Porsche 959 'Vorserie' preproduction car to go across the block

With the earliest Porsche 959 examples having reached the age of 25 three years ago, exempting them from NHTSA and EPA requirements that saw some examples stuck in customs limbo for reasons not completely in line with logic or common sense, the 959 is no longer forbidden fruit on this side of the Atlantic. As such, we're starting to see more movement at auctions when it comes to Porsche's technological marvel. Next week RM Auctions will be offering a rare preproduction 1986 Porsche 959 "Vorserie" prototype at their Amelia Island sale, held in conjunction with the concours event of the same name.



This particular example features all the stats familiar to anyone who had a poster of the 959 on their wall as a kid, with Porsche's 2,849-cc air/water-cooled, horizontally opposed six-cylinder engine breathed on by two turbochargers pumping a still-astounding 450 hp, good for a sub-four-second sprint from 0 to 60. Like production examples of the 959, this "Vorserie" preproduction car features a six-speed manual transmission, all-wheel drive, plastic body panels reinforced by glass fiber and Kevlar, adjustable ride height, and front and rear independent suspension.



Even though Porsche produced the 200 cars required for homologation for the FIA's Group B Rally Championship, which was unexpectedly cancelled after Porsche had already committed to building the car, the total number of 959s made is a bit more complicated of an issue. In addition to the 200 production cars, there were 16 factory prototypes designed to test various systems, in addition to 21 preproduction, or "Vorserie," cars built in 1985. A handful of others were completed years later from factory spares. The total number of cars built remains disputed, with some sources quoting 300, and others estimating as many as 330.

This particular car was first registered in Stuttgart in 1986, and was used as a factory demonstrator for prospective buyers at the Porsche Zentrum facility. During its first three years at the Porsche sales facility, it accumulated approximately 50,000 kilometers, and was subsequently treated to an overhaul in 1989, one which was more like a rebuild for all intents and purposes. Its first private owner, an executive from Brüggen, received a letter detailing the work performed on his car prior to its sale, stating that the car was given a "new drivetrain, new wheels and tires, a new hydraulic system, all the electrical components were overhauled to newer series specification, new sport seats installed in leather, including motor completely overhauled, rear axle and suspension overhauled, front transaxle" in addition to a few more refitted parts. The only change that its first owned implemented over the next 20 years was the installation of a factory air conditioner, which was added in 2000.

Since its first sale to a private owner in 1989, the car accumulated only 10,000 kilometers, and is now offered for sale by its second private owner who's enjoyed it since 2010. The odometer shows just over 60,000 kilometers.

Porsche 959s still don't come up for sale all that often in the U.S., given its history as a car that even Bill Gates couldn't federalize (leading him to lobby for the passage of the the Show and Display law that exempted certain qualifying cars from NHTSA and EPA restrictions). Serviced and detailed prior to being offered for sale, this example is said to be in spectacular condition throughout, and will be offered with a U.S. title.

This is a car with some stories, but good ones. It'll be interesting to see what it ends up going for. Values of production Porsche 959s from 1986 have surged in the last year by about $300,000 for the best examples, which are now trading at around $800,000. Values for Condition 2 and Condition 3 examples are now hovering between $400,000 and $500,000.