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While the Porsche 911 is probably the most successful model from Porsche, no one should say that it is better than the 959. In technical department, maybe the Porsche 911 is better, but a car is also about its story, importance, and historical value to the company. Porsche 959 came into existence in 1986. At that time, it was the fastest and most technologically advanced production car in the world. Under the hood, it carried 2.8-liter flat-6 turbocharged engine developing 444 horse power. On the technology aspect, it introduced a lot of new things at that time for example tire pressure sensor, adjustable suspension, and a sophisticated 4-wheel drive system with which you could manually adjust power deliveries to the four wheels. With a top speed of 197 miles per hour, it is a fast advanced car even by today’s standards. Only about a year after Porsche 959 had been introduced, Ferrari responded with the F40 which reached 201 miles per hour top speed.

There were only 345 of this car made; and 29 of them were the Sport models that came with roll cage. The remaining models were called “Komfort” versions. When the 959 Porsche was still in production, the asking price was around £150,000, but it actually did cost Porsche £300,000 to make. So for every Porsche 959 that left the dealership, they lost 50% of the investment. This was most likely the reason Porsche only made a limited amount. Richard Hammond said, “… I’ve owned 911s from this period, and this thing (959) just feels so much more.” Some other big names who could afford it included Don Johnson, Boris Becker, and Bill Gates.

While we’re on the subject of Billy Microsoft, who bought his Porsche 959 in 1986, he and his car had a little bit of rough history. Prior to 1999 when the “Show and Display” law was passed, the car was not street legal in the United States. During development, Porsche refused to provide a model for the U.S. Department of Transportation for crash-testing purposes, and therefore the National Highway Traffic Safety could not give the car the safety certification. Bill Gates helped pass the Show and Display law, but it took long, around 13 years for him to legally drive the car he bought more than a decade earlier. Before the law was passed, Gates’ Porsche 959 was stored by Customs Service at the Port of San Francisco. What a story.

Most 959 Porsche are stored in collectors garages, but once in a while a few come out to the market. The most recent one was sold at RM Sotheby’s Paris Auction last February for more than $2 million, a new sales record for the model.