The Porsche 953 Prototype, which turned into the Porsche 959, might be the most important sports car from the 1980’s. 6 units were built especially for the Paris-Dakar Off Road Rally, and one of them went for $5,945,000 at an auction held at Atlanta’s Porsche Experience Center.
In this video, we’ll be talking about the cultural significance of winning a race as tough as the Paris Dakar, what innovations the 959 brought to the 911 and Porsche as a brand, and how the 959 was two decades ahead of its time.
For the road, 345 units of the Komfort and Sport model of the Porsche 959 were produced from 1986 to 1993. They M.S.R.P.’d for around $300,000 in mid-80’s money, or $785,000 in 2022, and their values have more than quadrupled over the years, with their average auction price being $1.1M and some of the more well kept models going for $2M. Bill Gates bought a 959 from Western Europe in the late 80’s, and lobbied to have the U.S. laws changed so that he could legally drive it on U.S. soil. He got his wish when the States implemented the Show and Display Law, which allows the importation and driving of up to 2,500 miles a year of cars that are significant to automotive culture.