The Sole Roofless Porsche 959 ‘Speedster’ is Set to Go Up for Auction

      Paolo Carlini/RM Sotheby's

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      Acquire a piece of history that never actually existed. Up for auction on RM Sotheby’s is a truly unique creation: a convertible Porsche 959.

      With a notable backstory, this 1987 Porsche 959 originally started as a Komfort model, one of just two variants of the exclusive supercar, the other being the Sport. The 959 Komfort was initially ordered in Silver Metallic with a two-tone black leather and beige cashmere interior.

      The car was delivered to racing driver Jürgen Lässig, who finished as a runner-up in the 1987 24 Hours of Le Mans and later triumphed in the 1995 24 Hours of Daytona. However, less than a year later, Lässig was involved in an autobahn accident, after which he sold the car, which at that point had only a few thousand kilometers on the clock.

      The new owner, Porsche racer and master craftsman Karl-Heinz ‘Charlie’ Feustel, envisioned transforming the vehicle into a Porsche 959 “Speedster.” A true labor of love, the convertible modification reportedly took over 4,000 hours to complete, as noted in a 1990 feature in Sports Car International. The project's aim was refinement, ensuring the alterations looked flawless. The 959 Speedster was ultimately finished in Grand Prix White with a blue leather interior.

      Paolo Carlini/RM Sotheby’s

      This one-of-a-kind Porsche then toured the auto shows in Frankfurt and Essen in 1989. Feustel put the car up for sale, reportedly with an asking price of $1.2 million. This would be equivalent to around $3.1 million today, when adjusted for inflation.

      And it sold. While the exact sale price remains undisclosed, the buyer was a German collector who kept the Porsche until the current consignor acquired it in 2008. The current asking price is lower than Feustel's original value of his masterpiece, but it remains a considerable sum.

      Part of RM Sotheby’s Milan auction next month, the sale of the 959 Speedster includes a removable hard-top, an electrically operated soft-top, an interchangeable “Speedster” windscreen, replacement door mirrors, and owner’s manuals. The vehicle currently shows just 8,304 km (5,159 miles) on the odometer.

      The Porsche 959 Speedster is priced between 1.1 million and 1.5 million euros (approximately $1.25 million and $1.71 million), a fair amount considering the meticulous craftsmanship involved in this exceptional build.

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