- An incredibly rare Porsche 959 Speedster is being auctioned by RM Sotheby’s.
- The 1987 Komfort model was converted after an Autobahn accident in 1988.
- A 4,000-hour rebuild included a repaint and creation of a removable hard top.
If there’s one thing you can rely on, it’s that any new hardtop supercar or hypercar will be joined by a scalped version a year or two down the line. Automakers today never miss an opportunity to squeeze more profit and PR from a project, but things were different in the 1980s. Porsche didn’t make a convertible 959, but Karl-Heinz Feustel did.
Feustel was a Porsche racer with his own shop which put more than 4,000 hours into converting a silver 1987 959 coupe into the white Speedster that’s now up for auction. But it was only due to an unfortunate accident that he had the chance to carry out the build.
Related: Rare Porsche 959 Sport Was Driven Just 100 Miles A Year
The Komfort-spec 959 is believed to have been delivered new to another racing driver, Jürgen Lässig, winner of the 24 Hours of Daytona in 1995 and runner-up at Le Mans in 1987. Lässig took delivery of the all-wheel drive supercar in late 1987 but was involved in an Autobahn crash the following year and opted to sell it.
Feustel’s artisans rebuilt the bodywork, removing the coupe roof and fitting an electrically-operated soft top as well as crafting a removable hard top that comes with the car in its own case as part of the sale. A second case contains a low-cut windshield that’s more in keeping with the ‘Speedster’ name we know from 356 and 911 Speedsters, though the car is still crying out for a hard-shell tonneau cover.
The finished 959 was displayed at the 1989 Frankfurt International Motor Show in September. At the Essen Motor Show the following December, Fuestel reportedly asking a then-outrageous $1.2 million to part with it.
Almost four decades later, the odomoter’s 8,304 km (5,160 miles) reading reveals that the 444 hp (450 PS) 2.8-liter twin-turbo flat-six is barely run in, and the Grand Prix white paint and blue leather interior look almost like new. RM Sotheby’s has put a guide price of €1.1-1.5 million ($1.25-1.71 million) on the open-top 959, which would be a little low for a coupe with this mileage, but the conversion will put off many sticklers for Porsche originality. But if you already own a “regular” 959, this one-off Speedster would make for a great companion in your garage.
