 40 total examples. Because this is a late production car, it benefits from all of the major Spyder updates, and may be the best of the batch. The Type 547/3 engine is the most powerful Fuhrmann fitted to Porsche’s 550, with higher compression, a V-drive twin-distributor, and Weber carbs netting 135 horsepower. Not only that, but this engine is original to the chassis.
The icing on the cake is Chassis 0145’s distinction as a Porsche Works entrant, having competed in a number of FIA world championship events in 1958, driven by Carel Godin de Beaufort. This car won its first in-class victory at the 1000km Nürburgring race that June. This achievement was followed closely by 5th overall, 2nd in class placement at the Le Mans 24 hours. This Porsche is also the only 550 to ever place in a world championship Grand Prix, securing 11th place at the Dutch Grand Prix in Zandvoort.
For 1959, the car transferred ownership across the Atlantic to an Ontario, Canada-based racing team, where it continued racking up wins. Peter Ryan and Jim Muzzin shared the car for the season, and ultimately the Canadian Sports Car Champion crown was awarded to Ryan in both 1960 and 1961. From 62 on, Muzzin campaigned the car in various hillclimbs and circuit events, before being sold on to Bill Saddler of Belmont, California in 1967. After it was passed on a few more times, it ended up living in Germany, and then Italy. Bruno Ferracin brought the car to Italy, and used it to compete in the Mille Miglia retrospective vintage events for a consecutive decade.
From the listing:
Noted Porsche specialist Andy Prill was given the opportunity to comb over the 550A-0145 from stem to stern and published a detailed inspection report in 2013. He concluded that given the race history, originality of the components, and overall good condition that 550A-0145 sits among the top 3 examples in the world. As it exists today, what is believed to be the original engine, installed in 1958, #P90127 remains amidships, making this one of the few 550s to have kept the same motor throughout their running history. Also original to the car is gearbox #690035. Although, this transmission is sitting in a crate and not currently fixed to the back of the car (it will be part of the sale). Instead a period correct 4-speed box has taken its place.
Lot 48 – 1956 Porsche 356A 1500 Carrera GS Coupe – Est. $750,000 – 900,000
Chassis no. 56118 – Engine no. 90702 (non-original)
Just 447 Porsche Grand Sport Carreras were built, spanning two years, just 1956 and 1957. This car’s early life is not even mentioned, as the auction listing only accounts for its history back to the early 1980s when it joined the Rene Mauries collection in France. Enrico Consoli of Brescia purchased the car in 2002, and treated the car to a complete and thorough restoration to the state it is in now. In 2014 Consoli traded the car for a 911 Carrera RS 2.7 to a collector in San Diego, CA, the current owner and seller. Porsche expert Taylor K Shannon who inspected to the car in May 2017, “Overall this is a great example of a very rare model that still retains a lot of originality.”
Lot 58 – 1953 Porsche 356 Pre-A ‘Bent-Window’ Cabriolet 1500 (Pepco Supercharged) – Est. $230,000 – 270,000
Bent Window Cabriolets are great collector pieces because only about 1600 of them were built in total from 1953 to 1955 for worldwide consumption. Many of those have been hacked up, chopped apart, rotted away, or crashed in the ensuing years. This is an exceedingly rare car with a colorful history. The car’s original owner was Harry Mershimer, who was a serious sports car enthusiast in Youngstown, Ohio with an MG that he’d supercharged with a kit bought out of the back of a magazine. His MG did not have any kind of weather protection, however, so his wife encouraged him to go buy a convertible with a proper top and roll-up windows.
From the listing:
Once the Porsche got home, the centrifugal Pepco supercharger from the MG was made to fit as neatly onto the 356’s flat four that it appeared to be almost stock. Internally, the heads were ported and liquid honed, the exhaust valves were enlarged to 3/16″ and replaced with domed cobalt chrome units (all of the valves, including the stock intakes, were ground down with diamond dust). Outside, the intake manifold was replaced with custom made unit made from billet aluminum and weighing a mere 19 ounces—fabricated entirely by Mr. Mershimer from a 15.5-pound solid block of aluminum—with a pair of intake pipes that made gentle radius bends into the manifold with solid nickel adapters. The Pepco blower sits just underneath the engine cover latch. Trial and error resulted in the choice of a modified Holley carburetor from a Ford Six—but the a Solex setup with which the car would have originally been fitted is included.
