One to Buy: 2 owner 17,500km 1987 Porsche 959 Komfort
If it were possible to create a ranking for the costliest Group B programme undertaken by a manufacturer, that crown would also certainly fall to Porsche whose 959 incurred a monumental amount of expenditure.
Additionally, the German firm also got next to nothing out in terms of the 959’s intended use although off-the-wall outings in the 1985 and ‘86 Paris Dakar Rallies did yield a famous victory and a couple of invitational class showings at the 1986 and ‘87 Le Mans 24 Hours gave a taste of what might have been in terms of on-track performance.
However, this was soon forgotten as the 959’s vast development cost began to bite when poor trading conditions during the years that followed saw Porsche teeter on the edge of bankruptcy.
With those dark days long gone, the 959 is now regarded as a seminal creation in the history of super high end sports cars; its hitherto unseen combination of shattering performance, impressive refinement, state-of-art technology and day-to-day practicality really did put it in a class of one.
Today, a perfect example of the 959 as originally envisioned by Porsche is currently on offer with Girardo & Co. out of Monaco: chassis ‘900086’.
Reputedly the only 959 originally delivered to Austria, this October 1987 machine was configured in discrete Polar Silver Metallic with rarely seen monotone Metallic Grey leather upholstery, Sport seats, air-conditioning and a Blaupunkt audio system.
The matching numbers car was retained by its first owner for 25 years (until 2012) at which point it joined a significant Porsche collection in Germany where it has resided ever since and been maintained without regard to expense. It is being offered with a fully documented history having covered 17,500km from new.
Reprinted below is Girardo & Co.’s description:
Chassis no. WP0ZZZ95ZHS900086
Engine no. 65H00065
Registration: EU Taxes Paid
An original unrestored Porsche 959 Komfort with just 17,500km and two owners from new
Retaining its original chassis, engine and gearbox
One of only 292 Porsche 959 Komforts
Accompanied by its factory user manuals, warranty and service books, tool roll, tyre compressor and jack sets, and Porsche Certificate of Authenticity
Specified from new with the optional Sport seats, air-conditioning and Blaupunkt radio
Fastidiously maintained and documented throughout its life, regardless of cost
The only Porsche 959 delivered new to Austria
Part of a collection of high-quality Porsches spanning the Stuttgart marque’s entire history
EU Taxes Paid
The Porsche 959
If you were an impressionable teenager in the 1980s, you had one of three supercars on your wall: the Lamborghini Countach, the Ferrari F40 or the Porsche 959. Gamechanger is an apt way to describe the latter – a Teutonic technological tour de force born of Porsche’s desire to go racing in the then-burgeoning Group B category.
Ground-breaking innovations including variable torque bias, sequential turbochargers, ABS brakes, adjustable ride height and onboard tyre pressure monitors helped Porsche to redefine what the word versatile meant in the world of performance motoring.
The 959 was a car which produced north of 450HP, nudged 200mph and delivered its mind-bending performance in a manner which made you feel like you were spinning the earth backwards. Even by the standards of today’s supercars, a spirited drive in a 959 alters your perception of speed. Yet its miraculous Jekyll and Hyde character meant unlike Porsche’s contemporaries, this was as comfortable and genuinely refined as a Mercedes-Benz saloon. The 959 is the genuine everyday supercar which pre-dated the cliché.
Chassis no. 900086
The Porsche 959 Komfort presented here distinguishes itself as an original unrestored accident-free example that’s enjoyed just two owners and covered a mere 17,500 (documented) kilometres from new. Chassis number 900096 was the only 959 Komfort of the 292 produced delivered new to Austria.
Well, technically that’s incorrect, since the original owner paid to collect the car directly from the Porsche factory in October of 1987. It was finished in Polar Silver Metallic over a Metallic Grey leather interior and specified with the optional Sport seats, air-conditioning and Blaupunkt radio. The Austrian kept the 959 until 2012, when it was acquired by a German enthusiast building a remarkable collection of high-quality Porsche’s spanning the marque’s entire history.
As the original service booklet and wealth of accompanying invoices attest, this 959 has always been fastidiously cared for and maintained regardless of cost. In the year from May of 2017 to March of 2018 alone, invoices from Porsche Centre Stuttgart were issued totalling over 90,000 euros.
Retaining its original chassis, engine and gearbox, chassis number 900096 presents in exceptional mechanical and cosmetic condition. It’s accompanied by its factory user manuals, warranty and service books, tool roll, tyre compressor and jack sets, and Porsche Certificate of Authenticity. This is a wonderful and authentic example of Stuttgart’s seminal supercar, worthy of the greatest Porsche collections – just like that it’s resided in for the last 14 years.
