Most Expensive Porsches Ever

One of the most iconic race cars ever seen, it should be no surprise that the inimitable Porsche 917 has not one, not two, but four entries on this list. However, this specific 917K, chassis 917-024, not only is the most expensive Porsche ever sold at auction, it is also the only 917K that ran in one race only, and it is the first 917 to have been entered into any competition.

That race was at the 1,000 KM of Spa in 1969, driven by Jo Siffert, in an original 917 body. Jo was not at all pleased with the car, as we know today the first 917s were dangerously unbalanced and were incredibly unstable at speed. He was so upset, in fact, that he raced the rest of the 1969 season in an older 908 Langheck.

Chassis 917-024 was revived, however, with a new 917K body due to a certain Steve McQueen wanting to make a movie about Le Mans. It was the star car of the movie, used for tracking shots, backgrounds, and the like, but did not turn a wheel during the actual race. It never took another checkered flag after Spa, but it nonetheless held the distinction of being the first 917 raced, the first 917 entered into a competition, and the only 917 to have run at just one event.

The car was property of Jo Siffert at one point, and it was sold by Gooding & Company at the Pebble Beach Concours and Auction in 2017 for $14,080,000 before fees.

The Porsche 956 C has a terrifying history, as it was designed in a time when safety was a consideration that came after top speed and winning everything in sight. One of the greatest race cars to come from Stuttgart and Weissach, this particular chassis, 956-003 is an extremely special car.

One of only ten Works 956 C’s made, this car holds the distinction of being not only a multiple runner at the 24 Hours of Le Mans, but also the overall winner at the 1983 edition, in the hands of Al Holbert, Hurley Haywood, and Vern Schuppen. In 1982, it came in second overall in the historical Porsche 1-2-3 sweep of the podium in the first year of running the 956.

Chassis 956-003 would go on to record overall wins at Spa, Fuji, Brands Hatch, and Kyalami. This car also turned laps in anger in the hands of such greats as Jacky Ickx, Derek Bell, and John Watson. As can be seen, chassis 003 has one hell of a legacy, and when it was put up for auction in 2015 by Gooding & Company at Pebble Beach, the gavel fell at $10,120,000 including premiums.

The 1997 Porsche 911 GT1 Rennversion represents one of the purest expressions of Porsche’s late-1990s endurance-racing ambition—and its $7,045,000 sale price reflects just how rarely machines like this surface. Built not as a road car with racing pretensions, but as a purpose-designed competition weapon, the GT1 Rennversion was Porsche’s answer to the rapidly escalating GT1 arms race at Le Mans. Though it wore a 911 badge, the car shared little with the production model beyond its name, instead blending prototype engineering with Porsche’s relentless focus on durability and outright speed.

Under the carbon-fiber bodywork sat a mid-mounted, twin-turbocharged flat-six derived from the legendary 962 program, producing well over 600 horsepower depending on configuration. The chassis was a carbon-fiber and aluminum honeycomb monocoque, closer in philosophy to a Group C prototype than any road-going 911. Every element—suspension geometry, aerodynamic tunnels, quick-change body panels—was engineered for the brutal realities of 24-hour endurance racing, where consistency and mechanical sympathy mattered just as much as outright pace.

The Rennversion cars formed the backbone of Porsche’s late-1990s GT1 campaign, culminating in overall victory at the 1998 24 Hours of Le Mans. By that point, the GT1 category had effectively become a prototype class in all but name, and Porsche exploited the rules with clinical precision. Cars like this were never intended for collectors or concours lawns; they existed to win races, endure punishment, and serve as rolling laboratories for future Porsche engineering.

The 1956 550 RS Spyder was the first purpose-built race car in Porsche’s model lineup, an idea hatched by Ferry Porsche himself after many customers had used their 356’s with mild modifications to enter into sports car racing. Made of steel, aluminum, and so low that you could literally step over the door to get into it, the first giant killer from Stuttgart left an indelible impression on the world.

This particular 550 RS Spyder, chassis 550-0090, is a prime example of a well used, but also well kept, unrestored original condition car. It is also the last of the customer-purchased 550’s before the newer 550A RS Spyder was made, with a 1.5 liter, 110 HP flat-four in the middle. Oddly enough, the car has never seen track use, as it was purchased by Willett Brown, then President of CBS Television, for road use. With just 634 miles on the odometer, it was sold to Posche dealer Vasek Polak, who put about 11,000 miles on the car. It was then sold on to Fred Sebald, who owned a race car repair shop in California and had wanted a 550 Spyder since he had first seen one.

Once he acquired it, the car was used gently, before it was placed into storage at the start of the 1960s and sat, unmolested, unused, unabused, for decades, still in almost factory new condition. It was sold twice between 1960 and 2016, first to collector Richard Barbour, and then to fellow collector George Reilly, before finally being offered for auction by Bonhams Auctions at the Goodwood Revival in 2016, where it sold for £4,593,500, equivalent to about $6,225,000 at the time including fees.

