- the 1987 porsche 959 komfort shown here has a current bid of just over $1.6 million on the bring a trailer online auction website, with bids being taken until monday, february 14.
- this 959 shows just 1300 kilometers (807 miles) on the odometer.
- the car could set a new bring a trailer sales price record, potentially beating a porsche carrera gt that sold on the site last month for $2 million.
things are moving fast at bring a trailer (which, like c/d, is part of hearst autos). in january, the auction website had its most expensive sale ever, a porsche carrera gt that sold for just over $1.9 million. then just two weeks later, another carrera gt hit the $2 million mark. now, there's another car that stands a good chance of toppling that record: a 1987 porsche 959 komfort with just 1300 kilometers (807 miles) on its odometer. the current bid, with 10 days to go, is $1,651,959.
even if it doesn't set a new record, this guards red 959 has already doubled the price of the last 959 to appear on bat, a silver example with 24,000 miles that failed to meet reserve at $810,000. that was five years ago, however, and 959 values certainly have risen since then.
this ultra-low-mileage example was imported into the united states in 2015 after spending time in a museum in japan. service in the past year includes a clutch slave cylinder, an air-conditioning recharge, and new tires. there is, however, mechanical work still to be done, as the selling dealer has disclosed that the height-adjustable feature of the suspension and the abs brake feature are currently not functioning.
bidders appear to be undaunted. opportunities to purchase a porsche 959 don't come along often, as just 337 were built over the course of three years (1986–1988). the car was not sold in the united states when new, but it can now be imported.
the 959 was a mind-blowing supercar in its day and one of the most significant porsches ever made. its flat-six engine was derived from the motor that powered the 956 and 962 racing cars, and it produced 444 horsepower. driving all four wheels, it was good for a sub-four-second zero-to-60-mph time and a top speed of 197 mph. in a period road test of the 959, c/d said, "we have just returned from west germany, where we finally got a chance to drive the porsche 959 on the street, and the word 'perfect' is difficult to avoid." in 2020, we called the 959 one of the greatest cars of all time.