One to Buy: 23,000km Graphite Grey 1987 Porsche 959 Komfort
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Even though Porsche had committed a vast sum of money to their 956 Group C programme, the idea of a production-based model taking the fight to Ferrari in Group B proved too good to resist.
Porsche and Ferrari works cars had last gone head-to-head during the 1970 and ‘71 seasons when the German firm’s 917 and 908/03 trounced the 512 S and 312 PB in the World Sportscar Championship and also took the company’s first outright wins at Le Mans.
The resultant 959 was expected to challenge the Ferrari 288 GTO for honours in Group B, but as it turned out the series proved a flop and neither machine ever raced in its original form. Instead, the GTO simply proved a major commercial hit and paved the way for the F40 which arrived in late 1987.
By contrast, the 959 had a long, painful and expensive gestation; the first deliveries didn’t take place until a few months before the F40 arrived and its vast DM 431,500 list price was less than half the build cost.
Nevertheless, with its state-of-the-art specification, mind-bending performance and superlative build quality, the 959 moved supercars into new territory.
Currently on offer at the Dutton Garage showroom in Victoria is this handsomely configured 959 from 1987.
Originally delivered to a customer in Italy, chassis 900149 was ordered with arguably the best colour for a 959: Graphite Grey Metallic with matching tri-colour upholstery.
It has today covered a little over 23,000km and comes with a full complement of original handbooks / manuals.
