Sir Stirling Moss’ Porsche RS-61 is set to go under the hammer

Sir Stirling Moss’ Porsche RS-61 is set to go under the hammer. The car, chassis number 718-070, will be offered for sale at Bonhams’ Festival of Speed auction at Goodwood on 26 June.

Moss, one of the greatest drivers of all time, was a huge fan of the Porsche RS60/61 series cars. He said, they were ‘just super cars – beautifully balanced and simply tailor-made for such races as the mighty Targa Florio around 440 miles of Sicilian mountain roads. That was one morning when I woke up and really could say to myself, “For today’s race you have got the ideal car…’”.

The Porsche company’s agile RennSport (‘RS’) cars with powerful four-cylinder air-cooled engine mounted behind the open two-seat cockpit, won the Targa Florio in 1956, 1959 and 1960.

In 1961, Sir Stirling shared a 2.0-litre Porsche RS60 there with 1962 and 1968 World Champion-to-be Graham Hill (father of 1996 World Champion Damon). Sir Stirling recalls today, ‘We have since been described as moral winners of that race, which is unfortunate, because moral first places don’t pay first-place prize money.’

Porsche chose the 2.0-litre engine for that race in place of their usual 1.7-litre to ease gear-changing demand on the gruelling Sicilian countryside course:

Moss said, ‘Our racing car was just perfect for the course, we could hardly have wished for nicer, and I led for the first four 44-mile laps, by 1½ minutes before handing over to Graham for his two laps. He handed the car back to me 76 seconds behind a Ferrari, and I managed to change that into a 65-second lead with one lap to go. We looked on course for a lap record last time round and a great win until – only 8kms from the finish – the transmission failed, put us out, and the Ferrari won instead.’

Moss and Hill then drove the latest, almost identical, Porsche RS-61, fitted with a 1605cc engine, in the subsequent Nurburgring 1000 Kilometres race in Germany’s Eifel Mountains. On a track slick with drizzle, Sir Stirling took the lead on the second lap but, as the course dried, he was overwhelmed by far larger and more powerful factory Ferraris.

Moss said, ‘After 12 laps I handed over to Graham who rejoined fifth. Then it began to snow! Graham handed back to me and I found the little Porsche ideal for the Nurburgring in such conditions. We climbed into third, then second. I was set to take the lead when the little car broke – but it had been exciting while it lasted.’

Moss, nicknamed ‘Mr Motor Racing’, never lost his great affection for ‘this grand little Porsche’ so when he saw a well-restored RS-61 chassis ‘070’ offered for sale in America he ‘just fell in love with it, all over again’.

He bought the car and subsequently campaigned it at Historic level in the Le Mans Classic on the legendary 24-hour race circuit in France, and in the USA in his very last competitive motor race. 

The Porsche RS-61 chassis ‘070’ which is going under the hammer was delivered new to first owner Bob Holbert of Pennsylvania early in 1961. He was the leading American Porsche specialist of his era, and he competed in the car in his busy programme of Sports Car Club of America east-coast events, including the Daytona National. He then sold the car to gentleman driver Tom Payne – who always raced wearing an impeccably valeted business suit and tie.

Tom Payne and Porsche RS-61 ‘070’ featured in such further east-coast events as the Cumberland Nationals, Wisconsin Grand Prix, Thompson Nationals and the Atlanta ‘500’ Sprints. Third owner Millard Ripley subsequently won in the car at the glamorous Watkins Glen circuit in upstate New York and overall ‘070’ is credited with having achieved no fewer than 13 victories and 20 podium placings in SCCA National Competition.

The car was finally retired from active competition in 1963, but survived complete and unmolested before being restored for American ‘Vintage’ racing as early as 1969. More recently top historic Porsche specialist Andy Prill has completed a thorough rebuild which saw the car re-finished both mechanically and aesthetically to its current race-ready form. Sale estimate: £1.7m to £2m ($2.5 - 3m).

Bonhams Motor Car Department head James Knight says: “We are hugely honoured to have been commissioned to sell Sir Stirling’s cherished Porsche RS61 following his retirement from competitive motor sport. It is particularly appropriate that we should offer the car at the forthcoming Goodwood Festival of Speed – where Sir Stirling is the founder patron and where he achieved so much throughout his unmatchable career”.