RM Sotheby’s to offer sole surviving Type 64 at Monterey
CHASING CARS
Russ Smith’s market news
This is the car from which the whole Porsche brand grew, and you can already see hints of that classic 911 profile in it. Ferry Porsche built three Type 64s using the drivetrain from the KdF-Wagen ‘Beetle’ prototype, for a Berlin-Rome race that was cancelled because of the outbreak of war. Engines were tuned to 32bhp and bodies were crafted from lightweight aluminium, riveted together in the style of aircraft construction.
This car, Number 3, is the only one to have survived the war and was retained by the Porsche family until 1948. Ferry himself applied the Porsche lettering to the nose when he registered it in Austria under the new company name in 1946. The car then enjoyed a successful racing career in the Fifties in the hands of Otto Mathé, who kept the car until his death in 1995.
UK Porsche specialist Andy Prill has personally inspected the car and told us, ‘I’ve seen countless special Porsches in my career, but nothing quite like this. I found evidence that all key components of the car are original as built in 1939/40. This is the most historically significant of all Porsche cars and it is simply incredible to find the very first example in this original condition.’ This looks set to be the most expensive Porsche ever sold at auction when it’s offered on August 17 at RM’s Pebble Beach week sale in Monterey, though no estimate has yet been given. See rmsothebys.com