• 845 miles

• The only 918 Spyder produced in Paint-to-Sample Pure Orange, $21,000 option

• Matching interior piping in Color-to-Sample Pure Orange, instead of the usual Green

• Weissach Package

• Electric all-wheel drive with e-boost and recuperation

• 4.6L/887 HP DOHC V-8 engine with hybrid drive

• Flat-plane crankshaft

• Titanium connecting rods

• Dry-sump lubrication system

• Front and rear electric motors with parallel full hybrid assist

• Rated at 944 lb-ft of torque

• 7-speed PDK dual-clutch automatic transaxle with hydraulic rear differential lock

• Two-piece carbon fiber reinforced plastic roadster tops

• Dual-zone automatic climate control

• Burmester high-end surround sound system with 11 speakers and 512 Watt amplifier

• Liquid-cooled 6.8 kWh lithium-ion battery pack mounted behind the passenger compartment

• Carbon fiber front splitter and rear diffuser

• Front axle lift, $10,500 option

• Porsche active suspension management

• Porsche torque vectoring plus

• Porsche active aerodynamics

• Inconel exhaust with top pipes

• Porsche ceramic composite hybrid braking system with 6-piston front and 4-piston rear Acid Green calipers

• 918 Spyder magnesium 20-inch front and 21-inch rear wheels

• 265/35ZR20 front and 325/30ZR21 rear tires

The story of the Porsche 959 is one of incredible technical achievement, as it was one of the, if not the, most advanced supercar created in the 1980s. The first true Porsche supercar, the 959 had originally been designed to run in Group B rallying, the top tier, nearly-unlimited class of the World Rally Championship that saw some of the greatest leaps forward in automotive technology. Unfortunately, by the time the 959 had been developed, the homologation version had started production, and the race cars were being built, Group B was canceled after several spectator and driver deaths, as the cars were too fast and too dangerous, so Porsche instead prepared the cars for the famous Paris-Dakar Endurance Rally.

Seven race-spec 959s were built, six of them for rallying and one circuit-racing prototype known as the 961. This car, chassis 959-010015, race entry #186, was specially prepared for the 1985 edition of the Paris-Dakar, and was driven by Rene Metge and Dominique Lemoyne. As this car did not have the 1986 car’s turbo engine, it was powered by a naturally aspirated 3.2L 911 Carrera flat-six, and won two stages before it suffered a ruptured oil line nearing the halfway point of the rally, forcing its retirement.

After its retirement, the oil line issue was repaired and the car went into the Porsche warehouse to be upgraded for later racing. However, after the 1986 Paris-Dakar campaign saw three 959s take first, second, and sixth, those cars with the turbocharged engine, the 959 program was deemed a success, since all of the homologation specials had also been bought up. Thus, chassis 959-010015 was sold to a private collector, one of only two cars that were not retained by Porsche. Stuttgart has four cars, one 959 was destroyed in a crash at the 1985 Rallye des Pharaons in Egypt, and the other 959, having been stripped down to components for a rebuild into a 1986 spec car, was sold to a private collector as parts and body shell and subsequently rebuilt.

As one of only two privately held cars, a 959 Rally is one of the rarest cars on the Porsche collector’s circuit, and was estimated in 2018 to sell between $3 to $4 million. However, at the Porsche 70th Anniversary Auction in Atlanta in 2018, RM Sotheby’s gavelled the car at $5,945,000 including fees.

Porsche’s 917 race cars have some of the winningest pedigree in history, a dominant model if ever one was made. They were the natural predators of the endurance circuit, devouring places like Spa, Le Mans, and the like. However, with rules and regulation changes about to make the 917 uncompetitive in Europe, and with several 917 chassis on hand, Porsche looked to North America and the CAN-AM series, a nearly-unlimited racing series that allowed for some of the most extreme cars of the 1970s to exist.

Powered by a monstrous 5.4 liter twin-turbo flat-twelve, the 1972 Porsche 917/10 produced over 1,150 HP in qualifying trim, and would clear 0 to 100 MPH (yes, 100 MPH) in under 3 seconds. That is modern day (2023) Formula One levels of fast, in 1972. This particular 917/10, chassis 917/10-003, is the most storied and famous of the 1972 cars, known as “The #6 L&M Porsche 917/10,” as it was the car that was run by Penske Motorsport, driven by both Mark Donohue and George Fullmer during the 1972 CAN-AM season, and won 5 of the 9 races of the series, earning it the title.

This is the car that won Porsche their first CAN-AM championship, and was the meanest, fastest, most brutal car they entered. After a successful 1973 season, run by Rinzler as the #16 car, it was sold to private ownership, and in 2012 at the Monterey Classic, it was gavelled by Mecum Auctions at a cool $5,830,000 including fees and premiums. 

