The fact that a classic Porsche 911 will soon be available on the collector-car market is not necessarily newsworthy, as the ubiquitous, nearly 62-year-old model is a constant offering at auctions, whether through online platforms or in-person events. What does give us reason to stop the virtual presses and take notice is when the opportunity is afforded to break the news that an extremely anomalous variant in time-capsule condition will soon go to the highest bidder. This is such a time, and the 1991 Porsche 964 Carrera 4 Leichtbau being represented by Gooding Christie’s is just such a car.

The newly rebranded auction house has given Robb Report the exclusive on announcing what is sure to be one of the headliners at its upcoming Pebble Beach Auctions, which will be held August 15 and 16. Porsche’s 911 of the 964 generation was built from 1988 through 1994 and comprised a total production run of 63,762 cars in total across all variants. According to Porsche itself, that makes the 964 the most limited in number of all the 911’s eight iterations. This 964 Carrera 4 Leichtbau, though, is one of only 22 examples made as development cars for the marque’s then-nascent Carrera Cup motorsport competition.

Porsche’s Carrera Cup, which premiered in 1990 and was based solely on the newly debuted 964 at the time, was limited in scope until 1993, when it went global. Now, the program has individual series in a total of 12 countries and regions of the world, including Asia, Australia, North America, France, Italy, and the Middle East.

Instrumental in the early stages of the Carrera Cup, the less than two dozen Leichtbau (“Lightweight”) prototypes were minimalist, race-focused studies of the 964 Carrera 4 production car. The project was spearheaded by Jürgen Barth, who was the director of the Porsche Customer Racing division and one of the winning trio of drivers at the 1977 24 Hours of Le Mans.

“The Carrera 4 Leichtbau is one of the most rare, interesting, and technically sophisticated 964 models—and is among the last 911s that were entirely hand-built in Porsche’s legendary racing workshop, Werk I,” says David Brynan, senior specialist at Gooding Christie’s.

The 964 was already a pioneering platform, with 85 per cent of the car comprising new components compared to its predecessor. It also introduced an all-wheel-drive configuration to the 911 model, as well as power steering, anti-lock brakes, and certain aerodynamic enhancements that included an electronically controlled rear spoiler.

As for the Carrera 4 Leichtbau versions, these used the 964’s innovative foundation but eliminated any superfluous amenities to offer the most efficient competition car that could be derived from the model. Per the RM Sotheby’s lot description from another one of the 22 examples built, which was sold through that auction house in 2022, these cars weigh only 2,414 pounds and “the standard spoiler (which rotated upward at speed) was replaced with a fixed unit for maximum downforce at all times.” In addition, the RM Sotheby’s brief noted that “the suspension was lowered about an inch.”

Each of the development cars was also given a 265 hp, 3.6-litre dual-ignition flat-six engine, an aluminium cage, and Recaro bucket seats. As with the RM Sotheby’s car, the example crossing the auction block through Gooding Christie’s is a low-mileage machine—in this case, with only 502 kilometres (about 312 miles) on it.

“These cars combine elements of the state-of-the-art 953/959 and the Carrera Cup/Carrera RS program, making it an utterly unique model in Porsche history,” says Brynan, highlighting the collectability of the one set to be presented by Gooding Christie’s. “This is an exciting opportunity to acquire one of the most original and best preserved examples,” he adds. That opportunity is expected to come at a price ranging between US$750,000 and US$1 million.

This story was previously published on Robb Report USA.

Cover image: Mathieu Heurtault, courtesy of Gooding Christie’s