£5.6 Million Buys You A Le Mans-Winning Porsche 956

In terms of classic race cars going up for auction, it really doesn’t get much better than this. It’s a 956 (Porsche’s legendary car which to this day holds the Nurburgring lap record), it’s in the classic white and blue Rothmans livery, and it’s the very car which took outright honours at the 1983 24 Hours of Le Mans.

The only downside? You’ll need quite a bit of cash to be the winning bidder. It’s going under the hammer at Gooding & Co’s auction at this year’s Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance - taking place on 15 and 16 August - with an estimate of $7,000,000 - $9,000,000 (£4.4-5.6 million). Ouch.

It’s chassis number three of only 10 works 956s, and has a mighty fine racing record. It was one of the 956s that gave Porsche a stunning one, two, three at Le Mans in 1982, placing second that year. Then in 1983, Hurley Haywood, Al Holbert and Vern Schuppan drove it to ouright victory at the famous endurance race.

After being retired from motorsport duties by Porsche, it was owned by Schuppan - a man who had a brief venture selling road-converted versions of the 956’s successor, the 962. Since then, it’s been owned by a series of private collectors.

So, anyone loaded enough to take the plunge?