To celebrate its 70th birthday, Porsche will be holding an auction this autumn dedicated to a unique Porsche 959 sport car that participated in the Paris-Dakar Rally in 1985.
The vehicle was piloted by Dominique LeMoine and René Metge during the Dakar rally that took place over 30 years ago. Porsche has built as many as three sport cars for the event, but two suffered accidents, while the third broke down during the race, making it impossible to continue.
Another Porsche racecar was used during preparation to the 1986 Dakar rally and brought its maker gold and silver in the overall standings. Another Porsche 959 came 6th.
Out of the six Dakar Porsche vehicles, only five have survived to this date, most of them in private collections. The Porsche 959 which will be sold at the auction has been appraised at U.S. $3,400,000.
Another interesting lot is an ultra-rare Porsche 959 Prototype previously used for drivetrain and wiring testing in hot climates. A total of 12 Porsche 959 Prototype vehicles have been built, but only 3 or 4 are still around. Compared to the main series, the Prototype line features different lighting, magnesium-alloy wheels and a rear wing.
The lot may fetch up to U.S. $1,600,000.
Photo: rmsothebys.com