Lot 15 – 1995 Porsche 993 Carrera RS 3.8 – Est. $375,000 – 475,000
Lot 21 – 1970 Porsche 911T 2.2L Coupe – Est. $120,000 – 150,000
Lot 31 – 1989 Porsche 911 Carrera 3.2 Speedster – Est. $175,000 – 225,000
Lot 32 – 1956 Porsche 356A 1600 Speedster – Est. $300,000 – 375,000
Lot 37 – 1962 Porsche 356B T6 Twin Grille Roadster – Est. $175,000 – 275,000
Lot 46 – 1994 Porsche 964 RS America – Est. $110,000 – 140,000
Lot 51 – 2015 Porsche 918 Spyder – Est. $1,200,000 – 1,500,000
Lot 52 – 2016 Porsche 911R – Est. $400,000 – 500,000
Lot 55 – 1997 Porsche 993 Turbo – Est. $175,000 – 225,000
Lot 68 – 1960 Porsche 356B T5 1600 Super Coupe – Est. $90,000 – 120,000
Lot 73 – 1960 Porsche 356B T5 Super 90 Roadster – Est. $170,000 – 210,000
Lot 81 – 2005 Porsche Carrera GT – Est. $725,000 – 825,000
Lot 91 – 1968 Porsche 911L 2.0L Coupe – Est. $85,000 – 100,000
Lot 94 – 1954 Porsche 356 Pre-A Speedster – Est. $275,000 – 350,000
Lot 96 – 1961 Porsche 356B 1600 Coupe – Est. $70,000 – 90,000
Lot 97 – 2007 Porsche 997 Turbo Coupe – Est. $45,000 – 55,000
Gooding & Co –
Gooding’s Arizona offerings are interesting, to say the least. The inclusion of a 944 Turbo Cup racer is a bold move, and Carrera GT prices have been on the rise lately, so that will make for an interesting round of bidding to watch. It’s the Flachbau that I’m most excited to see, however.
Lot 153 – 1994 Porsche 964 Turbo S 3.6 ‘Flachbau’ – Est. $600,000 – 700,000
According to Haynes’ “Porsche Data Book”, only 76 of the 964 Flachbau cars were built, but this is no ordinary Flachbau. It took me a minute to figure out exactly what was out of place when I first saw the car in photographs. This is a very special one-of-ten Japanese-market “X83” special wish cars, which featured ‘throwback’ bodywork to the 930 slant-nose style with “930S” fenders, pop-up headlamps, and rear quarter vents. It’s a strange look, but one that we think works quite well. It’s certainly a bit more attractive than the oddball roll-forward 928-style headlamps in the ‘regular’ Flachbau. All ten of these X83 cars were delivered in left hand drive and painted polar silver.
This particular car features 32 additional special wish options, including Carrera RS Cup 18″ polished wheels, special thin shelled Carrera RS bucket seats in black leather, a green tint windshield, and an electric sunroof. This car piles rare on top of rare on top of rare, and cost somewhere in the realm of $200,000 when new in 1994. The car remained in Japan through early 2017, when it was imported to the US under the “show and display” regulations collectors are so fond of. It’s covered just over 35,000 kilometers since new.
