Paul Newman’s Porsche – 1974 Porsche 911S

MARCH 4, 2014 BY ANDREW NEWTON LEAVE A COMMENT

Paul Newman needs no introduction here or anywhere, but what some might not know is just how late in life he was bitten by the racing bug, which of course turned into a pretty spectacular motorsports career. He was already in his 40s when he first did the Bob Bondurant school in preparation for the 1969 movie Winning, and it wasn’t until 1972 that he really got involved, running SCCA races in a Lotus. It was a slippery slope from there, though, as Newman quickly got involved in IMSA and Trans-Am racing. It was during these first few years that he teamed up with SCCA National Champion Bill Freeman, and their first major effort was in this car. Newman and Freeman brought the Porsche 911S, chassis 911 410 1035, in 11th place at Sebring in 1977, and 52-year-old Newman was the oldest man on the track.

After Sebring, Freeman raced the car for a short time before it passed to another owner, and the car was actively raced in Camel GT and IMSA GTU, GTO and O classes well into the 1980s. Its last race was in fact at Sebring in 1987, ten years after Paul Newman’s drive in it. In 2006, it started a three-year restoration that brought it back to the Freeman/Newman livery of 1977. It has been clearly set up with vintage racing in mind. This car’s Paul Newman connection is not the most substantial one, but anything with his name attached to it is certainly collectible and this happens to be a healthy classic 911S racer. It’s impossible not to want.

This 1974 Porsche 911S is offered for sale at the upcoming Mecum Houston sale, scheduled for April 10-12, 2014.