Representing a truly unique collection of Porsches

Representing a truly unique collection of Porsches, The White Collection generated a staggering thirty million dollars from enthusiastic buyers registering bids from all over the world...

AUCTION NEWS

Much had been written about The White Collection, RM Sotheby’s impressive showcase of fifty-six rare white Porsches, all offered from a single owner. The sale took place at the beginning of December and was bolstered by the vendor’s extraordinary collection of Porsche memorabilia. Observers expected the low-mileage air-cooled cars in the sale to fetch top dollar, but the included modern Porsches shattered expectations and proved market vitality by setting new world records. Bidders hailed from around the globe, contributing to sales total of more than $30,000,000. As impressive as this sum is, consider the fact the auction’s 2015 918 Spyder PHEV Weissach Edition accounts for no less than $3,937,500 of the final figure.

This sale price is almost a million more than the car’s upper estimate and exceeds the previous auction record for the 918 by — wait for it — nearly two million dollars. This particular 918 Spyder was delivered new to The White Collection by Porsche Centre North Houston and has covered only twelve miles from new. Finished in Paint to Sample (PTS) Grand Prix White with colour-matched magnesium wheels, the car features an interior finished in extended Leather to Sample (LTS) Yachting Blue hide and Bianco Leda piping, custom-specified at a cost of more than $96,000. This premium was accumulated largely on account of extensive bespoke tailoring from Porsche Exclusive Manufaktur, complementing the optioned Weissach package. A true one-off, this is the only 918 Spyder produced in this exacting configuration.

CONSIDER THE FACT THE AUCTION’S 2015 918 SPYDER WEISSACH EDITION ACCOUNTS FOR NO LESS THAN $3,937,500 OF THE FINAL FIGURE

Also of note is the event’s 1997 Porsche 911 993 GT2. Finished in Glacier White over extended black leather, the air-cooled classic went under the hammer for an eye-watering $2,397,500, proving how 911s from Porsche’s GT product line are maintaining their robust momentum in a somewhat softening marketplace. Similarly, the sale’s 2016 991 R (a rare 911 with just 19.7 miles registered on its odometer) shifted for a staggering $1,105,000.

The auction’s 2019 991 GT2 RS Weissach Edition generated another surprise result by shifting for $1,006,000, well above the pre-auction estimate. Similarly, the event’s 964 Turbo S X85 Flachbau sold for $1,462,500. One of thirty-nine examples built for the US domestic market in 1994, this hand-built, high-performance, air-cooled special boasts a lavishly appointed interior with Rootwood treatments and Cashmere Bridge leather. Believed to be one of two Grand Prix White examples of the X85- equipped 964 Turbo S, the car smashed its pre-auction estimate of a million dollars.

Almost a thousand individual bidders participated in the sale, which was held in Houston, Texas, and resulted in 190 sales (cars and memorabilia) contributing to a sell-through rate of 99.82%. Of particular interest was the 1973 Carrera RS 2.7 Lightweight on offer. This rare USA-delivery 911 was specified with the coveted Lightweight package (option code M471) when new, with headrests for both driver and passenger, a heated windscreen and three-point safety belts. The car retains its original engine and gearbox and is finished in its factory colour of Grand Prix White over red body graphics and a black leatherette interior. The final sale price? After a bidding war, $1,875,00 was reached.

Interestingly, of the auction’s registered bidders, strong participation was noted from individuals in Asian and Middle Eastern markets. Additionally, fifty-five percent of those clamouring for the auction’s amazing lots were first-time bidders with RM Sotheby’s. “The White Collection captured the world’s attention,” says Gord Duff, the company’s Head of Global Auctions. “We knew these cars would do well, but the results are incredible, as highlighted by the many record-breaking sales, such as that of the 918 Spyder. Such prices set benchmarks, which will follow these cars and similar models for life. This was a landmark event, enabling the auction’s cars to be cherished worldwide, marking a special moment for RM Sotheby’s, but also for Porsche enthusiasts across the globe.”

The memorabilia lots did especially well, contributing more than a million dollars in sales. For example, a Kusch & Co Series 8080 918 Spyder Edition lounge set by Porsche Design sold for $81,000. Porsche dealership exterior signage sold for $63,600, while two 911 Juniors sold for a combined price of $69,000. An accompanying 936 Junior fetched $48,000.

Back to the cars. Championing Porsche’s transaxle family of products was a stunning 1987 928 S4 with just 12,285 miles showing on its odometer at the time of cataloguing. Finished in Grand Prix White (of course) over Crimson leather, the five-litre ‘land shark’ is equipped with a rare manual five-speed gearbox, limited-slip differential and sport-specification shock absorbers. This terrific V8 sold for $112,000.

Built to celebrate Porsche’s 1976 World Sportscar Championship victory and the company’s successful partnership with Martini & Rossi, the sale’s 1977 924 Martini Championship Edition caused a stir (no pun intended) by exhibiting only 24,769 miles covered from new. Accompanied by owner’s manuals, an original warranty booklet and assorted accessories, this Police White wonder found a new home for $29,120. At ten thousand dollars more, the sale’s Alpine White 944 S2 Cabriolet — a front-engined, four-cylinder, water-cooled Porsche showing just 16,064 miles — attracted plenty of bidders, as did the available 944 Turbo Cup. A Weissach-prepared race car stripped, strengthened and modified for improved performance over the standard 944 Turbo, the car was in the possession of just one owner (based in Ohio) prior to becoming part of The White Collection and is believed to be one of eleven 944 Turbo Cups produced for Sports Car Club of America (SCCA) competition use in 1987. Boasting low mileage typical of the sale, the car has covered just 19,635 miles from new, encouraging final sale price of $162,400.

We were pleased to see many of The White Collection’s cars offered with freely available paint depth reports. Yep, RM Sotheby’s took care of thorough examination of each car’s bodywork and paint in order to provide interested parties with confidence regarding originality before bidding commenced. One car subjected to this extra level of scrutiny was the auction’s 1970 914/6, purchased new via Al Holbert’s Warrington Porsche dealership, as proved by period correspondence between the original purchaser and Holbert, a storied Porsche endurance racer. Powered by its matching-numbers engine and gearbox, the car joined The White Collection in 2018 and has been given monthly start-ups and testing to ensure all mechanical components operate as intended. A seldom seen model when new, let alone now, this six-cylinder, mid-engined, Targa-topped roadster sold for $89,600.

Of all the air-cooled cars on offer, the 1993 Porsche 911 964 Carrera RSR 3.8 attracted most attention in the lead-up to the event. Arguably the wildest 964 ever ordered by a Porsche VIP, this truly incredible 911 is the last of fifty-one examples of its kind and the second of just two Straßenversion RSRs built by Porsche Motorsport with a fully appointed leather interior. Delivered new to the UK in March 1996, rediscovered in 2015 and currently showing just forty-three miles from new, this superb 964 retains not only its original engine and gearbox, but also its original tyres! A true collector-grade car comprehensively documented in Sportfahrer’s Jürgen Barth-authored Carrera RS 3.8 hardback, this as-new 911 sold for $2,073,000. Will we see the like of The White Collection again? Watch this space.

A SELDOM SEEN MODEL WHEN NEW, LET ALONE NOW, THIS SIX-CYLINDER, MID-ENGINED, TARGA-TOPPED ROADSTER SOLD FOR $89,600