While the most valuable cars at auction are usually from Maranello, Porsche has a thriving and well-funded collector's market. Porsche has always produced more models than Ferrari, and in the absence of a mandated shortage of road models, Porsche race vehicles from the German brand's lengthy and illustrious history tend to attract the highest prices. Here are some of the most expensive Porsche cars ever sold!

Porsche 917/30 Can-Am Spyder 1973: $4,400,000

The 917 was a benchmark race vehicle with a 5.4-liter flat-12 engine that was capable of 1,500 horsepower on the dyno and was usually ran at 1,000 horsepower. The 917/30 was the penultimate iteration of the legendary 917, and Porsche was intent on Can-Am racing to attract American fans, but owing to regulation changes for the 1974 season, this one never competed. Porsche sold it to an Australian collector before having it repainted in the renowned Sunoco blue, yellow, and red livery in Stuttgart. In 2016, Gooding & Company sold it for $4,400,000.

1979 Porsche 935: $4,840,000

A Porsche 935 was the car to drive if you were a wealthy privateer racer in the early 1970s and early 1980s. It was one of the most successful race cars of the era, and Paul Newman's maiden drive at Le Mans was in one of them. Chassis 009-0030 finished second overall in 1979 with the Dick Barbour squad, which included Rolf Stommelen for driving duties. Surprisingly, Apple funded the car in 1980, and it is still the only race car with Apple's name on it. It was restored to its original Hawaiian Tropic livery in 2006 and sold for $4,840,000 in 2016 at Gooding and Company's Amelia Island auction.

1957 Porsche 550 Spyder: $4,900,000

The first 550 Spyder on our list was frequently campaigned in SCCA events in Southern California during its racing career. After being succeeded by the RS-60 and 61 Spyders, this chassis began to circulate among collectors before being shipped to Germany for restoration in historical condition, complete with a more aerodynamic version of Porsche's nose. It was finally sold for $4,900,000 at Monterey in 2018, complete with the original mechanic’s seat and driver's manual, in addition to being ready for vintage racing.

1960 Porsche 718 RS 60 Werks: $5,120,000

If you recognize the names Stirling Moss, Graham Hill, Dan Gurney, Jo Bonnier, Bob Holbert, and Hans Hermann, you'll understand why this 718 RS 60 is so sought-after. The second element is that this is one of only four Werks RS 60s ever made, and none of the others are likely to come up for sale in our lives. This one is chassis 718-044, and it had a long history in European racing before making its debut in the United States. It was later sold to a Michigan collector. He was so desperate for the car that he sold his 1932 Ford coupe "Silver Sapphire," which had been featured on the cover of the Beach Boys' Little Deuce Coupe album.

1955 Porsche 550 Spyder: $5,335,000

Jerry Seinfeld is the most well-known Porsche collector, and this 1955 Porsche 550 Spyder was part of his collection when it was sold in 2016. The 550 was Porsche's first purpose-built race vehicle, and this example was both unrestored and well-preserved, adding to its value. Its flat-four-cylinder engine with two Solex carburetors has only 11,000 kilometers on it, and it was sold for $5,335,000 at Gooding & Company's Amelia Island auction.

1998 Porsche 911 GT1 Strassenversion: $5,665,000

The 911 GT1 Strassenversion is one of Porsche's most outstanding street vehicles (Street Version). Porsche manufactured 20 street-legal race monsters when it built 20 special homologation vehicles for the GT1 class. The GT1 Strassenversion is not only powerful, but it's also stunning. It's driven by a 996-based water-cooled twin-turbocharged engine that produces 600 horsepower. This Arctic Silver over black model sold for $5,665,000 at Gooding and Company's Amelia Island auction in 2017.

1985 Porsche 959 Paris-Dakar: $5,945,000

The 959 was created as a Group B rally car, just in time for Group B to be phased out of the World Rally Championship. It is probably the most identifiable Porsche in the world for Gen-Xers and younger. Three factory works cars, including this one of seven developmental prototypes, competed in the 1985 Paris-Dakar rally. The 959's F1-derived twin-turbocharged flat-six engine was a true supercar on the road, but it's a motorsport icon in its rally-spec guise with the Rothman's livery. It was sold for $5,945,000 at RM Sotheby's Porsche 70th Anniversary Auction.

1956 Porsche 550 Rennsport Spyder: $6,100,000

From 1953 until 1956, Porsche produced the 550 Rennsport Spyder for racing. They were rarely able to maintain all of their original parts as working race cars. Chassis 550-0090, on the other hand, never participated and was sold for $6.1 million at Bonhams' Goodwood Revival sale in 2015. The 550 Spyder's most memorable moment occurred when it became the car in which James Dean was killed.

1982 Porsche 956: $10,120,000

The Porsche 956 was one of the first race cars to utilize ground effects to boost aerodynamics at Le Mans in 1983. Five Le Mans victories were won by the ten works cars, and the sight of the 2.65-liter twin-turbocharged flat-six engine spouting flames from its side exhaust was breathtaking. The engine was a marvel, producing 630 horsepower at 8,200 rpm. This is the 1983 winning automobile, which Gooding and Company sold for $10,120,000 at Pebble Beach in 2015. To give you an idea of how astounding that number is, another 956 sold for $2,552,578 in Paris in 2014.

1970 Porsche 917k: $14,000,000

The Gulf-liveried Porsche 917K, which debuted in 1970 as a Le Mans test car for Porsche, is possibly the most renowned Porsche in the world. Because it was equipped with a 4.5-liter air-cooled 12-cylinder engine created by Hans Mezger, this 917K didn't go about its job quietly. Nonetheless, it was made famous by its appearance in Steve McQueen's renowned racing film, Le Mans. The 917K was sold after the film was completed and languished in a barn for 20 years until being brought back into the spotlight in 2001. It was later restored, and the 917K sold for a staggering $14,000,000 at Gooding & Company's Pebble Beach auction in 2017.



We hope you have enjoyed our recap of some of the most expensive Porsche cars ever sold! If you are looking to sell your Porsche to get your car on a list among the automotive titans mentioned above, be sure to reach out to Nahas Motorcars today!