To Be OFFERED AT AUCTION WITHOUT RESERVE at RM Sothebys' London
event, 24 October 2019.
Estimate:
£35,000 - £50,000
- One of just 1,923 968 Clubsports produced, and one of the
earliest known examples
- Former factory press car, having covered almost 40,000
kilometres with Porsche
- Featured in Auto Bild, Auto Motor und Sport, and Auto Zeitung,
and driven by Walter R�hrl
- Offered from eighteen years of single ownership
- Accompanied by an extremely comprehensive service and history
file
Originally Stuttgart-registered "S-LM 5402" on 22 October 1992,
this particular 968 Clubsport was specified in Speed Yellow with
matching Recaro seats and was fitted with the desirable M220
limited-slip differential and a Blaupunkt RCR-42 radio.
Intriguingly, the logbook shows an unusually high delivery mileage
figure of 231 kilometres, pointing towards a more rigorous
factory-testing process than normal.
The car was initially retained by Porsche as one of several Speed
Yellow 968 CS press cars (showing the option code 00681 for press
vehicles), its service book displaying three stamps from the
factory dealership between November 1992 and September 1993. Having
already featured in articles in Auto Bild and Auto und Motor Sport,
its most notable appearance in print was in an article in Auto
Zeitung in 1992, when it was driven by Walter R�hrl in a four-way
road test. R�hrl was effusive in his praise of "S-LM 5402", and it
is thought that his reference to the 968 Clubsport as the 'the
best-handling car that Porsche made' arose as a result of this
test.
In late 1993 the car was sold to its first private owner, Gerhard
Sattler of Heidenheim, Germany, with two further continental
European owners ensuing prior to its import to the UK by Porsche
dealer and ten-time Le Mans competitor Nick Faure in 1997. Having
covered just under 80,000 kilometres at this point, the car was
sold to Andy Melville before passing to Alex Willard in mid-1999.
During Alex's ownership, it received an engine top-end overhaul,
new flywheel, and new clutch at marque specialists Parr
Porsche.
Purchased by the consignor in May 2001, the car has since been
fastidiously maintained, covering over 50,000 kilometres in the
process. Benefitting from fitment of the correct brakes in 2004, as
well as M030 shocks, hubs, and anti-roll bars in 2009, and a new
clutch in 2011, the car was subjected to a further top-end overhaul
and geometric setup by ProMax Motorsport less than 15,000
kilometres ago, as well as cam and balance belts, cam chain change,
and the replacement of the front brake discs and pads in the summer
of 2019.
With interest in 'transaxle' Porsches at an all-time high, this
illustrious example would be a welcome addition to any significant
Porsche collection. Recently serviced and immaculately presented,
it was recently summed up by one reputable Porsche specialist, who
described it as 'the best 968 I have seen'.To view this car and
others currently consigned to this auction, please visit the RM
website at
rmsothebys.com/en/auctions/lf19.