Lot 004 – 1985 Porsche 944 Turbo Cup – Est. $80,000 – 100,000
Lot 011 – 2004 Porsche Carrera GT – Est. $650,000 – 800,000
Lot 012 – 1993 Porsche 964 RS America – Est. $130,000 – 160,000
Lot 014 – 1996 Porsche 993 Turbo Coupe – Est. $140,000 – 160,000
Lot 018 – 1967 Porsche 911S 2.0L Coupe – Est. $250,000 – 300,000
Lot 021 – 1970 Porsche 911S 2.2L Coupe – Est. $150,000 – 180,000
Lot 039 – 1957 Porsche 356A Speedster – Est. $550,000 – 650,000
Lot 057 – 1953 Porsche 356 Pre-A ‘Bent-Window’ 1500 Super Cabriolet – Est. $350,000 – 425,000
Lot 058 – 1973 Porsche 911T 2.4L Targa – Est. $220,000 – 260,000
Lot 064 – 1961 Porsche 356 B T5 Coupe – Est. $90,000 – 110,000
Lot 067 – 1955 Porsche 356 Speedster – Est. $200,000 – 275,000
Lot 068 – 1984 Porsche 911 Carrera 3.2 “Safari” By Patarek Brother – Est. $70,000 – 90,000
Lot 103 – 1988 Porsche 911 Carrera 3.2 Cabriolet – Est. $80,000 – 100,000
Lot 107 – 1961 Porsche 356 B T5 Super Coupe – Est. $50,000 – 70,000
Lot 121 – 1973 Porsche 911T 2.4L Coupe – Est. $150,000 – 180,000
Lot 128 – 1958 Porsche 356A Super Speedster – Est. $275,000 – 325,000
Lot 131 – 1989 Porsche 911 Carrera 3.2 Speedster – Est. $225,000 – 275,000
Lot 144 – 2011 Porsche 997 GT3 RS 3.8L – Est. $225,000 – 275,000
Lot 149 – 2015 Porsche 918 Spyder – Est. $1,800,000 – 2,200,000
Lot 156 – 1962 Porsche 356 B T6 Cabriolet – Est. $150,000 – 200,000
Lot 159 – 1997 Porsche 993 Carrera 4S – Est. $130,000 – 160,000
RM Sotheby’s –
With both a 936 Junior car, and a Porsche diesel tractor, RM is certainly bringing the Porsche esoterica to match their automotive offerings. The 959 and 993 RS will undoubtedly be the stars of the show.
Lot 155 – 1987 Porsche 959 Komfort – Est. $1,000,000 – 1,250,000
Lot 263 – 1996 Porsche 993 Carrera RS 3.8 – Est. $425,000 – 525,000
When Porsche built the 993 Carrera RS, they were not messing around. The car was fitted with a 300hp naturally-aspirated 3.8 liter aircooled engine, and the chassis was lightened down to the bare bones with no radio, central locks, air con, electric windows, insulation, air bags, and even the headliner. This was the GT3 RS, in a way, before the GT3 RS existed. It was a homologation special for Porsche to take racing in the day, and it was quite successful at that.
This car was originally delivered to Japan, though as a left-hand drive model, oddly enough. Stranger still, this RS was kitted out with all the options to make it comfortable again for road use, as it has power-adjustable seats, a bigger battery, front air bags, air conditioning, and electric windows. This one was also optioned with the large-and-in-charge GT2-esque “Clubsport” rear wing. It’s only been driven 6600 miles since new, and was recently imported to the US.
Lot 104 – 1978 Porsche 936 Junior Children’s Car – Est. $10,000 – 15,000
Lot 139 – 1967 Porsche 911S 2.0L Coupe – Est. $200,000 – 250,000
Lot 140 – 1953 Porsche 356 Pre-A ‘Bent-Window’ Cabriolet 1500 – Est. $225,000 – 275,000
Lot 141 – 1988 Porsche 911 Turbo ‘Slant Nose’ Coupe – Est. $200,000 – 250,000
Lot 142 – 1955 Porsche 356 1500 Speedster – Est. $300,000 – 375,000
Lot 143 – 1953 Porsche 356 Pre-A ‘Bent-Window’ Coupe 1500 – Est. $175,000 – 250,000
Lot 144 – 1953 Porsche 356 Pre-A ‘Bent-Window’ Cabriolet 1500 – Est. $225,000 – 275,000
Lot 164 – 1976 Porsche 911 Turbo Carrera – Est. $175,000 – 225,000
Lot 212 – 1973 Porsche 911E 2.4L Targa – Est. $75,000 – 100,000
Lot 221 – 1989 Porsche 911 Turbo Coupe – Est. $160,000 – 200,000
Lot 223 – 1989 Porsche 911 Carrera 3.2 Speedster – Est. $350,000 – 425,000
Lot 227 – 1987 Porsche 911 Turbo ‘Slant Nose’ Coupe – Est. $150,000 – 200,000
Lot 231 – 2011 Porsche 997 Speedster – Est. $250,000 – 300,000
Lot 274 – 1960 Porsche Diesel Junior 108L Tractor – Est. $30,000 – 40,000
Russo & Steele –
The Russo & Steele Porsche offering lineup is mostly lackluster; a few long-hood 911s dotted here and there. Then again, I am certainly a sucker for a Strosek.
