This year marks the 70th anniversary of Porsche. To celebrate this occasion, RM Sotheby’s is hosting an auction that will get all the Porsche fans very, very excited. The Porsche 70th Anniversary Sale will some of the most iconic cars, all-time greats, built by the German automaker hit auction block. The one that has gotten us all giddy and excited is the Porsche 959 Paris-Dakar rally racing version – one of the most incredible machines ever built.
Here’s a little history about this car: Porsche built the 959 to participate in the famous Group B Rallying in the ‘80s. But by the time it’d finally been finished, Group B Rally was shut down for being too unsafe. The Porsche 959 got a chance to prove its credentials in the world of rallying by participating in the Paris-Dakar rally. This particular 959 was one of the three that took part in the 1985 edition of the rally. Although, the car had to retire due a technical fault, it proved to be a great testing bed for Porsche, thanks to which the German manufacturer dominated the following year finishing 1st, 2nd and 6th.
What makes this sale great is the fact that it is for the first time in history a Porsche 959 Dakar rally car will be sold at a public auction. Porsche only made six examples of the car and five of them remain. It is believed that two or three reside in private collections. The particular model won Best in Class at The Quail, A Motorsports Gathering during Monterey Car Week 2008 and was on display at Goodwood Festival of Speed from 2004-2006. Sotheby’s estimates it to sell for somewhere between $3 million and $3.4 million when it goes under the hammer in October this year.
[Via:Topgear]
