Auction sales from Monterey Car Week totaled a record-setting $469 million; more than $126 million than last year’s total. RM Sotheby’s three-night auction accounted for more than half of that total, setting a record with a staggering $239.2 million in sales. Catch up on results from all the auction houses.
Built 35 years ago, Porsche’s 959 is still considered king of the marque’s 911 line. Only 292 cars were made, with a price tag of $227,000, and Porsche reportedly lost money on each one. Broad Arrow Auctions is offering a 1987 Guards Red 959 Komfort at its Monterey Jet Center Auction, with a pre-sale estimate of $1.4 – $1.6 million.
The Acura NSX, a Japanese supercar introduced in 1990, reached a higher peak with its 1999 Zanardi Edition. Commemorating Alex Zanardi’s Championship Auto Racing Teams (CART) IndyCar championships in 1997 and 1998 in Reynard-Hondas, only 51 cars were built. At its Quail Lodge auction this month, Bonhams will offer the #3 car, which has had three owners, and shows only 17,300 miles. The pre-sale estimate is $240,000-$280,000
Among the most desired special editions of the Porsche 911, option code M491, “Tublo Look” is at the top of the list for most aficionados. The Bonhams Quail Lodge auction in August will offer a 1987 Turbo Look Carrera, with a “Slant Nose” front end design, believed to have been installed for the original owner. It’s all Porsche steel, not a fiberglass knock-off, with a pre-sale-estimate of $80,000 — $120,000, with no reserve.
Porsche’s road and track tradition continues with its 992-series 2022 911 GT3, featuring a 4.0 liter flat-six making 502 horsepower, revving to 9,000 rpm. If you already ordered your GT3, it may be sitting on the bottom of the Atlantic Ocean near Portugal aboard the sunken cargo that burned and sank last month. Porsche has moved those unlucky owners to the front of the delivery list. If you were planning to order a Porsche 911 GT3, you might want to do that soon.