Celebrate 50 Years of the Porsche 911 at Gooding & Company’s 10th Anniversary Pebble Beach Auctions in August

SANTA MONICA, Calif. (July 25, 2013) – The official auction house of the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance®, Gooding & Company is excited to present more than 12 examples of the world’s most significant and valuable Porsches. As the 911 series celebrates its 50th Anniversary, Gooding & Company is delighted to commemorate the occasion with a selection of very rare, unique examples of the marque through the decades during its Pebble Beach Auctions on August 17 and 18.

Highlights include a 1964 Porsche 904 Carrera GTS (estimate: $1,750,000-$2,250,000), a 1956 Porsche 356 1500 GS Carrera Speedster (estimate: $800,000-$1,000,000), a 1956 Porsche 356 A 1500 GS Carrera Coupe (estimate: $650,000-$850,000), a 1974 Porsche 911 Carrera 3.0 RSR (estimate: $650,000-$800,000), a 1996 Porsche 993 GT2 (estimate: $475,000-$575,000) and a 1972 Porsche 911 "STR II" (estimate: $125,000-$150,000), among others.

“The same year that Gooding & Company celebrates its 10th Anniversary, the Porsche 911 commemorates its 50th Anniversary. We are excited to honor these milestones together by presenting some of the world’s most significant and unique Porsches during our auction,” says David Gooding, President and founder of Gooding & Company.

1964 Porsche 904 Carrera GTS Leading the Porsche offering is the ultimate four-cam, four-cylinder 1964 904 Carrera GTS (estimate: $1,750,000-$2,250,000). The Porsche presented here was Juan Fernández’s first serious racing car and the one that put him on the map as an internationally acclaimed driver. The 904s were the first Porsche racing cars that belonged to a completely new design philosophy. An important model, the 904 combined the classic 356 era four-cam engine with radical styling and construction. The 904 was a phenomenal racing car that was reliable, and it could outrun and outlast the competition. It was also the last of the great dual-purpose four-cam sports cars. Documented by historian Jürgen Barth, this example boasts coachwork by Heinkel and retains its original chassis, body (painted in the correct, as delivered Signal Red), engine, and gearbox. Few of the surviving 904s remain with their original chassis and fiberglass bodies intact, let alone their original complex four-cam engines as well. This 904 was a consistent class and overall winner in period and is offered with well-documented provenance, extensive history file, tool kit and owner’s manual. A rare and significant Porsche, this car is the perfect candidate for leading international events.

1956 Porsche 356 A 1500 GS Carrera Coupe Prominently featured within the lineup is a 1956 Porsche 356 A 1500GS Carrera Coupe that has never before been offered for public sale (estimate: $650,000-$850,000). There is perhaps no finer Carrera 1500 GS than the magnificent car presented here. Constructed in January 1956, this Porsche was among the first 1500 GS Carreras exported to the US. This car was known to have been raced in 1956 at Pebble Beach, Palm Springs, and Arcata, near Fresno, CA. It was among the most successful Porsches to race on the West Coast. A California car with unbroken provenance, this 356 is tied to SCCA racer Don Dickey and noted sports car enthusiast and NASA engineer Roger Craig. This 1500 GS Carrera is one of the best preserved examples of its type, presented in exceptionally original, unrestored condition and boasts approximately 40,000 miles from new. It has earned five first-in-class racing awards in period and 50 years later won a preservation class award at the 2009 Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance®. With a rich history, exceptional provenance, and a genuine competition record, this Carrera is one of the most impressive unrestored sports cars that Gooding & Company has ever had the pleasure to offer.

