RM Sotheby’s has announced that a 1968 Porsche 908 Works “Short-Tail” Coupe is an early entry for its flagship Monterey sale, scheduled for August 24-25, 2018, at the newly renovated Monterey Conference Center in Monterey, California.
This particular Porsche 908 Coupe, chassis no. 908-010, was one of the first iterations of the legendary 908, and one of but a handful of ex-Works short-tail prototypes that still survive today. The car is powered by a three-liter, flat 8-cylinder 908 engine producing 350 hp, and is one of two “sister” cars (908-010 and 908-011) introduced by Porsche System Engineering as Works entries at the 1968 Spa 1000 Kilometer race.
Chassis 908-010 was entered at Spa as number six and piloted by Vic Elford and Jochen Neerpasch. As was often the case at this particular race, the drivers battled with the elements. Elford drove the first 32 laps, leading on multiple occasions, before Neerpasch took the wheel. Unfortunately, the wet track sent Neerpasch sliding off the track just two laps into his stint, which forced the car to be retired. It did not race again for the factory team, and was sold into private hands in Switzerland where it sat in storage for more than two decades.
In the late 1990s, Dale Miller, a Porsche racecar expert and former PCA historian, discovered the car in Switzerland and brought it to the USA, where it was sold to Bill Ferren. Ferren oversaw a complete restoration by noted prototype expert John Corsen, who prepared the car in time for the 2004 Rennsport Reunion at Daytona. Under current ownership for the last 12 years, the 908 “Short-Tail” Coupe has participated in numerous vintage events on the West Coast (including Rennsport Reunion II, III, IV and V) and was featured in the Porsche By Design exhibit at the North Carolina Museum of Art in 2013-’14. The car retains its repaired original chassis, as well as a fresh, recently serviced, factory 908 engine, and is offered at Monterey in beautifully maintained condition, ready for the concours field or its next vintage race.
“The 908 prototype is a fantastic early highlight for our Monterey sale,” said Gord Duff, Global Head of Auctions, RM Sotheby’s, “made even more exciting by its offering during Porsche’s 70th anniversary year.”
Held during the world-famous Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance motoring week, RM Sotheby’s Monterey sale has been the pinnacle of collector car auctions for more than 30 years, leading the field and raising the bar with its consistent, record-setting results. The 2018 sale will present more than 100 of the world’s most desirable blue-chip motor cars in the ultimate collector car destination. For further information on Monterey and all of the RM Sotheby’s Group’s upcoming auctions, please visit www.rmsothebys.com
