Rare Guards Red Porsche 959 Komfort Comes Up for Auction
This Guards Red Porsche 959 Komfort is the ultimate vintage Porsche in the best color!
It’s no secret vehicles on Bring A Trailer sell for a premium. Especially vintage cars and trucks with less than a thousand miles on the odometer. These vehicles appear out of a time-warp or plastic bubble to fetch absurd prices. But in the case of this Guards Red Porsche 959, the price is warranted.
Porsche’s Guards Red is one of the best shades of red to grace sheet metal. And the 959 looks stunning dressed in it. If you’re going to park a car in your living room, this is the right car in the right color. Driven less than 1,000 miles, this 959 spent most of its life in a museum in Japan.
Built in 1987, this 959 is one of 337 produced by Porsche from 1986 to 1988. Intended for road use, the Komfort model offers more amenities than the 959 Sport. More than a 911 in fancy duds, the Porsche 959 showcased the future of Porsche’s rear-engined car. Twin-turbocharging produced 444 hp from a 2.8 liter, air-cooled flat-6 engine. All-wheel drive channeled that power, propelling the car to 60 mph in 3.6 seconds and a top speed of 197 mph.
The cockpit welcomes anyone who’s driven a vintage 911. Five large gauges greet you, recessed in a thin dashboard. The ignition sits to the left of the steering wheel and requires a metal key. Even the floor-mounted pedals retain that classic Porsche feel. For a uniquely 80’s touch, the leather, stitched in different shades of gray, covers the seats. And the 959 also includes a backseat, habitable for luggage or small dogs.
Outside, Porsche made good use of the wider body. The layout of the 959’s engine bay looks tidy whereas the 911 turbo looks haphazardly stuffed. The fender wells accommodate larger tires on 17″ hollow spoke magnesium alloy wheels. The flared fenders include large vents improving airflow and cooling while lowering drag. Underneath the skin, the 959 included advanced features found in cars today. Anti-lock brakes, a height-adjustable suspension, and tire-pressure monitoring systems came standard. The 959 looked like it came from the future, and in some ways it did.
Originally built as a Group B rally car, the Porsche 959 saw plenty of success, winning the Paris-Dakar Rally three times. A road racing variant competed at Le Mans and in IMSA competition. As a street-legal supercar, it offered mind-blowing performance. Easily one of the top-10 cars of the ’80s, it graced many kids’ bedroom walls, replacing the Lamborghini Countach. As one of the most important cars Porsche ever built, it answered the question – what could a 911 be?
That answer came in the form of the 964 and 993 variants of the Porsche 911. Various technology including all-wheel drive and twin-turbocharging trickled down into those models. And some of the 959’s aerodynamic tricks improved high-speed stability on later cars, including the front-engined 928 and 968. But most importantly, the Porsche 959 showed the world the 911 had a future, giving enthusiasts a glimpse of what was to come.
Photos: Bring A Trailer
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