5 Of The Most Expensive Porsches Ever Sold At Auction

The 917 is unquestionably Porsche’s most iconic race car and arguably the most iconic race car of all time. However, it wasn’t the immediate success that many other Porsche race cars before and after it were. In fact, many drivers actively avoided driving it when it debuted in 1969 due to its quick development and dangerous reputation.

With the World Sportscar Championship engine displacement limit expanded to 5 liters in 1968, plans for the 917 began. Porsche designed, engineered, and built the 25 required 917s in just 10 months based on the previously successful 907 and 908 race cars. Two versions were made — the 917K, or “short,” variant and the 917LH, or “long tail.” The 917 initially struggled with handling issues in its rookie season, but it went on an unprecedented tear the following year in 1970. The car won 9 out of 10 races in the 1970 World Sportscar Championship and took the overall Le Mans victory. It continued its dominance for another five years, both in Europe and internationally. 

Unlike most of the other cars on this list, the 1970 Porsche 917K chassis number 917-024 isn’t a valuable car because of its individual racing feats, having never raced outside of testing days. Even still, the legacy it represents was enough to earn it an enormous $14,080,000 price tag when it sold at auction in 2017.