1974 Porsche 911 Carrera 3.0 RSR Next up on the block is a 1974 Porsche 911 Carrera 3.0 RSR with significant racing history that includes a 1976 win at the 12 Hours of Sebring, one of the world’s most important endurance races (estimate: $650,000-$800,000). Driven in period by famed Porsche drivers Al Holbert, Hurley Haywood, and Peter Gregg, this car is a four-time 24 Hours of Daytona entrant including a 2nd overall finish in 1976, a four-time 12 Hours of Sebring entrant and including winner in 1976. It was also Haywood’s 1975 IMSA 2nd Place Camel GT Championship Car and was heavily campaigned through the 1978 Season. In 2004, this RSR was acquired by the consignor, who recently returned the car to its 1976 12 Hours of Sebring-winning livery – a striking blue with red and yellow trim. The dashboard is affixed with toggle switches for nighttime running lamps, the doors retain lamps to illuminate the roundels, and an antenna remains – all believed to be from its Daytona and Sebring heritage. Given that the car has never been fully restored, it is a uniquely preserved example of an earlier motor-sport era. As one of a limited number of Carrera RSRs from 1974, this car remains an extremely important 911 and one of the most successful RSRs to race in the US.

1996 Porsche 993 GT2 A 1996 Porsche 993 GT2, one of the last of the great air-cooled turbocharged 911s will also be prominently featured during the August sale (estimate: $475,000-575,000). Pristine and “in-the-wrapper,” this 993 GT2 is a late-production example with rare features full competition specifications. It is a full factory-prepared race car fitted with the most advanced racing equipment offered by Porsche. Finished in Speed Yellow, this GT2 wears the same livery as the car pictured in Porsche’s literature on the model.

1956 Porsche 356 1500 GS Carrera Speedster Also up for auction is a very desirable early matching-numbers four-cam 1956 Porsche 356 1500 GS Carrera Speedster (estimate: $800,000-$1,000,000). Believed to be the 8th Carrera Speedster built, 81072 was completed on December 29, 1955, and shipped to the US market. The Carrera Speedster was fittingly finished in white with red trim, and as an early, Pre-A model, it featured many of the most desired options on a Speedster, including “beehive” tail lights, small aluminum and glass indicator lamps on the dash, and an incredibly cool push-button starter. This example is one of the first examples of the ultimate dual-purpose 356 – a car that could be used for road or race. This car boasts period SCCA competition history. Believed to have 20,000 miles from new, the car has been restored by some of the marque’s experts and continues to display an impeccably fresh finish. Carrying an overwhelming amount of original components both as a 356 and as a Carrera, this is a uniquely pure and early production example.

1972 Porsche 911 "STR II" This 1972 Porsche 911 "STR II," (estimate: $125,000-$150,000 without reserve) dubbed a “street car with track aspirations,” owes its exceptional specification and distinctive appearance to well-known Porsche personality Magnus Walker. A prominent figure in the Porsche community, Walker maintains an impressive stable of 911s – ranging from a rare 1964 model to several early 930s – each car bearing his unmistakable style. Following in the tradition of Southern California hot rod builders, Walker creates highly individualized cars that, while immediately retaining the appearance of a classic 911, abound in personalized details and the finest high-performance components. A brilliant interpretation of a classic racing 911, this custom-built car is equipped with some of the finest period-correct and contemporary components. Perhaps the greatest testament to this car’s appeal is the fact that it was selected to appear on the cover of Road & Track in June 2013 as part of a special issue celebrating the 50th anniversary of the Porsche 911. Beyond this impressive feature, Walker’s STR II was the subject of a featured article in Total 911: The Porsche Magazine titled, “The New Legend,” and it has been showcased on both Fifth Gear with Tiff Needell and Jay Leno’s Garage.

Additional Porsche highlights include: a 1968 Porsche 911 L (estimate: $300,000-$400,000), a 1973 Porsche 911 2.7 Carrera RS (estimate: $475,000-$550,000), a 1962 Porsche 356 B Twin Grille Roadster (estimate: $225,000-$275,000), a 1958 Porsche 356 A Super Speedster (estimate: $225,000-$275,000) and a 1962 Porsche 356 B Super 90 Cabriolet ($135,000-$150,000).