Porsche values have been steadily rising over the years. As is the case with auctions, the more significant the Porsche, the higher the value expectations are at the auction. Also, the rarer it is, or the more historically significant the Porsche is, the more likely bidding wars will erupt at the auction. Today a historic, and rare Porsche has shown up at Gooding and Company auction house. 

The auction house has begun accepting offers on a rare, 1964 Porsche 904 Carrera GTS. According to information offered about the car, Gooding says the car is one of one hundred made. This low production run was the minimum run required to meet race sanctioning body requirements to race a car on a track. The car is expected to sell for close to $2.45 million.

Numbers-matching

The Porsche becomes even rarer since it is also a numbers-matching car. That means that the serial number for the car, engine, and transmission all match the build information for when the car was originally sold. Most of these 904 Carrera GTS models were crashed. So, parts were often scavenged from one to the other. So, to have a numbers-matching car all these decades later is pretty significant and valuable to auction bidders.

Fiberglass weight reduction and racing pedigree

Also of significance is the 904 Carrera GTS was the first Porsche to have fiberglass bodywork. The fiberglass was mated to a boxed steel chassis. But the overall product was very lightweight, which is needed for racing. 904s would go on to win over 300 races internationally. 

This Porsche was originally ordered in 1963 for a racecar driver and delivered in Italy. The car, chassis number 44, made its way to the United States in 1968 after exchanging hands. The car then saw daily driving duties until the 1980s when it was stored. It has been tucked away since that time.

“Significantly, and unlike the majority of four-cam Porsches, this 904 retains its original, matching-numbers engine (99035) and transaxle (904-042) and is accompanied by an original factory sales brochure, owner’s manual, and black California license plates.” – Gooding and Company

Specifications

Specifications as per the auction house,

• 1,966 CC DOHC Type 587/3 Flat 4-Cylinder Engine
• Twin Weber 46 IDM Carburetors
• 180 BHP at 7,000 RPM
• 5-Speed Manual Transaxle
• 4-Wheel ATE-Dunlop Disc Brakes
• 4-Wheel Independent Wishbone Suspension with Coil-Over Shock Absorbers

The Porsche is not in its original color. Is was given the current red paint job after arriving in California to freshen it up for car shows that the car attended prior to it being stored. 

This is truly a special Porsche. Having it be a numbers-matching unit after all this time on such a low production run of vehicles would blow many collectors’ minds. Additionally, it is the first fiberglass-bodied Porsche. So, the rarity and historical significance of this car are hard to believe. But, an auction house would not knowingly sell a knock off. So, there is no doubt that even in this time of financial uncertainty due to the pandemic lockdown that we live in, somebody is still going to purchase this little car soon, and probably pay full asking price or more.