PROVENANCE
Yoshiho Matsuda Collection, Hakone, Japan
Symbolic Motor Cars, La Jolla, California (acquired circa 2000)
Herb Chambers, Old Lyme, Connecticut (acquired in 2005)
Steven Goldman, Woodcliff, New Jersey (acquired in 2009)
James G. Hascall (purchased from RPM Sports Cars in June 2010)

THIS CAR
In the early 1980s, Porsche decided to build a road car homologated for the FIA’s Group B, the racing series that gave rise to some of the most exciting rally-car competitions ever. Spearheaded by Helmuth Bott, Porsche’s executive vice president of research and development, the production 959 appeared in 1987 and pushed firmly against the barriers of automotive performance and technology. While bearing a resemblance to the 911, the 959 benefited from zero-lift aerodynamics and was constructed from a mixture of steel, aluminum, and composite materials, including Kevlar bodywork. A variable all-wheel-drive system offered electronically controlled torque distribution dependent on conditions, as well as four cockpit-selected drive profiles. Ride height was also electronically controlled, and the car featured hollow-spoke magnesium wheels with a built-in pressure-monitoring system.

Power came from a 2.85-liter flat-six engine with water-cooled cylinder heads, four camshafts, four valves per cylinder, and two turbochargers operating sequentially to reduce turbo lag. Mated to a six-speed transaxle with an ultra-low “G” gear – for Gelände or off-road – and generating 450 hp, the 959 was capable of 0–60 mph in 3.6 seconds, with Road & Track recording a 197 mph top speed during its 1987 “World’s Fastest Cars” test. Widely thought to have cost the company at least twice the sales price, the 959 nonetheless contained a slew of innovative features that paved the way for future production cars.

Completed in October 1987, this 959 was finished in Guards Red and fitted with heated, electrically adjustable sport seats. Featuring a stunning burgundy and gray tri-color cloth interior, this example is believed to be the only known Komfort in this color combination, and one of just two Komforts to feature this interior, the other being finished in white.

This 959 was formerly part of Yoshiho Matsuda’s legendary collection, the Porsche Museum of Japan. In the 1970s and 1980s, Mr. Matsuda assembled one of the most exceptional Porsche collections ever, which featured prototypes, competition cars, and four cams, all the way up to factory sports racing cars like 917-023, the first Porsche to win outright at Le Mans.

Circa 2001, Marc Chase of Symbolic Motors in La Jolla, California, imported this 959 to the US. Granted permanent entry under the “Show or Display” exemption, the car was entrusted to Wallace Environmental Testing Labs Inc. in Houston and Northern California Diagnostic Labs in Napa to gain certification for federal and California emissions requirements.

In 2005, the 959 was sold at Gooding & Company’s Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance® auction to noted collector Herb Chambers. In 2009, Chambers traded the car to Motor Classic & Competition Corp of White Plains, New York, who sold it to collector Steven Goldman of Woodcliff, New Jersey. Goldman would keep the 959 for less than a year before selling it to Porsche specialist RPM Sports Cars in Houston. In June 2010, RPM sold this 959 into its current ownership. Mr. Hascall and his mechanic, Joe Vatter of Largo, Florida-based German Tech, went to personally inspect the car before purchase, and Vatter recently related that they ensured that all systems functioned properly before buying the car.

Accompanied by its driver’s manual, workshop manual, tools, Porsche Certificate of Authenticity, and records, this 959 has been used sparingly over the years and is very well preserved, registering less than 7,400 km on its odometer at the time of cataloguing. Records on file document a $6,500 service in 2009 at Porsche specialist DeMan Motorsport, and minor service work completed in 2011, 2014, and 2015 by German Tech. Importantly, this car is one of very few 959s that possess a California BAR emissions sticker. Now more than 25 years old, it is released from the restrictions imposed on Show or Display importations. Extremely well presented in its stunning and unusual color combination, the sale of this 959 Komfort is a rare opportunity to acquire an outstanding example of Porsche’s legendary supercar.