A particularly well preserved Porsche 959 made in the 80s is up for bidding in the USA with the top offer at $2.11 million and counting. It is one out of 337 units made, including 37 not for sale, and has 1,306 km (811 miles) under its belt.
The vehicle had originally been designed for Groupe B rally racing, but never had any notable achievements in that series. It did participate in other events, though, and even won the Paris-Dakar Rally 36 years ago. Along with a number of track-only racers, a Porsche released some road-legal 959 models.
As a flagship laden with groundbreaking tech, the company had to delay its launch due to various production challenges. Rumors claimed that every 959 made was a net loss for Porsche, selling at barely a half of its production cost. It offered such innovations as adjustable clearance and an all-wheel drive system with selectable modes.
It was also the fastest car of its era with a proven top speed of 317 km/h (197 mph). A 2.8-liter twin-turbo flat-six engine under the hood hooked up with a six-speed manual gearbox for 450 PS (444 hp / 331 kW) and 500 Nm (369 lb-ft) of torque. The whole tipped the scales at 1,450 kilograms (just under 3,200 pounds).
Customers could choose between two road-legal trim specs called Sport and Komfort. The example on sale is the latter. As such, it features power-adjustable heated seats, an air conditioner and Blaupunkt audio, among other niceties. It is a Euro spec that had been kept in a museum in Japan for many years and only made it into the United States seven years ago. It is in a fair overall condition with a malfunctioning clearance adjustment system and broken ABS.