The 1998 Porsche 911 GT1-98 is one of the great race cars that emerged from Stuttgart, meant to challenge and win at Le Mans. While the race cars eventually won overall at the 24 Hours of Le Mans, regulations stated that any GT1 car had to have 20 road-going homologation models, and thus one of the greatest supercars from Porsche was born, the 1998 911 GT1 Strassenversion.

Ostensibly a Type 996 911 underneath, pretty much everything about the car is bespoke. It is longer, wider, lower, has extreme aerodynamic splitters, underbody guide vanes, and a massive spoiler and wing combination at the rear. It carries a 3.2L twin-turbo flat-six, barely downtuned from the race version, that produces 544 HP, propelling the lightweight car from 0 to 60 in 3.6 seconds.

When it was sold in 2017 at the Amelia Island Auction, it only had 7,900 KM on the clock, or just over 4,908 miles. It crossed the block under the care of Gooding & Company, and the gavel hit the podium at $5,665,000 to a private collector.

The 2007 Porsche RS Spyder Evo stands as one of the most dominant and technologically sophisticated customer prototype race cars ever built—and its $5,615,000 sale price reflects that legacy. Developed by Porsche Racing in collaboration with Penske, the RS Spyder was created to conquer the LMP2 class in the American Le Mans Series, yet it proved so effective that it routinely embarrassed faster, more powerful LMP1 machinery. The Evo specification represented the car at its absolute peak, refined through relentless competition rather than theory alone.

At its heart was a naturally aspirated 3.4-liter V8 derived from Porsche’s endurance racing know-how, revving beyond 10,000 rpm and producing around 500 horsepower. While that figure may seem modest by modern hypercar standards, the RS Spyder’s brilliance lay in its balance: an ultra-lightweight carbon-fiber monocoque, exquisite aerodynamics, and near-flawless reliability. The Evo updates sharpened every aspect—improved downforce efficiency, revised suspension geometry, and incremental weight reductions—turning an already dominant prototype into a near-perfect racing instrument.

On track, the RS Spyder Evo rewrote expectations. Between 2006 and 2008, it secured multiple ALMS championships and outright victories against factory-backed LMP1 competitors, something that should not have been possible on paper. It became a symbol of Porsche’s engineering discipline—proof that precision, efficiency, and racecraft could overcome raw power and budget. For many fans and insiders, the RS Spyder marked Porsche’s spiritual return to top-level prototype racing after the 962 era.

That is what makes a $5,615,000 result feel entirely earned. This is not a detuned showpiece or a road-adapted racer, but a fully realized, championship-winning prototype from one of the most competitive eras of modern endurance racing.

After the success of the 550 RS Spyder, the car evolved into the 718 RSK series of pure, unadulterated race cars. Carrying the same aluminum body shape that its predecessor did, a very select few 718’s were built as the RS60 model.

This chassis, 718-044, was the last of only four RS60s, and was the ultimate, most powerful iteration of the RSK platform. Considering that it was raced for two seasons only, 1960 and 1961, both seasons for the Porsche Works factory team, when the list of drivers who sat at the wheel of the car is read out, you can understand why this is the 718 to own.

Those names? Stirling Moss. Graham Hill. Dan Gurney. Jo Bonnier. Bob Holbert. Hans Hermann. These legends took the car around places like Le Mans, Sebring, the Targa Florio, and the Nordschleife during the 1,000 KM of Nurburgring.

Two seasons, a pedigree that is approaching mythical. The most expensive 718 RSK model ever sold, it crossed the auction at the Monterey Classic Auction in 2019 under the care of RM Sotheby’s for a massive $5,120,000, which came out to $5,400,000 after fees and premiums.

As we’ve already covered why the 550 RS Spyder is an exceptionally special car, this particular 1955 example, chassis 550-0060, is here because of two things.

The first is that it is completely unrestored. Original condition, original paint, original everything. It is fully numbers matching between engine, transmission, and chassis, with only 10,500 miles from new on the odometer.

The second reason is that this car has had just three owners, all of whom knew that the car was something to be kept as original as possible. Before it went to auction, this car was part of comedian Jerry Seinfeld’s extensive classic car collection, as one of the centerpieces.

The car went on the auction block in 2016 at the Amelia Island Auction under the care of Gooding & Company, where it was eventually sold for $5,335,000 after premium and fees.

This 1958 550A Spyder 5 is possibly one of the most iconic and important cars that Porsche ever made.

Part of the Works team for the 1958 season, chassis 550A-0145 has multiple reasons for its legacy and pedigree. It was the second to last 550A Spyder made, of only a total of forty cars. It has the desirably 135 HP, 1.5L 547/3 flat-four engine, benefitting from being a later car in the production line to receive all the previous years’ upgrades. It has only been mildly restored, meaning it is as close to original as possible.

What makes chassis 550A-0145 stand out, however, is its pedigree. This car was raced all over Europe in 1958, including a second place in class, fifth overall, at the 24 Hours of Le Mans, and won its class, 6th overall, at the 1,000 KM of Nurburgring. It was owned and raced by the eccentric Carel Godin de Beaufort, a nobleman that became a gentleman-racer of high repute.

