February plays host to several key events in the automotive world, amongst them RMSotheby’s second major auction of the year, which takes place in Paris, France. This time around, the Porsches up for auction were all desirable models in terms of collectability, despite the fact that there were only 5 cars from the marque auctioned throughout the entirety of the auction itself. Unlike my coverage of the Arizona auction last month, in which I covered only the cars I found the most interesting, I am going to cover all 5 of these cars. Do note that not all of the details are mentioned about the vehicles, and should you wish to see the unmentioned information about the vehicles, you can follow the link here.

1. 1964 904 GTS – Sold For €1,917,500

This is the lot that I was looking forward to above the rest. Sale prices have averaged about $2 million over the past few years for the 904. If the car in question is an unrestored example, then it will command slightly above that mark. The car for sale is a numbers matching example, contributing to the car’s originality. Despite this, the car has seen a number of resprays throughout the years, and its current paint scheme is not the original from new. This aside, the key fact with regards to the car would have to be its mechanical history. In 2000, the 4-cam engine was deemed damaged, and so it was replaced by a Type 906 6-cylinder engine. It was also during this period that the car underwent a cosmetic restoration, which also gave it its current paint job. The 4-cam was eventually repaired by the owner offering the car for sale, and thus, both engines were included in the lot. It should also be noted that this car has participated in various touring and rallying events throughout the years, despite only having 24,000km. For a car that has undergone both mechanical and cosmetic restorations, in addition to a temporary engine change, I was expecting the sale price to be only slightly below the average sale price for 904s, yet, it ended up being slightly above that figure. It comes to show that restoration history is never a factor when it comes to sale prices of rare vintage Porsches such as this one, specially if it is properly done as was the case with this car. Now it is all up to the new owner to decide whether or not to add a lot of more clicks to that odometer.

2. 1996 993 Carrera RS Clubsport – Not Sold

The 993 Carrera RS is a car I expect to appreciate in value, specially now that they are eligible for import into the United States. Looking at the information of this example, it is very clear that this was used as somewhat of a driver by its 2 owners, with the car currently having 64,000km. Being one of the 100 Clubsport cars, this is certainly a Porsche that you don’t see pop up for sale everyday. The colour combination is spot-on solid, and the car itself still remains fully original and unrestored. As to why this car had the high reserve price that it did not meet, I would say that it was due to the Clubsport premium. It would make sense for such a car to have a high reserve price, but only if it was an example with low kms, and it was likely the decent amount of kms put on the car that became a dealbreaker for potential bidders.

3. 2005 996 GT3RS Clubsport – Sold For €252,000

Having previously spoken in-depth about the 996 GT3RS, now it is a good time to speak about where it stands in the Porsche market. This example is equipped with the red accenting on the exterior, which is just as favourable as the blue accenting. It also has another RS essential in the form of the Clubsport package. The primary price-deciding factor would have to be its kms, which is only 2,500. This means that the car is essentially brand new. Having analyzed the 996 GT3RS market over the past few years, I can say that it is a car that owners/parties will either ask too little or too much for. In terms of specific pricing, the average asking price for these cars is €150,000 for an example which is used and in good condition. With cars in the 20-30,000km range having asking prices of about €230,000, I would say that the sale price for the auctioned car is fair, and would follow the car’s depreciation trend properly. That being said, it is likely this car will be going to a collection rather than be used.

4. 2005 Gemballa Mirage GT – Not Sold

Here we have the first discussion on my site about a Porsche that was tuned by an aftermarket company, in this case Gemballa. Based on the Carrera GT, the Mirage GT is essentially a more radical version of the car inside and out. With the horsepower bumped to 670, it can be assured that this is a very tail-happy car when made prone to oversteer while being extremely quick in the acceleration and top speed department. To top it off, a body kit is installed that rids the car of its smooth lines in favour of more sharper ones. With only 25 cars made, it is a rare sight in the second-hand Porsche market. This example was previously owned by footballer Samuel Eto’o, who is the original and sole owner of the car. With only 6,500km, it is on the somewhat lower spectrum in terms of Carrera GT kms(most cars are not driven much). It is also one of only 3 “Gold Edition” Mirage GTs. I can see why this car failed to sell at auction, and the facts alone give away the reason. The party responsible for the car likely believed that with its celebrity ownership and rarity, it was too much a unique car that it was probably right to put up a high reserve. Now, this is the first time that I have seen a Mirage GT for sale, so I cannot exactly compare prices between examles, but I will say that with Carrera GT prices now at an average of about €650,000, it is likely that buyers would much rather prefer a regular Carrera GT, and leaving it stock. In all, this is a car that, while derived from a much-coveted Porsche model, is now somewhat irrelevant in today’s automotive culture.

5. 1982 924 Carrera GTS – Sold For €212,750

It is not everyday that you find at auction a rare car that has spent part of its life in the hands of Porsche themselves. This is actually the first time that I find one of these cars being put up for sale. The 924 Carrera GTS is an evolution of the Carrera GT version, producing 245hp, which is 35 more than the latter. To summarize what these models are, they are homologation specials developed from the Turbo model, as Porsche was interested in racing the 924, which they ultimately did with moderate success. The company produced only 406 Carrera GTs, and 50 Carrera GTSs models, and this makes them the most desirable of the 924s in terms of collectability. The car sold at the auction can definitely be considered one of the more pristine examples. Being a “single” owner car having only 24,138km from new, and being in very good cosmetic condition in addition to its exceptional service history, it is very clear why this car sold for the figure that it did. While 924s are known for being one of the lowest priced Porsches in the present-day market, these two homologation specials are an exception to that.

Overall, this year’s Paris auction saw quite some success, despite 2 of the 5 cars not selling. While the 904 was both the most interesting and most expensive car of them all, I was quite surprised by its final sale price given its history. As for the other cars that sold, their condition, rariry, and use were the primary factors towards their sale prices. Given that the Mirage GT and 993 Carrera RS did not sell, it can be said that quite possibly, the right bidders were not present in the room. It would be interesting to see wheter or not these cars would sell at the upcoming Amelia Island auction in March, more notably the 993 as it is now legal for US import. It is looking like there will be a lot of exceptional cars at this auction, as is the case every year due to their performance on the auction block there. It is for that reason alone that the rarest of the rarest are brought to that auction.

I would also like to mention that it is now that time of the year again here in Canada, which is the Canadian International Autoshow. Now, this is one of the shows in which cars are shown for the first time here in Canada, the other being Montreal, so do not expect any new premieres from Porsche here. Rather, I will be discussing the event itself from the context of Porsche’s booth, as every single car present I am really looking forward to seeing, and it will be my first time seeing all of them in the flesh, so stay tuned for that. As for auctions, as previously mentioned, the Amelia Island is a very important auction for Porsches, and I will be discussing it in due time. Anyhow, I hope you have enjoyed reading this recap as much as I enjoyed putting together the information of all of the cars.

Best Regards,
Juan Reyes-Abreu

Credit goes to:
RMSotheby’s for the photographs and information on the cars present at the auction.