The Only Roofless Porsche 959 ‘Speedster’ Is Headed to Auction
Porsche never officially sold the 959 as a convertible, so one enterprising racer and craftsman took matters into his own hands. The post The Only Roofless Porsche 959 ‘Speedster’ Is Headed to Auction appeared first on The Drive.
Own a piece of history that never was. Listed on RM Sotheby’s is a true one-of-one creation: A drop-top Porsche 959.
A vehicle with provenance, this 1987 Porsche 959 began life as a Komfort model, one of only two trims the exclusive supercar was offered in, the other being Sport. This 959 Komfort was initially spec’d in Silver Metallic paint with a two-tone black leather and beige cashmere interior.
The Porsche was delivered to racing driver Jürgen Lässig, who was a runner-up in the 1987 24 Hours of Le Mans and would later win the 1995 24 Hours of Daytona. However, less than a year later, the Porsche was involved in an autobahn crash, after which Lässig sold the vehicle. By then, there were only a few thousand kilometers on the odometer.
The new owner was Porsche racer and master craftsman Karl-Heinz ‘Charlie’ Feustel, and it was his vision to create something new: a Porsche 959 “Speedster.” A labor of love, the convertible conversion took more than 4,000 hours to complete, reported a 1990 feature in Sports Car International. The project’s focus was on refinement, ensuring that the modifications appeared seamless. The 959 Speedster was then finished in Grand Prix White paint with a blue leather interior.
The one-of-a-kind Porsche then went on tour, displayed at the Frankfurt and Essen auto shows in 1989. Feustel offered the vehicle for sale, reportingly asking for $1.2 million. Yup, in 1989. Factoring in inflation, that amounts to about $3.1 million today.
And someone bought it. Although the actual sale price isn’t revealed, the buyer was a German collector who owned the Porsche until the consigning owner acquired the vehicle in 2008. Today’s asking price is less than what Feustel valued his work of art, but it’s not exactly chump change, either.
Listed as part of RM Sotheby’s Milan auction next month, included in the 959 Speedster sale is a removable hard-top, electrically operated soft-top, an interchangeable “Speedster” windscreen, spare door mirrors, and owner’s guides. The vehicle also shows just 8,304 km (5,159 miles) on the odometer.
The Porsche 959 Speedster price is listed between 1.1 million and 1.5 million euros (about $1.25 million and $1.71 million), a worthy sum for the painstaking craftsmanship of this unique build.
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The post The Only Roofless Porsche 959 ‘Speedster’ Is Headed to Auction appeared first on The Drive.