It was sold in 1959 to Peter Ryan and Jim Muzzin based out of Ontario, Canada, and due to having this car, Ryan was crowned the 1960 and 1961 Canadian Sports Car Champion. It was retired from full-time racing in 1962 when Muzzin bought out Ryan’s stake in the car, and it ran multiple hill climbs and exhibition races in North America. It was sold on to Bill Sadler of California in 1967, then to Dick Werkman in 1974. Throughout this entire period, as the car was never in an incident or crash, it was still in original condition at this time, although the body was starting to degrade. It was mildly restored, receiving only the bare necessary body repairs to keep the car as original as possible.

After passing through collectors hands a few more times, it arrived in the hands of Italian collector Bruno Ferracin, where it would take part in 10 consecutive Mille Miglia Storica historical races. After it was retired, noted and respected Porsche historian Andy Prill was given the opportunity to inspect the car and its pedigree, with the result being that he deemed it one of top 3 finest examples of the 550A Spyder in the world. The engine is numbers matching to the chassis, and the car does still have its original transmission, although it is crated, with a newer transmission installed at the time of sale.

It eventually ended up in Scottsdale, Arizona, in 2018 for The Scottsdale Auction, under the care of Bonhams Auctioneers. After a reportedly fierce bidding war, the gavel came down at $5,170,000 including premium and fees.

This 1958 550A Spyder 5 is possibly one of the most iconic and important cars that Porsche ever made.

Part of the Works team for the 1958 season, chassis 550A-0145 has multiple reasons for its legacy and pedigree. It was the second to last 550A Spyder made, of only a total of forty cars. It has the desirably 135 HP, 1.5L 547/3 flat-four engine, benefitting from being a later car in the production line to receive all the previous years’ upgrades. It has only been mildly restored, meaning it is as close to original as possible.

What makes chassis 550A-0145 stand out, however, is its pedigree. This car was raced all over Europe in 1958, including a second place in class, fifth overall, at the 24 Hours of Le Mans, and won its class, 6th overall, at the 1,000 KM of Nurburgring. It was owned and raced by the eccentric Carel Godin de Beaufort, a nobleman that became a gentleman-racer of high repute.

It was sold in 1959 to Peter Ryan and Jim Muzzin based out of Ontario, Canada, and due to having this car, Ryan was crowned the 1960 and 1961 Canadian Sports Car Champion. It was retired from full-time racing in 1962 when Muzzin bought out Ryan’s stake in the car, and it ran multiple hill climbs and exhibition races in North America. It was sold on to Bill Sadler of California in 1967, then to Dick Werkman in 1974. Throughout this entire period, as the car was never in an incident or crash, it was still in original condition at this time, although the body was starting to degrade. It was mildly restored, receiving only the bare necessary body repairs to keep the car as original as possible.

After passing through collectors hands a few more times, it arrived in the hands of Italian collector Bruno Ferracin, where it would take part in 10 consecutive Mille Miglia Storica historical races. After it was retired, noted and respected Porsche historian Andy Prill was given the opportunity to inspect the car and its pedigree, with the result being that he deemed it one of top 3 finest examples of the 550A Spyder in the world. The engine is numbers matching to the chassis, and the car does still have its original transmission, although it is crated, with a newer transmission installed at the time of sale.

It eventually ended up in Scottsdale, Arizona, in 2018 for The Scottsdale Auction, under the care of Bonhams Auctioneers. After a reportedly fierce bidding war, the gavel came down at $5,170,000 including premium and fees.

The 1968 Porsche 907 usine—a true factory-run endurance prototype—represents a pivotal moment in Porsche’s rise from class contender to outright force at Le Mans, and its €4,390,400 sale price reflects that significance. Built during Porsche’s all-out assault on the World Sportscar Championship, the 907 marked the company’s transition toward lightweight, aerodynamically advanced prototypes designed specifically to challenge Ferrari and Ford for overall honors. Unlike later customer-supported racers, an usine car sits at the very core of Porsche’s factory racing effort.

The 907’s defining feature was its obsession with efficiency. Powered by an air-cooled flat-eight producing roughly 270 horsepower, the car relied on extreme weight reduction and slippery aerodynamics rather than brute force. Its long-tail bodywork was developed explicitly for Le Mans’ high-speed Mulsanne Straight, allowing the 907 to achieve remarkable top speeds with comparatively modest power. With a curb weight hovering around 600 kilograms, the car embodied Porsche’s belief that intelligence and balance could overcome raw displacement.

On track, the 907 proved that philosophy correct. In the 1968 World Sportscar Championship, Porsche used the 907 to secure the manufacturer’s title, a watershed achievement that validated its prototype program and set the stage for future legends like the 908 and 917. While overall Le Mans victory would come a year later, the 907 demonstrated that Porsche had cracked the endurance-racing formula—combining reliability, speed, and strategic discipline into a single cohesive machine.

