Acclaimed auction house Gooding & Company has just announced the consignment of the Drendel Family Collection of 18 Porsches for its upcoming Amelia Island sale in March. Recognized as the world’s finest private assemblage of its kind, the Drendel Family Collection consists of both road and race cars spanning 25 years of Porsche history from 1973 – 1997. With 10 of the 18 lots being offered without reserve, and the occasion marking the first time many of these historically-important racing stars have ever been offered for sale, the bidding is sure to give new meaning to the word “fierce”. The big draw is this 1973 Porsche 917/30 Can-Am Spyder, estimated at up to $4 million.
The Porsche 917 racing program was of course one of the most successful in the history of motor sport and for many the 1973 917/30 Can-Am Spyder represents its pinnacle. With a 1,000 hp turbocharged flat-twelve, American racing champion Mark Donohue’s 917/30 was so dominant that the Can Am Challenge Cup was disbanded and the other manufacturers withdrew due to their inability to compete. One of four examples completed at the Porsche factory, the example on offer has been meticulously restored and presented in the iconic Penske-Sunoco livery, in which it raced at the Monterey Historics and was displayed at the Amelia Island Concours d’Elegance and Rennsport Reunion.
