This Porsche was a serious seller at auction due to its connections with Steve McQueen, Jo Siffert and other famous racers.
Monterey Car Week brings the best cars in the world to a small California peninsula. This year’s auctions feature a very special machine. Gooding & Company will auction the 1970 Porsche 911K, which belonged to Jo Siffert, a famous racing driver. It was also a camera car in Steve McQueen’s 1971 film Le Mans.
The fascinating history of this car is amazing. The car was first seen on the track in 1970 during the Le Mans Test, with famed racers Mike Hailwood and Brian Redman behind the wheel. Porsche sold the 917K to Jo Siffert after completing performance evaluations in Europe. After completing performance evaluations in Europe, Porsche sold the 917K to Jo Siffert. The vehicle was then leased to McQueen’s Solar Productions to be used in Le Mans. It also appeared in some of the action.
Siffert was unable to enjoy his 917K for a long time after the Le Mans production crew returned it. In 1971, he was killed in a crash at Brands Hatch’s World Championship Victory Race. The funeral procession was led by the 917K. From the mid 1970s to 2001, the Porsche was indifferently owned and sat in a Paris warehouse.
Gooding & Company had intended to sell the 917K at the Monterey auction in 2014. but pulled the car from its listingaround two weeks before the racer was to cross the auction block. The machine has been restored in Switzerland since then. This was completed in 2017. The second chance is now available to Porsche enthusiasts with deep pockets. According to the company, the vehicle will sell for $13 million to $16 million. The video above shows the vehicle in action.