A Porsche 959 with an interesting history is coming up for auction.
Broad Arrow Auctions plans to offer this 1988 example of the Porsche supercar at its sale running March 1-2 and coinciding with the 2024 Amelia Island Concours d’Elegance.
According to the listing, the all-wheel-drive 959 was originally purchased by Nissan to be used as a benchmark vehicle during development of the R32-generation Skyline GT-R, a common practice in the industry.
Nissan allegedly attempted to purchase a 959 directly via Porsche but was knocked back, so instead the automaker purchased the car through Belgian dealership D’Ieteren Brothers after the car was first registered with a Belgian national. The car originally left the factory as a 959 Komfort finished in Polar Silver.
1988 Porsche 959 SC – Photo credit: Broad Arrow Auctions
After Nissan was finished with the car, it was allegedly sold to one of the engineers working on the R32 GT-R. The engineer held onto the car for a number of years, though never drove it.
The engineer ultimately sold the car to a resident in the U.S. and its most recent owner in 2019 had the car submitted for conversion to SC specification by the 959 experts at Scotts Valley, California-based Canepa. According to the listing, the car had just 1,400 kilometers (approximately 870 miles) on its odometer at the time it was received by Canepa.
Canepa’s SC conversion is no simple restomod. The whole process for this car took four years at a cost of $950,000, according to the listing. Canepa plans to offer the SC conversion for 50 cars only, and accepts only low-mileage, highly original 959s for the job. The cars are completely stripped of every panel and system, down to the last component part. Everything is then restored or upgraded.
1988 Porsche 959 SC – Photo credit: Broad Arrow Auctions
The owner who commissioned the SC conversion for this 959 chose an Oak Green exterior in combination with an interior trimmed in tobacco brown leather.
Like all 959s, the car is powered by twin-turbocharged 2.8-liter flat-6 engine mated to a 6-speed manual transmission. Part of the SC conversion sees power output dialed to over 800 hp via Canepa’s Stage III upgrade package. The new output is close to double the stock 959’s 444 hp.
The pre-auction estimate for the car is between $3.25 million and $3.75 million.
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