That is why a €4,390,400 result feels entirely appropriate. The 1968 907 usine is not merely an early prototype; it is a cornerstone of Porsche’s motorsport identity, representing the moment the company proved it could beat the world’s best on engineering intellect alone. For collectors, it offers something exceptionally rare: a factory endurance racer from the exact inflection point where Porsche’s long-distance racing dominance truly began.

The Porsche 935 was one of the most dominant cars in GT racing in the second half of the 1970s, so it only makes sense that one with an amazing history would be among the most expensive Porsches ever auctioned.

This specific example, chassis 009-0030, was owned by Dick Barbour, and raced by Paul Newman for the 1979 World Sportscar Championship in the GT class. That year, the car placed first in class, second overall, at the 24 Hours of Le Mans, in a stroke of fate that cemented this car as a legend. Barbour had been trying out another Porsche 935 that he owned when he crashed it off the track and damaged the car. He needed a replacement quickly, and so sight unseen bought chassis 009-0030 new from Porsche. It barely had time to be prepped for racing before it was on the track and began its storied winning streak, but it was the latest and greatest version of the 935, with a twin-turbo engine and the “upside-down” transaxle that gave it exceptional handling.

As the car kept racing, it came in first overall at the 1981 24 Hours of Daytona, and once again stood on the top step of the podium in 1983 at the 12 Hours of Sebring. It raced for a few more years, still owned by Dick Barbour Racing, until it was eventually retired. It sat idle for many years, before it was brought out of storage and underwent a meticulous, finest-details restoration that was so complete and perfect that it won several awards at Concours d’Elegance. Part of the lot for this car was also every scrap of paper, be it a registration tag, a scrutineers ticket, even the entry forms for each race it entered, all in original order and provenance.

Under the care of Gooding & Company, this awesome example of Porsche’s racing legacy was sold at the 2016 Pebble Beach Classic Auction, where it sold for $4,840,000 including premiums and fees.

The Porsche RS Spyder is one of the most underappreciated of all of Stuttgart’s racing machines. Appearing in only a few races each season, it was a very strong competitor with an astoundingly powerful V8 engine that, with a little redesign, became the 918 Spyder’s power plant. The one thing about them, however, is that they were all Porsche Works cars, sold either to teams that agreed to Works restrictions, or run by Porsche themselves.

All except one. This RS Spyder, chassis 9R6.706, is the the last of six cars built in 2007, the last year the RS Spyder was made. In an odd move, the car was sold to CET Solaroli Motorsports based out of Jacksonville, Florida, as a customer team car, not a Works car. It saw limited track time, not even receiving a full livery, before the regulations came into effect for the 2008 season of the ALMS and IMSA series, which meant as an LMP2 car of the previous generation, it was not legally allowed to race.

As such, this is the only RS Spyder that has appeared at public auction, when it was put on the block under the care of Gooding & Company at the 2018 Pebble Beach Auction. Presented as is in its original bare carbon body with aluminum-magnesium alloy wheels, many collectors knew that this was literally a once in a lifetime chance, and when the final bid was finally accepted, it was at $4,510,000 including fees and premiums.

If the 1972 #6 917/10 that was fifth on this list is the ultimate original, this 1973 917/30, the evolution model of the 917/10, is about as close as you’ll get to a perfect sequel. This car is often regarded to be the single most powerful race car ever built by Porsche for Works teams. This is courtesy of its 5.4L twin-turbo flat-twelve that, in qualifying trim, roared out a barely believable 1,580 HP.

In race trim, it still put out 1,100 HP and would obliterate a standing start to 60 MPH in 1.9 seconds, and would continue to defy physics up to 200 MPH in a hair under 11 seconds. Yes, 0 to 200 MPH in 11.9 seconds. It could top out at 260 MPH, which even by today’s standards is ungodly fast, and faster than any modern Formula One or WEC LMP1 car has ever gone.

What makes this specific car, chassis 917/30-004, unbelievably special is that it never entered a single CAN-AM race. One of only six ever built, it was intended to be a replacement for the 917/30 that Mark Donahue crashed and suffered injuries from, to be his car for the 1974 season as part of the Penkse-Sunoco team. Rule changes in 1974 curtailed that, so instead, the car was sold to Australian importer Alan Hamilton, which became the centerpiece of his showroom. It remained there until 1991, when Porsche bought out all the independent Porsche dealers in Australia, with the 917/30-004 being part of Hamilton’s buyout.

The car returned to Stuttgart, where it was finally given a livery, having being sold as a body-in-white car. That livery was its original intended Penske-Sunoco red, yellow, and blue. It was entered into a few exhibitions, where it was finally allowed to unleash its full fury to the delight of onlookers, before it was sold privately in 1994 to American collector David Morse. As part of that sale, Porsche Motorsport fully rebuilt the engine, using the last engine block in their archives to do so.

