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Automotive Lifestyle
VINTAGE: Stirling Moss Won Porsche At Auction
From his hospital bed, injured racing legend bid for race car.
SPEED Staff  |  Posted March 19, 2010   Amelia Island, FL.
The 1961 Porsche RS61 Spyder purchased by Stirling Moss was one of just 14 built. (Photo: Gooding & Company)
Sir Stirling Moss, recuperating in a hospital bed after a serious accident at his home, nonetheless was the victorious bidder for a 1961 Porsche RS61 Spyder race car sold for $1.705 Million at Gooding & Company’s debut Amelia Island Auction.

The winning bid for the rare racer was made at the March 12 sale by a proxy bidder who was instructed by Moss to pursue the car vigorously, the auction house said.

“I was terribly disappointed to miss Gooding & Company’s inaugural auction in Amelia Island last week,” Moss said. “I have long sought after a Porsche RS and had my eye on that Porsche RS 61 for several weeks and now cannot wait to see my new car!”

Sir Stirling Moss bid by proxy from a hospital bed in England, where he is recuperating from injuries suffered in a fall. (Photo courtesy of Stirling Moss)
The acclaimed 80-year-old racing veteran suffered broken bones and other injuries in a fall down an elevator shaft at his home, which was blamed on the elevator’s mechanical failure. Moss was scheduled to be a celebrity guest at the Amelia Island Concours d’Elegance until his accident.

The Porsche race car is similar to the RS60 that Moss raced during the 1960s, in which he nearly won the 1961 Targa Florio. One of only 14 built, the lightweight, 4-Cam RS61 was the ultimate evolution of the Porsche Spyder project that began with the legendary 550 Spyder.

Between 1961 and1963, this car captured more than a dozen victories in the hands of numerous significant racing figures. Gooding & Company said it was honored to have sold it to one of the world’s most influential and talented race car drivers, who is also a friend and regular client of the auction house.

“I was thrilled to learn that it was none other than Stirling Moss who offered the final bid on the Porsche RS61 at our Amelia Island Auction,” said David Gooding, president and founder of Gooding & Company. “My deep concern for his health following his accident turned to sheer amazement when I learned that he was the one driving the bidding rush for that car.”

The Porsche RS61 was one of two world record sales at Gooding & Company’s first Amelia Island Auction, which garnered more than $16.1 Million for a total of 58 out of 71 lots sold, averaging $278,300 per car.

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