NEW YORK, May 15 — The prestigious Sotheby’s auction house is selling an exceptional Porsche Type 64 — the forebearer of all the German brand’s legendary sports cars — in an auction in Monterey, California, August 15-17, 2019, held during Monterey Car Week, which culminates with the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance.

Created in 1938, this model is considered by many to be the first car produced by what would become the Porsche company, or, in any case, the first model to bear the automaker’s name. Based on the VW Beetle, it used a flat-four type engine delivering 50hp and a top speed of 160km/h. The aluminium bodywork was crafted by Reutter. Post-World War Two, it went on to inspire all the automaker’s legendary sports car series, from the 356 to the 911.

The Porsche Type 64 was originally built to take part in a Berlin-Rome auto race scheduled for September 1939, which was cancelled when the Second World War broke out.

The model being sold by Sotheby’s is the only one of three models from the era to survive. The auction house has not yet given an estimated price for this exceptional vehicle. — AFP-Relaxnews