It ran at the 1998 Monterey Historic exhibition, before it was sold to Matthew Drendel in 2001. This car has a special place in many Porsche enthusiasts’ hearts, as it was Drendel who contacted Roger Penske, and arranged for Penske to drive the car for a few exhibition laps as one of the headlining cars of the very first Rennsport Reunion.

The car, as part of the estate auctioned by Gooding & Company at Amelia Island after Drendels untimely death,  was auctioned in 2012, where it was bought by Jerry Seinfeld for $4,400,000 after premiums and fees. It was auctioned again in 2016, where it sold for $3,000,000

Once dubbed “The Shining Spyder,” 718-006 represents Porsche’s engineering expertise at the close of the 1950s. A direct evolution of the famed “giant-killer” 550 Spyder series, the 718 RSK, and later the RS 60 and 61, marked the steady improvement of Porsche racing chassis and body design.

Between 1957 and 1959, just 34 examples of the 718 would be constructed, the first 10 of which were prototypes used for development and racing with factory drivers. All 718s used a tubular space frame chassis similar to the one employed in the model’s predecessor, the pinnacle-development 550A, which afforded the 718 incredible rigidity while keeping weight to a minimum. Always intent on creating faster, more stable racing cars capable of winning overall at top-level events like Le Mans, Porsche evolved the 718 throughout its production run and constantly improved individual chassis. Importantly, after experimenting with control arms resembling the letter “K,” 718-006 was the first Porsche chassis to be fitted with double A-arms and coil-overs at the rear, which proved to be tremendously effective and forever changed the development of racing cars.

All 718s were powered by the potent Type 547 “Fuhrmann” four-cam engine, with displacements of both 1.5 and 1.6 liters, allowing Porsche to choose the racing category it wished to enter. With large Weber twin-choke carburetors, these engines produced between 150 and 170 horsepower, and proved extremely reliable. Power was fed through a five-speed ZF gearbox with limited slip, and gave top speeds approaching 160 mph. Brakes were large finned drums, and the 16 x 3.5-inch bolt-on wheels comprised steel centers riveted to aluminum outer rims. The alloy bodywork was a bit longer and much more streamlined than the 550’s, with a taller windscreen to meet the FIA’s Appendix C rules.

Among the items tested on some 718 Werks prototypes was an auxiliary tubular oil radiator attached to the underside of the front hood. This was another development that was used in chassis 718-006, and it has been authentically represented on this chassis’ restoration, complete with the cadmium-style finish both on the top of the hood and the grooves and fittings beneath.

This car went under the hammer for $4.3M.

The 1976 Porsche 935 that sold for $4,295,000 at the 2024 Pebble Beach Auctions is one of the most significant Porsche race cars to trade hands in recent years, not just because of its price but because of its heritage. This particular example, chassis 935-001, is widely recognized as the very first 935 ever built and served as the factory’s prototype development car for Porsche’s Group 5 racing program. It played a crucial role in refining what would become one of the most iconic silhouette racers of the 1970s—a car that blurred the line between production-based competition and full-on racing prototype design.

Beyond its factory origins, the car boasts a genuinely competitive racing history. In its debut year of 1976, 935-001 made an immediate impact: it captured first overall at Watkins Glen and followed up with a third-place overall finish at Dijon, performances that helped underscore the potency of Porsche’s turbocharged racing formula and contributed to the marque’s success in the Championship of Makes that season. Over the following decades, the car passed through notable private ownership, including time in the stable of legendary American racer and collector Vasek Polak, further embedding it in Porsche’s racing folklore.

What elevates this particular 935’s market value—and the nearly $4.3 million result at Pebble Beach—is not just its provenance but its rarity and presentation. It is the sole Works Martini Racing Porsche 935 in private hands, and was meticulously restored to concours-level standards by marque specialists. This combination of factory significance, race-winning history, and stunning restoration makes it one of the crown jewels of 20th-century racing machinery.

The 1969 Porsche 908/02 that hammered at the 2022 Pebble Beach Auctions for $4,185,000 is one of the most celebrated prototypes of Porsche’s classic endurance-racing era, and its result reflects both its rarity and remarkable lineage. Built as part of Porsche’s response to the FIA’s shift in prototype rules in 1969, the 908/02 was an evolution of the earlier 908 design that ditched the roof and heavy long-tail bodywork in favor of a lighter open-spyder configuration optimized for the twisting road circuits of the World Sportscar Championship. The combination of a lightweight aluminum tube spaceframe and a high-revving 3.0-liter flat-eight gave the car potent performance and nimble handling on diverse tracks.

