What’s the deal with Porsche’s 917? It needs little introduction among car enthusiasts. Even if you don’t know the extent of the car’s racing success, there’s a good chance you’ve seen it in one of the most famous racing movies ever: Le Mans. Today, Mecum announced that the hero car from the film, owned by Steve McQueen and subsequently Jerry Seinfeld, too, is headed to auction at the auction company’s January, 2025 Kissimmee event.
The car, chassis 917-022, has led quite the life. Constructed as a 917 in 1969 and then upgraded to “K” specification—changes that included aero tweaks to dramatically improve high-speed stability—it sold as new not to a racing team, but to Steve McQueen’s Solar Productions. McQueen’s character Michael Delaney piloted the Porsche in 1971’s Le Mans, searing its Gulf livery into the hearts and minds of countless fans.
McQueen was the first in the line of several famous owners, even if the next few names might only be known to race fans. After filming concluded, the car was then sold to racer Reinhold Joest. Records show entry into eight races in 1971, with a best finish of second in the hands of Jo Siffert at the GP Repubblica Vallelunga in Italy, backed up by a fourth at the Spa 1000km in Belgium with Joest and co-driver Willi Kauhsen at the wheel.
Racers Brian Redman and Richard Attwood subsequently owned the car, the latter changing the livery to the Salzberg scheme that adorned his winning 1970 917.
Attwood decided to part ways with the car in 2000. At that year’s RM Monterey auction, it set a record for the model at the time with a sale price of $1,320,000, including fees. But another famous screen star was about to enter 917-022 chain of title: Jerry Seinfeld.
The noted comedian and Porschephile purchased the car in 2001 (the story about that can be found here). While it’s unclear whether the car has changed hands since then (we’ll provide an update when we are able to confirm), chassis 917-022 has the racing and car-cultural bona fides to make the car world take notice when it crosses the block. Mecum hasn’t offered an estimate, but another 917K from the movie sold in 2017 at Gooding & Company’s Pebble Beach auction for $14,080,000, a record that still stands for 917s and the marque as a whole. This one stands a good chance at resetting the bar this January.
Report by Eddy Eckart
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