Lot 2220 – 1983 Porsche 911 Turbo Cabriolet by Strosek – No Estimate Available
I mean, seriously. Look at that face. It’s a face only a mother could love, but somehow I can’t help but love it. It’s very of-an-era. It’s ready for Radwood.
Lot 2298 – 1981 Porsche 911 Turbo Coupe – No Estimate Available
Lot 2141 – 1967 Porsche 911S 2.0L Soft Window Targa – No Estimate Available
Lot 2243 – 1973 Porsche 911S Rally Tribute – No Estimate Available
Lot 2148 – 1980 Porsche 911 Turbo Coupe – No Estimate Available
Lot 2108 – 2008 Porsche 911 GT3 – No Estimate Available
Lot 2199 – 1976 Porsche 911S 2.7L Sportomatic Coupe – No Estimate Available
Lot 2100 – 1976 Porsche 914 2.0L – No Estimate Available
Lot 2240 – 1999 Porsche 996 Carrera Cabriolet – No Estimate Available
Lot 2312 – 1964 Porsche 356 SC Cabriolet – No Estimate Available
Lot 2313 – 1973 Porsche 911T 2.7L Coupe – No Estimate Available
Lot 2339 – 1973 Porsche 911S 2.7L Targa – No Estimate Available
Lot 2341 – 1985 Porsche 944 – No Estimate Available
Barrett-Jackson –
Barrett-Jackson fares only slightly better than R&S does on this list, but they’ve got a handful of lots that are perhaps worth a second glance. This Monte Carlo replica car certainly caught my eye.
Lot 473 – 1968 Porsche 912/6 Monte Carlo Rally Tribute – No Estimate Available
This old 912 has been pumped up with a CIS 2.7-liter from a 1975 911, and it’s been treated to a full bevvy of rally accouterments. The seller claims only 3000 miles have been traversed since the build was completed. Heck, that’s not much more than just one run at Monte Carlo.
Lot 39 – 1999 Porsche 996 Carrera Coupe – No Estimate Available
Lot 45 – 2005 Porsche Boxster 2.7L – No Estimate Available
Lot 133 – 1993 Porsche 968 Coupe – No Estimate Available
Lot 355.1 – 2009 Porsche Cayenne S – No Estimate Available
Lot 432 – 1957 356A Cabriolet Wide-Body Speedster Replica – No Estimate Available
Lot 482 – 1990 Porsche 964 Carrera 2 – No Estimate Available
Lot 484 – 1974 Porsche 911 Carrera 3.0 Replica – No Estimate Available
Lot 631 – 1985 Porsche 944 – No Estimate Available
Lot 660 – 1960 Porsche Standard T217 Tractor – No Estimate Available
Lot 680 – 1957 Porsche 356 Speedster Replica Chevrolet V8 – No Estimate Available
Lot 694 – 1974 Porsche 914 2.0L With Nitrous Injection – No Estimate Available
Lot 764 – 1971 Porsche 911T IROC Replica – No Estimate Available
Lot 816 – 1986 Porsche 911 Turbo Coupe Jagermeister 934 RSR Replica – No Estimate Available
Lot 950 – 1990 Porsche 964 Carrera 2 Cabriolet Tiptronic – No Estimate Available
Lot 1006.1 – 1976 Porsche 911 2.7L Coupe ‘Outlaw’ – No Estimate Available
Lot 1025 – 1971 Porsche 911E 2.2L Coupe – No Estimate Available
Lot 1079 – 1996 Porsche 993 Turbo – No Estimate Available
Lot 1103 – 2001 Porsche 996 GT2 – No Estimate Available
Lot 1250 – 1977 Porsche 911 Carrera 3.0 Targa – No Estimate Available
Lot 1281.1 – 1965 Porsche 356 SC Coupe – No Estimate Available
Lot 1291.2 – 1989 Porsche 911 Turbo Cabriolet – No Estimate Available
Lot 1312 – 1989 Porsche 911 Turbo Cabriolet – No Estimate Available
Lot 1325 – 1997 Porsche 993 Turbo – No Estimate Available
Lot 1415 – 2015 Porsche 918 Spyder – No Estimate Available
Lot 1477 – 2016 Porsche 911 GT3 RS – No Estimate Available
Lot 1479 – 2016 Porsche 911 Turbo S – No Estimate Available
Lot 1654 – 1955 Porsche 356 Speedster Replica – No Estimate Available