This particular chassis, 908/02-010, carries a rich competitive history that spans both factory and privateer campaigns. Raced by Porsche at classics such as Brands Hatch, the Targa Florio, and the Nürburgring in its debut season, the car was piloted by a roster of legendary drivers including Vic Elford, Richard Attwood, Gérard Larrousse, and Pedro Rodríguez—names that resonate deeply in the sport’s pantheon. After its factory tenure, the car continued to compete in endurance classics, including four appearances at the 24 Hours of Le Mans, cementing its reputation as a durable and capable racer on the international stage.

In later years the 908/02-010 received attentive restoration work from some of the most respected specialists in historic racing, bringing it back toward its original 1969 specification and appearance. Such meticulous restoration, paired with documented provenance from new and authentic race history, greatly enhances its appeal to collectors. When it crossed the block at Pebble Beach in 2022, interest was high not just because of its competitive past but because the 908/02 exemplifies a transitional moment in Porsche’s prototype evolution—bridging lightweight design, mechanical purity, and competition success in a way that few sports racers of the late 1960s can match.

The 1955 Porsche 550 Spyder, coachwork by Wendler, chassis no. 550-0036, that sold for $4,185,000 at the Bonhams The Amelia Island Auction on March 3, 2022 is a quintessential piece of early Porsche racing history and one of the most significant sports racers of the 1950s. Representing the marque’s first true mid-engine competition car, the 550 was designed from the outset for racing success rather than road touring, quickly earning a fierce reputation as a “giant killer” for its ability to outperform larger, more powerful rivals in international competition. Its sleek, lightweight body and advanced Type 547 four-cam engine laid the groundwork for Porsche’s enduring motorsport legacy.

What sets chassis 550-0036 apart is its impressive period provenance. Originally campaigned in Europe by drivers such as Theo Helfrich and Peter Nocker in 1955, the Spyder was actively raced at legendary venues like the Nürburgring, AVUS, and Hockenheim, forming part of a very small, hand-built group of cars that demonstrated Porsche’s engineering excellence on the world stage. After changing hands in the late 1950s and eventually being brought to the United States, the car remained with the same devoted owner for over 50 years before its 2022 auction debut.

By the time it reached Amelia Island, 550-0036 had undergone meticulous restoration work, beginning in earnest in the late 1990s and carried through into the early 2000s, with every detail scrutinized to preserve authenticity and performance. This combination of documented competition history, long-term ownership, and expert restoration made it one of the most desirable Porsche 550 Spyders ever offered at auction, justifying its multi-million-dollar price and securing its place as a prized cornerstone of any serious classic car collection.

As discussed earlier on, the 917 was one of the most dominant racing machines ever made. This specific car, originally chassis 917-026, was one of the first 917K models, but after a heavy crash at the 1970 24 Hours of Le Mans, it was brought back to the factory and rebuilt as a newer 917K Spyder. Because the rebuild was so extensive, it received a new chassis number, 917-031, and an upgraded engine, also registered to 917-031.

Part of that upgraded engine was its power, which was the 4.9L flat-twelve pushing out 600 HP. This meant 0 to 60 in 2.3 seconds, and a top speed of 242 MPH (390 KPH)… for a Spyder.

This specific car was driven in anger by Enrst Kraus, Jurgen Barth, David Hobbs, and Mike Hailwood, the first two in its original -026 closed top form, and the latter two in its -031 Spyder form. After being retired from racing, it was sold to a collector, and was presented at the 2010 Quail Lodge Auction by Bonhams.

With a numbers matching engine for the -031 version, this car, with its history as a rebuild and the famous drivers that have sat at the wheel, sold for $3,967,000 including premiums and fees.

The 2015 Porsche 918 Weissach Spyder that commanded $3,937,500 at The White Collection, Lot 2157 stands as one of the most remarkable modern Porsche auction results ever recorded. This example wasn’t just any 918 Spyder—it was a factory-built hypercar finished to a truly one-of-a-kind specification through Porsche Exclusive Manufaktur, complete with the highly sought Weissach performance package. Its bespoke paint-to-sample Grand Prix White finish, matching magnesium Weissach wheels, and an interior swathed in Yacht Blue leather make it a singular specimen among the already rare limited-production 918 family.

What helped drive such an extraordinary sale price was not only the unique specification, but also the car’s exceptional condition and provenance. At the time of cataloguing, this 918 had only 12 miles on the odometer, effectively making it one of the lowest-mileage, “brand new” examples ever offered at public auction. Cars with such minimal use—especially hypercars that are typically driven more regularly—are exceedingly rare, and collectors prize them accordingly. It was delivered new to The White Collection in Houston, Texas, one of the most respected private car collections in the United States.

Beyond its specification and mileage, the car’s auction context helped elevate its value. The White Collection sale itself was a highly anticipated event that drew nearly a thousand registered bidders and set multiple records across the roster of late-model Porsches on offer. The 918 Weissach Spyder led the sale by a significant margin, achieving a price that more than doubled its pre-auction estimate and set a new benchmark for the model at auction. This result underscored the strength of the market for modern hypercars—particularly limited, bespoke examples with documented history and exceptional preservation—and confirmed the 918’s place as one of the most collectible performance cars of the 21st century.

