RARE '88 PORSCHE 959 KOMFORT UP FOR GRABS AT MONTEREY 2023
It may be a generational thing, but if you’re from the same one as me where you grew up with posters of 80s 911s on the wall, then you may also think that the Porsche 959 is one of the most amazing cars ever to exist. It’s the ultimate variation on the 911 and had the speed to match the looks. It was a wild time for supercars in the 80s, and the 959 was Porsche’s answer to Ferrari’s iconic F40 and Lamborghini’s Countach LP5000 QV, and is even rarer with just 292 units having been produced. The car was a technological marvel at the time and was so impressive that Ferdinand Piëch used the prototype as a daily driver for a while. The 959 introduced features that would become an industry standard like adjustable suspension, an intelligent all-wheel drive system, and the use of lightweight Kevlar composite and aluminium body panels. To go with that amazing rear-end with some amazing-looking aerodynamics, there’s a 2.85-litre twin-turbocharged flat-six that was rated at 335 kW (450 hp) with a healthy 500 Nm of torque. With a lightweight chassis and body using aluminium and composites, it made for a stupendously fast car. It could hit 100 km/h in under 4 seconds, blitz the quarter mile in 12 seconds and had a top speed of 317 km/h, which made it the fastest production car when it was launched in 1986. I was 8. It’s rare that one of these cars comes up for sale, and the one heading to the RM Sotheby’s Monterey auction has been hidden from the world since 1993 and that means really low mileage, and the possibility of fetching some serious money.
The 959 nearly bankrupted Porsche, the company lost 50% of its costs on each car, most of them in Komfort trim as seen here on car number 247. This one is specced for the German market and was first sold to German real estate and construction magnate Franz Sallinger in August of 1988, and it wore the personalised plate: MYK E 959. It was delivered direct from the factory, which gives it a rare designation, adding to the value. The car was optioned in Polar Silver over a Dark Grey leather interior with heated and electronically adjustable sports seats. In 1993 the car was acquired by the current owner, a banker in Japan, where it has remained until now. It was driven as intended though, not just parked off. The owner used the 959 for late-night, high-speed runs to his office: “as his job required him to be on-call at all hours. In driving the 959, he believed that this car’s advanced technology would make his commute safer, not only for him, but other drivers on the road, thereby allowing him to arrive at work stress-free” claims the listing. The car has clocked fewer than 9 500 km, but hasn’t been driven for a long time, so the new buyer will need to have the maintenance done to get it back to how it should be. The car does run though. The 959 comes with all relevant books, tools and air compressor. The car is expected to fetch between $1 000 000 and $1 500 000, and considering the spec and condition, it may even surpass that.
Take a look at the YouTube video from the chaps at RM Sotheby's doing a complete dive into the history of the car as well as visuals of the exact car that's headed to the action at Monterey, one of the most amazing motoring auctions held annually. Not only is this a rare low-mileage version, it just happens to be in the best colour that Porsche has ever worn, Polar Silver: Form Follows Function: 1988 Porsche 959 Komfort | RM Sotheby's
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