Among the coolest Porsches in history are the Paris-Dakar 959 race cars of the 1980s. While the all-wheel-drive, high-tech 959 is cool in and of itself, these race cars had the bonus of making the most use of the adjustable suspension and all-wheel-drive system that came from Porsche's thwarted plans to build a Group B rally car. On top of that, they were painted in the now iconic Rothman's paint colors that adorned Le Mans racers and even made a comeback on a 911 at this year's Le Mans race.
Of course with just six examples built, according to RM Sotheby's, there's very little opportunity to have one, until this October. At the auction house's 70th Anniversary Porsche auction in Atlanta over the weekend of Oct. 27, the 1985 Porsche 959 race car you see above will cross the block. It competed in the 1985 Paris-Dakar rally with multiple Paris-Dakar winner René Metge behind the wheel. Interestingly, it actually didn't have the twin-turbocharged flat-6 of the road-going models. Instead, it had a naturally aspirated 3.2-liter flat-6 from a 911 Carrera. It did have all the fancy suspension and all-wheel-drive gizmos, though. Sadly, an oil line failure kept the car from finishing the race. But the following year, Metge won the race in a different 959.
Naturally, such a rare and historic car is going to command a high price. RM Sotheby's estimates the Paris-Dekar 959 will fetch between $3 million and $3.4 million. But to have such a rare car with such an awesome look and history, maybe that's not terrible.
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Of course with just six examples built, according to RM Sotheby's, there's very little opportunity to have one, until this October. At the auction house's 70th Anniversary Porsche auction in Atlanta over the weekend of Oct. 27, the 1985 Porsche 959 race car you see above will cross the block. It competed in the 1985 Paris-Dakar rally with multiple Paris-Dakar winner René Metge behind the wheel. Interestingly, it actually didn't have the twin-turbocharged flat-6 of the road-going models. Instead, it had a naturally aspirated 3.2-liter flat-6 from a 911 Carrera. It did have all the fancy suspension and all-wheel-drive gizmos, though. Sadly, an oil line failure kept the car from finishing the race. But the following year, Metge won the race in a different 959.
Naturally, such a rare and historic car is going to command a high price. RM Sotheby's estimates the Paris-Dekar 959 will fetch between $3 million and $3.4 million. But to have such a rare car with such an awesome look and history, maybe that's not terrible.
Related Video:
Featured Gallery 1985 Porsche 959 Paris-Dakar race car
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