Completed in late-October 1955, chassis 550-0072 was one of just 90 Porsche 550 Spyders that were manufactured from 1953 to 1956. Destined for the United States, the car was sold new to Jack F. Manting of Big Rapids, Michigan.

Manting was an avid SCCA racer and purchased the 550 Spyder to replace the Porsche 356 that he raced in 1955. Debuting the new car on 10 March 1956, he finished 9th overall and 2nd in his class at the SCCA National Waterloo. Manting raced three further times that year, with his final two events at Elkhart Lake in September. Partnered with Mike Ward, they drove in the SCCA Four and Six Hour Road America races. The duo finished 3rd in class for both competitions.

Manting continued to field chassis 0072 for the 1957 season and placed 8th in class on 19 May at the SCCA National Cumberland. For the National Road America, Manting finished 7th in his class. He attempted the 500 Mile Road America race but failed to finish.

For 1958, Manting improved on the previous season’s results. In the Traverse City S1.5, he took home a podium result, placing 2nd. In August at the SCCA National Milwaukee, he was 3rd in class. He entered the 500 Mile Road America for the second time and the car failed to finish, but it was not Manting’s last attempt.

The driver’s final season with chassis 0072 was over 1959. Racing on 21 June at the National Road America, he was 9th in his class. For his third attempt at the 500 Mile Road America, Manting competed against the likes of Briggs Cunningham, Robert Penske, and William Sturgis. Paired with Ward, they placed 18th overall and 4th in their class, having covered 106 laps of the Elkhart Lake Circuit.

With just five previous owners from new, and fascinating period SCCA race history, chassis 0072 is a wonderful example of a US-delivery car. It is extremely rare that one of the 90 Porsche 550 Spyders built still exists while retaining its matching-numbers engine and gearbox. This example sold for $3,609,286 (€3,464,375).

The 2015 Porsche 918 Weissach Spyder that commanded $3,937,500 at The White Collection, Lot 2157 stands as one of the most remarkable modern Porsche auction results ever recorded. This example wasn’t just any 918 Spyder—it was a factory-built hypercar finished to a truly one-of-a-kind specification through Porsche Exclusive Manufaktur, complete with the highly sought Weissach performance package. Its bespoke paint-to-sample Grand Prix White finish, matching magnesium Weissach wheels, and an interior swathed in Yacht Blue leather make it a singular specimen among the already rare limited-production 918 family.

What helped drive such an extraordinary sale price was not only the unique specification, but also the car’s exceptional condition and provenance. At the time of cataloguing, this 918 had only 12 miles on the odometer, effectively making it one of the lowest-mileage, “brand new” examples ever offered at public auction. Cars with such minimal use—especially hypercars that are typically driven more regularly—are exceedingly rare, and collectors prize them accordingly. It was delivered new to The White Collection in Houston, Texas, one of the most respected private car collections in the United States.

Beyond its specification and mileage, the car’s auction context helped elevate its value. The White Collection sale itself was a highly anticipated event that drew nearly a thousand registered bidders and set multiple records across the roster of late-model Porsches on offer. The 918 Weissach Spyder led the sale by a significant margin, achieving a price that more than doubled its pre-auction estimate and set a new benchmark for the model at auction. This result underscored the strength of the market for modern hypercars—particularly limited, bespoke examples with documented history and exceptional preservation—and confirmed the 918’s place as one of the most collectible performance cars of the 21st century.

This 908/03 Spyder, chassis 908/03-003, is one of the rarest and most special versions of the 908 to exist. The entire reason for that is that this chassis was built by Porsche as a prototype for the 908/03 program at Weissach, one of only three that were made before the 908/03 entered into production for both Works and customer teams.

Since it was the closest to an actual production 908/03, the car was never upgraded or refitted, meaning that it is literally a one-of-three test car, and the only test car that was sold to the public. This was the car that Porsche Motorsport used to pre-run the Targa Florio, to determine the best setup for the actual car that entered that race. This is a documented fact as test driver and Porsche historian Jurgen Barth, along with Jo Siffert and Brian Redman, lapped the 72 KM (44.8 miles) 14 times to get the best possible setup.

This car’s only true race was at the 1970 1,000 KM of Nurburgring, one of the two tracks it was designed to dominate. In the hands of Hans Hermann and Richard Attwood, it came in second overall, being beaten only by a production 908/03 driven by Vic Elford and Kurt Ahrens Jr. It was sold privately in 1973, and changed hands a few times between noted collectors and private collections. It underwent a full “return to original condition” restoration in the early 2010s, a restoration that won it a coveted Masterpiece First In Class at the 2017 Concours d’Elegance at Schloss Dyck.

It was put up for auction at the Monterey Classics Auction in August 2017, accompanied by a 100+ page report of its pedigree and history by Jurgen Barth, where the hammer fell at $3,575,000 including premiums and fees.