A 1970 Porsche 917 prototype will cross the block at RM Sotheby’s hotly anticipated Paris sale on February 8.
It’s valued at $4.9m-5.9m.
The car is the first of the 13 917s constructed during the 1970s.
It’s been restored to the point at which it first went into the wind tunnel for testing. That's why the back section of the car is unpainted.
The front is adorned with the model’s iconic blue and orange colour scheme.
The Porsche 917 brought the marque victory at Le Mans in 1971
The 917 was an enormously successful racing car.
It brought Porsche an unprecedented victory at the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 1971 and went on to become one of the most iconic cars of the decade.
The auction house comments: “The Porsche 917 has been called the ‘greatest racing car of the 20th century’, and small wonder: its various iterations proved successful in the World Manufacturers’ Championship - giving Porsche its first overall victory at Le Mans - and led to eventual domination of the Canadian-American Challenge series…
“It is impossible to overstate the role this chassis played in helping Porsche capture the 1972 Can Am Driver’s Championship.”
A 1973 Porsche 917 made $3m against a similar estimate at Gooding & Company last year.
However, the fact that this is a prototype chassis is likely to boost its value among collectors.
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