Words: Nathan Chadwick | Photos: Balsan Enchères
A collection of fabled Porsches is being put up for auction by Balsan Enchères on June 29, 2023 in tandem with the Le Mans Classic weekend. The sale has been organised at the request of the Agency for the Management and Recovery of Seized and Confiscated Assets (AGRASC).
According to the auction house: “Valuing seized assets to preserve their price, managing and selling confiscated assets to replenish the state budget are among the credos of this public institution founded in 2010. Placed under the supervision of the ministries of Justice and Budget, AGRASC’s mission is to implement the property decisions of the French judicial courts and thus give substance to the adage that ‘crime does not pay’.”
Leading the sale is Porsche 906K chassis 017, a factory prototype that was used to showcase the car to the press. The vehicle was the first example of the 906 breed to be entered into a championship race – and it got off to a successful start. It took sixth place and a class victory at the 1966 Daytona 24 Hours with Hans Herrmann and Herbert Linge behind the wheel, before being used a T-car at that year’s Targa Florio. In more recent years it’s been treated to a comprehensive restoration from Freisinger Motorsport, and carries an estimate of between €1m and €2m.
Next up is Porsche 907 chassis 007, the first example to use an eight-cylinder engine, and believed to be the only short-body car to be transformed into a long-tail model by Porsche. It had just one race outing, the Brands Hatch Six Hours, which netted a fourth-place finish with Hans Herrmann and Jochen Neerpasch behind the wheel. More recently the car has been given a full restoration, and is estimated at between €1.5m and €2m.
Porsche 908 LH chassis 018 is one of the first two 908s entered into championship competition. Ludovico Scarfiotti and Gerhard Mitter would use the car at the 1968 Monza 1000km, and would take it to third in class and 11th overall. It was later used as the T-car for the Spa 1000km. It was then retired from contemporary racing, and disassembled. In 1970 Hans-Dieter Dechent, famous for running the Martini Racing Team, acquired the car and had it rebuilt. It was then owned by Gérard Larrousse from 1971 to 2014. Its new owner treated the car to a €700k restoration via Freisinger Motorsport, before passing it onto another owner two owners. It’s estimated at between €2m and €3m.
This Porsche 911 2.3 ST Competition Le Mans, chassis 9111301270, features a prototype engine, and was the 12th of 13 finishers at the 1973 Le Mans 24 Hours with Richard Bond and Paul Vestey on driving duties. It would later take second place in the 1974 French Mountain Championship in the Group 4 category. It’s estimated at between €500k and €1m.
Chassis 9113601033 is the second of four Porsche 911 Carrera RSR 3.0s sent to France. Sold via Sonata to Ecurie Défense Mondiale, it was campaigned by Jacques Alméras, who won the 1973 Group 4 French Hillclimb Championship. Prior to the Tour de France it was fitted with the full-width Mary Stuart rear wing used by the Works cars – the changes clearly worked, as Alméras took the car to second overall in the event.
For 1974, the RSR was entered into the French Hillclimb Championship by Jean Benaba. The following year it was raced by Jean-François Mas, who repeated the car’s second-place finish on the Tour de France. In 1976 it was acquired by Armand Lemay, who continued to compete with the car in a variety of rallies until 1984. It passed to Henry Beulas in 1987, who had the car restored to 1973 Tour de France livery. In more recent times it’s been restored again, and used in Historic competition at the 2018 Espiritu de Montjuic with Alemeras acting as co-driver. It’s estimated at between €1m and €2m.
The final car in the collection a Porsche 911 Carrera RSR 3.0, chassis number 9114609075. It is believed to have taken part in the 1974 Le Mans 24 Hours, before seeing use by a succession of British racers from 1977 to 1980, with Ray Mallock and Barrie Williams among the most well known. It’s one of only three cars with five-nut attachment wheels out of the 54 examples built, and has never been fully restored. It’s estimated at between €1m and €2m.
For more information on the auction, click here.
