The 1979 Porsche 935 which gave actor and racer Paul Newman his Le Mans debut is coming up for auction at Gooding & Co’s 20-21 August Pebble Beach sale. It is estimated to fetch $4,500,00-5,500,000.
Chassis 009 0030 was driven by Newman alongside team owner Dick Barbour and Rolf Stommelen at the 1979 Le Mans 24 Hours, where it finished second overall in front of one of the largest ever crowds at La Sarthe – drawn to the spectacle of Newman’s debut. The following year it became the first and only race car to be sponsored by Apple Computers, and it went on to win the 1981 24 Hours of Daytona and the 1983 12 Hours of Sebring.
The car was restored in 2006 to its original “Hawaiian Tropic” Le Mans specification by Porsche specialist Paul Willison, and picked up a class win at the Amelia Island Concours d’Elegance the following year. It’s eligible for a number of historic competitions, including the Porsche Rennsport Reunion.
The Newman car isn’t the only historically significant Porsche to cross the block in California: it's joined by a 1984 911 SC/RS, which was campaigned by Saeed Al-Hajri to much success in 1984, winning the FIA Middle East Championship as well as scoring first-place finishes in the Ypres 24 Hours and Medeora Rally.
