Former F1 world champion Jochen Rindt’s old Porsche is set to sell for £250,000.
The 1967 911 S was delivered new to an Austrian driver.
Rindt won the world title three years later.
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It was sandwiched between Brit race ace Jackie Stewart’s first two titles in 1969 and 1971.
The Porsche is one of 4,015 O-series 911 S chassis with higher compression, 160 bhp super specification engine
It has just been through a two-and-a-half-year restoration to the original specification of Bahama Yellow with a black leatherette costing £170,000.
Rindt is the only driver to have won the World Drivers’ Championship posthumously following his death at the Italian Grand Prix in 1970.
He won six Grands Prix across seven seasons.
Rindt also won the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 1965.
His rise through the motor racing ranks was meteoric.
In October 1961 as a 19-year-old he contested his first race in his grandmother’s diminutive Simca Montlhéry and within three years had competed in his first Grand Prix and in the 24 Hours of Le Mans.
His first full Grand Prix season with Cooper in 1965 yielded his first World Championship points.
Significantly 1965 also marked the beginning of his professional relationship with Porsche.
Over the next five years—until his untimely death in practice for the 1970 Italian Grand Prix—Rindt would remain one of the cornerstones of Porsche’s long-distance racing programme; the Austrian piloting factory-entered 906, 907 and 910 prototypes, as well as a privately-owned 908/02.
The car’s listing states: “In June 1967 and in recognition of his factory driver status Rindt was gifted this 911 S, chassis number 308139S.
“Originally delivered via Porsche’s Austrian importers Porsche Konstruktionen KG Salzburg with the local registration number S8.491 significantly it lists its illustrious former keeper as ‘kunden’ —customer—on its accompanying Wagen-Karte.
“As with many of his peers, Rindt dovetailed his Formula 1 and Sportscar commitments with racing in other formulae; his hectic 1967 schedule also encompassed the British, French, and European Formula 2 Championships with the Winkelmann Racing Brabham team.
“Consequently the distinctive Bahama Yellow 911 was often employed for trans-continental road trips,and became a regular sight at European race circuits.
“Significantly, the Austrian dominated all three Championships that year; some 11 wins from 19 starts cementing his unofficial title of “King of Formula 2”.
“A move from Cooper to Brabham for the 1968 Formula 1 season proved ill-starred; the latter’s Repco engines proving no match for the standard-setting Ford DFVs used by the likes of Lotus, McLaren, and Matra.
“The Porsche was retained by Rindt for the majority of the year although a move to Lotus for 1969 saw his erstwhile “company car” superseded–much to his chagrin–by the complimentary but relatively mundane Ford Mustang provided by his incoming engine suppliers.
“Chassis 308139S reverted to Porsche Salzburg’s care in late 1968, whereupon it was prepared for rallying and re-registered S16.193.
“Duly entrusted to veteran Kenyan driver Joginder Singh—later to become the first three-time winner of the Safari Rally—the car’s first known event was the 40th Internationale Österreichische Alpenfahrt, in May 1969.
“The Flying Sikh” and co-driver Peter Jakl were pitted against the likes of Hannu Mikkola, Simo Lampinen, and Paddy Hopkirk, but despite three top ten stage finishes, their rally ended in retirement.
“Barely a fortnight later Singh bounced back to finish a creditable third overall on the Vienna-based Internationale Semperit Rally, while the car’s next outing was in the 1970 Rallye Lyon-Charbonnières-Stuttgart-Solitude, in which it was to be shared by Walter Pöltinger and his navigator Manfred Stepany.
“Once again, the entry for the gruelling near-2,000 kilometre event was of high quality—boasting the likes of Andruet, Darniche, and Ragnotti—yet the pair finished a noteworthy second in class, and 25th overall.
“Just a month later, in April 1970, ownership of 308139S passed to the Austrian Funder OHG Rally team; the car consequently being re-registered once again as K60.133.
“May saw it contest the Internationale Österreichische Alpenfahrt, in which Porsche specialist—and subsequent WRC driver—Klaus Russling and co-driver Gerd Eggenberger finished a fine tenth overall and second in class.
“Significantly, some four of the nine cars ahead at the finish were factory entries from Saab, Ford, Alpine-Renault, and Lancia, while future WRC Champion Björn Waldegård emerged victorious in a similar Porsche 911S.
“The Internationale Donau Elan-Elf Rallye in late July 1970 represented the car’s competitive swansong. On this occasion, Russling was co-driven by Franz Mikes, although two top ten stage finishes proved scant consolation for their eventual retirement from the event.
“Following the conclusion of its competitive career, 308139S passed through a succession of private Austrian owners and it fell into a state of disrepair, having been modified to present as a later G-Series 911, which was not uncommon for early 911s at the time.
“Importantly, the car’s early history remained known and it eventually passed into the hands of the noted Porsche historian and author Dr Georg Konradsheim.
“In 2011, the car was acquired by the present—appropriately, Viennese—custodian, in whose care it has remained ever since.
“During this time, the car was entrusted to an Austrian marque specialist for an exhaustive 2½-year nut-and-bolt restoration to original factory specification, at a cost in excess of €200,000 bringing it back to its original colours of Bahama Yellow over black leatherette.
“Great emphasis was placed on retaining as many of the car’s original components as possible, while utilizing new old stock parts only where absolutely necessary.
“Finally the car was featured in Christophorus magazine in the March 2021 issue.
“Used only sparingly since, 308139S offers an irresistible combination of the superior 911 S technical specification, unimpeachable provenance, and a poignant association with Formula One’s only posthumous World Champion—not to mention a rich and varied rally history.
“Consequently, it represents one of the most significant pre-impact bumper 911s to be offered in recent years, and one worthy of due consideration by any appropriately discerning Porsche—or indeed Rindt—aficionado.”
It is being auctioned in a sealed bidding process by RM Sotheby’s from March 24 as reported by Luxury Auto News.
There is no guide price, but similar cars have sold for over £200,000.
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