Legendary Porsche Carrera RSR Race Car Asks For $7.2 Million

Following the preview at the Bonhams auction at the 2023 Goodwood Festival of Speed, the 1973 Porsche Carrera RSR Martini Racing, dubbed R7, is finally headed to the auction block at this year's Goodwood Revival. Bonhams is auctioning the R7 with an estimated price of £3,750,000 to £5,750,000, or $4.7 million to $7.2 million in current exchange rates.

With that figure in mind, this lot could be one of the most expensive Porsches sold at auction and become the most expensive 911 ever. The record belongs to the 1998 Porsche 911 GT1 Strassenversion, which was fetched for $5,665,000.

This Porsche Carrera RSR (chassis number 9113 600686) is celebrated for its fourth-place finish at the 1973 24 Hours of Le Mans. What's so special about finishing outside the podium? The car crossed the finish line just behind three dedicated open-cockpit prototypes - two from Matra-Simca and one from Ferrari. Behind the wheel were works drivers Herbie Mueller and Gijs van Lennep.

The race car continued to compete in the same year at the Osterreichring 1,000 km (621 miles) race and the Watkins Glen Six Hours in New York. The following year, the car returned to the 1974 edition of the famed endurance race at the Circuit de la Sarthe, but unfortunately, ignition problems ended its session.

After its racing stints in the early '70s, the R7 was exported to Mexico by owner Hector Rebaque. It was then passed to an Italian collector named Massimo Balliva, where the car was preserved for 30 years. A restoration project was conducted in 2009 at a workshop in Paris, France, returning to the 1973 form highlighted by the Martini livery.

The current owner from the US got a hold of the R7. However, another individual claimed ownership of the car - only this May 2023 when a New York court dismissed the case.

The auctioned car at the Goodwood Revival was inspected for authenticity at the Porsche Classic in Germany. The brand's veteran senior engineer and former works team manager, Norbert Singer, did the authentication checks and later formally stated that this was indeed the R7 from 1973.

Singer confirmed this was the real deal after checking parts such as the double hydraulic brake master cylinders, hammered relief in the right-rear seat bowl, needle-roller bearings, a factory anti-roll car mount, 917-type competition brakes, adjustable front and rear anti-roll bars, a bigger RSR oil radiator, and a redesigned 3.0-liter engine, among others.

Only one of four Martini Racing works team cars is believed to survive, and it will be given a new life to a well-heeled individual 50 years after a strong outing at the Le Mans.

The Bonhams Goodwood Revival auction has already been concluded, but the lot for the Porsche Carrera RSR Martini Racing hasn't been updated with the result. We'll update this story if we get more information on that end.