News that everyones’ favourite Englishman, Sir Stirling Moss, has bought himself a classic Porsche from his hospital bed couldn’t be better. The legendary wheelman is just as game as ever, and keen to get back in the driving seat ASAP.
The auction purchase was made remotely, just six days after his terrifying three-floor fall down an empty lift shaft at his home in Mayfair. And what a purchase it is!
Stirling has acquired the stunning RS 61, which first owner Bob Holbert used in Sports Car Club of America (SCCA) racing in 1962: taking 5 class wins out of 6 starts and finishing SCCA National Champion in E modifieds. Runner-up was another 61, driven by Bob Donner. Behind them came the Ferrari and Maseratis. Bob had won his class at Le Mans in an RS 60 the previous year, so you’d have expected him to be fairly handy in a 61 on American soil. Chassis number 718.070 took 13 SCCA wins and 20 podium finishes in its racing history.
Stirling paid just over $1.7 million for the car and obviously won’t lose a cent on it. With interest rates still in the doldrums, buying this beauty is a no brainer. Think about it: buy it, fly it into Europe to do Classic Le Mans and Tour Auto, both of which it would waltz straight into, then either import it or fly it back to the US. One of 14 RS 61s and a complete, original car, now with Stirling Moss race history: gilt edged in investment terms. Not that this is at all what SS has in mind; I’m just kicking the ideas around here. I think it is fantastic that Stirling has chosen such an incredible Porsche, and I look forward to seeing and hearing him in it at some stage.
The RS 60 and 61 are slightly wider, slightly longer variations of the 718, which was introduced by Porsche in 1957. The 718 won everything from the Targa Florio to the European Hillclimb Championship. The RS 61 is essentially identical to the previous year’s RS 60, a car Stirling was en route to Targa Florio victory in until the diff failed in the closing stages.
Fooled into associating mid-engined with Italian cars, many Porsche fans still don’t realise just the significance of the 718 and its predecessor, the 550. The 550′s victory on the ’56 Targa Florio was the first time a mid-engined sports car had won a proper motorsport event. That was with 1500cc, when many others were using 4 litres or more. Imagine what that did to peoples’ heads back in the day!
This car has a 180 bhp, 1678 cc engine: the legendary Fuhrmann 4-cam. These engines were so complex, they took almost three weeks to build. Sir Stirling’s car retains its original engine and original bodywork – quite unusual for a racing car of this age. Retired from racing in 1963, it lay undisturbed until restoration in 1995, by renowned Porsche Spyder specialist, Warren Eads.
The most important thing here is that Stirling’s get well wishes seem to be doing a sterling job (oof – sorry about that): doctors reckon Stirling’s recovery will take six weeks. I’m not a doctor but I doubt it will happen that fast. I smashed one ankle and badly damaged the other in a big motorbike accident back in 2000 and that was no 6-week recovery. We’ll say a few prayers for SS for sure.
Get well soon Stirling – we can’t wait to see this car on track!
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Great car; great man.
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