Porsche
959 Komfort
Key Facts:
- Owned by one of the most prominent tech-entrepreneurs for more than 30 years
- Very low original km
- One of the two 959's which contributed to the creation of the show and display law in the USA
HISTORY
The Porsche 959 was presented to the world in 1986. It was born out of the FIA homologation regulations for the group B rally, meaning Porsche had to produce at least 200 units of a road version of their race car. At the time of its introduction, it was the fastest production car ever made, with a top speed of 317km/h for the Komfort version. No expense was spared in the development of the car: the Porsche engineers had more than one trick up their sleeve, with the integration of cutting-edge technology that left the competition far behind. The headlines were from another world: a twin-turbocharged 2.8L flat 6 delivering the, for the time, mind-blowing figure of 450 PS powered an advanced all-wheel drive system through a 6-speed manual gearbox. The engine, being heavily based on the Porsche 956 and 962 race car engines, had motorsport genes, which showed in the driving experience. The powertrain, as crazy as it might have been for the time, was only a small part of the engineering prowess. To keep the missile as light as possible, Porsche opted for an aluminium and Kevlar composite material for the body, made by Karosserie Baur, where the cars were actually built. The revolutionary suspension system made it possible for the 959 to adjust its height at the click of a button, and together with its „Gelände“ gear, the Gruppe B DNA is more than present. In total, 292 cars were built at a price of over 400’000 DM, and incredibly, it cost Porsche more than double that to produce a single car. The 959 is a unicorn, not only for its rarity, but for the no-cost-spared mentality behind the project. It displays the best of what was doable in the 80’s and 90’s in terms of speed, handling and practicality, and is to this day paving the way for modern super- and hypercars.
THIS PORSCHE 959
Our very low miles example, finished in Grand Prix White over a Blue leather interior, Chassis WP0ZZZ95ZJS900162, was delivered new on the 14th of April 1989. The dashboard read in miles, which is believed to have been fitted as is from factory. Then in the ownership of Liqui Moly’s CEO Mr. Rudolf Henle from Germany, the car was sold on the 19th January 1990 to arguably one of the most prominent tech-entrepreneurs, as stated by a bill of sale between him and the seller, Mr. Henle, for the generous amount of 485k USD.
Our very car is historically very significant, as it was one of two Porsche 959’s which were originally the reason for the establishment of the „Show and Display“ law in the United States. In fact, after acquiring the car in 1990, the owner decided to ship it to the USA, where it would be stored at the US-customs for seven years waiting for approval to enter US soil. Such was his dedication to get his 959 homologated for North American roads. In a letter written to the US customs in April of 1997, the owner communicated his wish to export the car back to Germany where he could drive it, as he believed the approval for the 959 to enter US soil was not in sight. In the same year, the car was shipped back to Germany. As documented by customs documents from the customs offices in Frankfurt am Main, the fees for importing the car back to Germany on the 24th of April 1997 were a proud 95,285.60 DM. Subsequently, the 959 was registered on the owner’s residence in Weinheim in Baden-Württemberg under the licence plates WH-RN456, before it eventually joined his residence and collection in the south of France where it was registered in June 1997 under the plates 2625WWF06, which it will keep until we acquired the car in 2022. Film pictures from June 1997 show the car with its French plates and its current specification with white wheels. The owner would keep the car in his collection until his death.
Due to the fact that Porsche 959’s were built from different materials and also due to the heat from the engine, it is well known that signs of wear and color changes would occure over time on white examples. The owner, who planned on keeping the car in excellent condition for his own enjoyment, had the car professionally repainted in France in 2010 by Gerard Jourdan at a total cost of over 10,000 EUR. No costs were spared in making this car up-to-date on services and maintenance, as explained by the collection’s caretaker. Our 959 was treated to major services in 2013 and May 2021, both at Porsche Casino Garage S.A.R.L. and each at the cost of over 50,000 EUR, making sure that the car was mechanically sound at all time and ready to drive.
Probably one of the most important and significant Porsche 959’s with almost single ownership history at the hand of one of the most influential tech-entrepreneurs, extensively documented through invoices, letters and registration documents, through which the originality of the mileage can be fully traced back. The car is of course equipped with its original toolkits and tire compressor. This is without a doubt one of the most desirable Porsche 959’s on the market, which we are proud to present for sale as part of the south of France collection.
