On February 5, a Porsche 936 variant will cross the auction stage in Paris, where Bonhams predicts a selling price between $17,000 and $28,000. While that would be the bargain of a lifetime for a full-size 936, the model in question is a half-scale Porsche 936 Junior, a race car inspired go-kart once sold through Porsche dealers for the princely sum of $7,500.
In 1981, Porsche celebrated its sixth overall win at the 24 Hours of Le Mans, as well as its third win delivered by the open-cockpit Porsche 936. In celebration of the event, and perhaps inspired by Polish rally driver Sobieslaw Zasada, who constructed a one-off replica of the race-winning Porsche spyder, the Stuttgart automaker designed and built between 50 and 100 examples of the 936 Junior.
Though not particularly fast (thanks to the five-horsepower Briggs & Stratton engine that powered them), the 936 Juniors were remarkably sophisticated. Features included a molded fiberglass body, working headlamps (with high and low beams), taillamps, hydraulic rear shocks, rear disc brakes, a leather upholstered seat, a horn, two-piece alloy wheels, an alternator, an electric starter (backed up by a pull starter, to ensure that a flat battery didn’t keep one off the driveway grid), and an adjustable rear wing.
Unlike most non-racing go-karts, the 936 Junior didn’t rely on a centrifugal clutch, either. A manual transmission, with a foot-operated clutch, provided two forward speeds and one reverse gear, making it an ideal tool for young drivers to master the art of rowing their own gears. Recent prices for 936 Juniors reflect the kart’s rarity and complexity: as Porsche site Flat Sixes points out, a 936 Junior crossed the block at a 2013 Mecum sale in Monterey, California, collecting a winning bid of $22,000.
The lot offered by Bonhams in Paris is said to include the original Porsche owner’s manual and an electric motor, in case the car’s new owner prefers to run on indoor circuits. While the pre-auction estimate may seem particularly pricey for a go-kart, there’s little doubt that lot 301 will be the least expensive Porsche to cross the auction block at the Grand Palais.
For additional information on the Les Grandes Marques du Monde au Grand Palais sale, visit Bonhams.com.
from Hemmings Daily - News for the collector car enthusiast http://ift.tt/1v1e8pY
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