A Porsche 962C that took third place at the 1990 Le Mans 24 Hours will go under the hammer at Artcurial’s Le Mans Classic sale on 30^th June.

The car is ready to race (having been subject to an engine rebuild), is presented in its original colours and carries an upper estimate of €1,800,000 (£1.6 million). 

Driven by Tiff Needell, David Sears and Anthony Reid, the Porsche finished behind the two Silk Cut Jaguars of Martin Brundle and Andy Wallace. But only after the second-placed Brun Porsche – piloted by Walter Brun, Oscar Larrauri, and Jesus Pareja – blew its engine with just 15 minutes of the race remaining. 

Chassis #154 went on to complete a full season of the Japan Sports Prototype Championship Series that year, with Derek Bell and Tiff Needell behind the wheel – fifth place at the Fuji 500 miles was its most notable achievement.

Based on the 956 – the first Porsche race car with a monocoque chassis and a ground-effect underside – the 962C got a revised design that, for safety reasons, brought the driver’s feet behind the front axle. It had a turbocharged flat-six producing north of 600PS, sending power to the rear wheels via a Doppelkupplungsgetriebe (PDK) sequential dual-clutch gearbox. It’s a combination that means the 962’s successes include wins at Le Mans in 1986, 1987 and 1991.

After a four-year hiatus, Artcurial’s Le Mans Classic sale returned in 2022. A 1954 Maserati A6 GCS/53 Fiandri Spyder topped the sale, crossing the blocks for €3,418,000 (or just over £3 million). Total sales of €12,313,207 – with a 75% sell-through rate – were recorded.

A full catalogue for this year’s sale to be released in the coming months.