From The Classifieds: 1988 Porsche 959

For a company that had previously only built rear-drive cars, the all-wheel-drive Porsche 959 was a sensation when it was unveiled in 1983.

Originally designed as a Group B racer and shown for the first time, in prototype form, at the 1983 Frankfurt motor show, the 959 morphed into a registerable supercar with customer deliveries beginning in 1987.

Not long after, the AWD Porsche was heralded as the fastest street-legal production car in the world with a claimed top speed of 314km/h and a zero to 100km/h capability of 3.7sec.

The mighty 911-based supercar was propelled by a flexible, sequential 2.85-litre twin-turbo version of Porsche's air-cooled six-cylinder boxer engine.

Using water-cooled heads to assist in the production of 331kW, it directed the power to all four wheels via Porsche's advanced PSK torque-distribution system that was able to direct as much as 80 per cent of the torque to the rear wheels when required.

Not surprisingly, the 959's AWD system formed the basis for later 911-based road Porsches such as the Carrera 4.

The 959's Kevlar-aluminium construction kept the weight down to a trim 1450kg and was responsible for its formidable power-weight ratio. Aerodynamics were aided by automatic ride-height adjustment which maintained a 'zero lift' stance at speed.

The 959 reputedly cost Porsche twice as much to build as its original selling price of $US225,000. Although the 292 cars rolled off the production line, a total of 337 Porsche 959s, including pre-production and prototype cars, were built.

Between 1992 and 1993, Porsche actually put together a further eight cars from the spare parts inventory. These are reportedly the most sought-after 959s of all.

Largely because it was only built in left hand drive, the 959 was never sold by Porsche in Australia: Even in the US, it didn't become street-legal until well after the cessation of production.

Of course that didn't stop wealthy private collectors from acquiring cars - although to find a 959 available for sale, anywhere in the world, as an exceedingly rare event today.

How much would you pay for a Porsche 959 in Australia?

Well, according to the speciality luxury car dealer Lorbek, which has a "pristine" Titanium Silver example of a 1988 Porsche 959 up for sale, a figure of just below $A2.5 million is right on the mark.

The car in question was delivered new from Porsche Espana in Madrid in 1988 and imported into Australia in 2015.

As you would expect, the 959 is described as being in "pristine, perfect original factory condition." It is showing only 21,165km on the odometer.

While the performance potentials are understood, there's a bit of luxury to be experienced as well: The fabulous Porsche comes with power windows and mirrors, power-adjustable heated seats, climate control air-conditioning, original factory Blaupunkt audio and premium floor mats.

Lorbek has paid the applicable luxury car tax and, because it is more than 25 years old, the 959 can be registered in Australia on club plates.

It also represents another opportunity to prospective buyers: A Border Force crackdown on issues connected to bringing foreign cars into the country is currently in place and is expected to negatively affect future importations.

See previous carsales From the Classifieds