Monegasque title
Chassis no. WPOZZZ95ZHS900041

- Unique specification , "paint to sample" color (code 99)
- Superb 'Cartier red' full leather upholstery
- Service book stamped from new
- Rare model, a homologation special and technological showcase

This splendid car is without doubt the only Porsche 959 in this spectacular colour combination: pearlescent white metallic with an interior in 'Cartier red' full leather, covering the seats, doors, dashboard steering wheel and gear lever. The carpet and headlining are in the same colour, producing a superb effect which is all the more striking as the whole interior is in extremely well-preserved condition.
This exceptional 959 was delivered new in Germany on 13 July 1987, as its service book confirms, and was probably handed over to its owner directly at the factory ('Werksauslieferung'). It remained in his sole ownership for 20 years, until 2007. He used his Porsche supercar very regularly. It covered most of its mileage during the first nine years of its existence; when it was serviced on 22 October 1996, the odometer was reading 85,436 km, according to its service book, which shows it had been regularly maintained by Porsche.
In 2007, the car was sold in turn to two connoisseurs from the Brescia region, before it was bought by our client from Monaco, who knew the previous owner very well. In 2015, with 93,911 km recorded, it was given a major service at the 'Centro Porsche Brescia Città', for a total of 17,839 €. Since then, it has been driven very little and now has 94,682 km on the clock. The car will be sold with its service book, a file of invoices, certificates from the Automotoclub Storico Italiano and FIVA, and its original tool kit.

The 959 occupies a special place in Porsche's history. It was developed as a result of the Group B regulations, which stipulated that 200 cars had to be built for it to be homologated. After Porsche had hesitated to build a mid-engined car, its chief engineer, Helmuth Bott, finally decided to continue development of the 911; he also encouraged the adoption of four-wheel drive. For the engine, Porsche's engineers used the 2.8-litre 24-valve flat-six with water-cooling for the cylinder heads and air-cooling for the central part of the cylinders, an engine initially designed by Hans Mezger and adapted for the 935 race cars. It was fitted with twin sequential KKK turbos, which came into operation in turn as the driver accelerated. The body was restyled by Tony Lapine's team and in particular by Dick Soderberg: the 911's roof was kept for reasons of cost, but the front of the car was modified to improve its aerodynamics. Above all, the 959 was equipped with sophisticated electronic systems, including that for the four-wheel drive, making the car a technological showcase for Porsche. With 450 bhp, it could accelerate from 0-100 kph in 3.7 seconds and reach a top speed of 314 kph.
The car was presented at the Frankfurt Motor Show in 1985, but the first examples only came off the production line in 1986, attracting many orders despite its high price. Porsche delivered 113 cars in 1987, 179 in 1988 and eight in 1989, built from left-over parts.
Meanwhile, the competition version found time to win the Paris-Dakar in 1986, but when Group B was cancelled, Porsche changed tack and adapted the 959 to enter it in the IMSA/GTP category.

The car we are presenting is a fine representative of one of the most extreme roadgoing Porsches in the company's history. A rare model, both a homologation special and a technological showcase, it opened the way for Porsche's later Carrera GT and 918. With performance on a par with the Ferrari F40 or Jaguar XJ220, under its smart suit it is truly a civilised racing car.

Full catalogue and more photos https://www.artcurial.com/en/sale-4315-retromobile-2023-artcurial-motorcars