PORSCHE 904 CARRERA GTS 42 PEBBLE BEACH AUCTION 2017 ROUGE

PORSCHE 904 CARRERA GTS #42 PEBBLE BEACH AUCTION 2017 ROUGE - HISTOIRE : Completed in March 1964, 904-042 was finished in silver metallic with blue velour upholstery. One of 24 Porsche 904s exported to the US that year, this car was originally sold to Knute Qvale’s Riviera Motors in Portland, Oregon, the Volkswagen-Porsche distributor for the region. Upon arrival in the US, the new 904 was prepared for racing. To man the new 904, local sports car aces Gary Wright and Mike Eyerly were enlisted. Throughout the 1964 racing season, they captured several wins and podium finishes at Kent, Westwood, and Portland International Raceway. For 1965, 904-042 was installed with a racing update that included a new 587/3 engine (numbered 99156) with three-dot cam lobes, megaphone exhausts, and a Le Mans-spec high-speed engine sump bypass system, among others. In July 1965, 904-042 was sold to Pacific Northwest racer Wade Carter, who owned a Volkswagen dealership in Seattle and started to compete in local sports car events. With 904-042, Carter placed 5th in the SCCA’s Pacific Coast Championship in 1965 and won both the Oregon and Northwest SCCA Production Championships in 1966. He continued to race the car into 1967, winning two races at Kent. In April 1967, Wade Carter offered 904-042 for sale. The car went through the hands of three new owners until it was purchased by Jeffrey Keiner of Orlando Florida around 1983. An active vintage racer, Mr. Keiner was also a serious collector. After commissioning a complete restoration and having the car refinished in its current red over silver livery, Mr. Keiner entered the 904 in vintage races and concours events. 904-042 received many accolades during his ownership, including the Montique Thomas Tieneer’s Award for Technical Excellence, the Peter Gregg Memorial Trophy, First in Class at the Meadow Brook Concours d’Elegance, First in Class at the Chicago Historic Races Concours three consecutive years, winner of the Chesrown Concours Award at the Mid-Ohio Historic Races, and so on. The current owner acquired 904-042 in 1997. For the past two decades and more, 904-042 has been enjoyed as an exhilarating road car, with exhaust SuperTrapps fitted to tame the noise of the exotic four-cam engine. 904 is claimed to be a true pleasure to own and drive, always attracting a favorable response, whether on the open highway or the concours lawn. Beautifully maintained and serviced, it was consigned to the August 2017 Gooding Pebble Beach Auctions and sold for $1,540,000.