1972 Porsche 916
- Engine
- 2.7L flat-six, 210 bhp
- Colour
- Light yellow
Porsche 916 prototype chassis 0011, the first of the 1972 series, is one of only ten pre-production examples ever built before the project was cancelled due to cost. Constructed as a personal car for Louise Piëch, Ferdinand Piëch's sister, it was delivered in July 1971 in Light Yellow with a chestnut leather and Paisley corduroy interior. Later owned by Porsche engineer Erna Götten and Los Angeles Times publisher Otis Chandler, the car passed through Japanese ownership before returning to the United States. A comprehensive mechanical and cosmetic restoration was completed in 2011 under the supervision of Georg Konradsheim, and the history has been documented in a 2019 limited-edition book.
Ownership
- —Auction saleSold US$957,000
- 1971-07-23 → 1973Factory deliveryLouise Piëchfull documentation
Ferdinand Piëch's sister took delivery as a personal-use vehicle; factory records including the Kardex and Design Studio finishing card document the car was built specifically for her.
- 1973 → 1979Private saleErna Göttenfull documentation
Porsche engineer who used the car on track; period photographs in the history file show her driving it. She applied rust-proofing during her tenure. Attempted to sell via a magazine classified in early 1978 before agreeing a deal with Otis Chandler.
- 1979-07-03 →Private saleOtis Chandlerfull documentation
Publisher of the Los Angeles Times and noted collector; purchased the car for $30,000 following correspondence initiated by the previous owner. Duration of his ownership is not precisely stated.
- 1999 → 2008Acquisition unknownKerry Morsepartial documentation
California-based owner who acquired the car after it returned to the US from Japan.
- 2008 →Private saleDr. Thomas Gruberfull documentation
Car arrived in Vienna in late September 2008; owner commissioned a comprehensive mechanical and cosmetic restoration completed in 2011, documented in a limited-edition book published in 2019.
- Date unknownAcquisition unknownYoshiho Matsudapartial documentation
Wealthy Japanese businessman who collected exotic cars and art; the car was part of his museum collection, which he began liquidating in the early 2000s.
Competition
- 19701970 Le Mans 24 Hours6th overall
A heavily modified 914 GT variant competed and finished sixth overall; this result prompted Piëch to explore a high-performance road-legal version that evolved into the 916 concept.
- —Track driving during Götten ownershipDriver: Erna Götten
Period photographs in the car's history file show the owner driving chassis 0011 on a racing circuit during her period of ownership in the 1970s.
Maintenance & restoration
- 2009RestorationGeorg Konradsheim
Full disassembly and bare-shell strip, corrosion treatment, re-prime and repaint in the original Light Yellow, complete engine rebuild (first time the unit had been apart), overhaul of transaxle, suspension, brakes and electrics, and full re-trim in new leather with original fabric seat inserts retained.
Work began early 2009 after the car's arrival in Vienna in late 2008; completed in 2011. The car has covered approximately 800 km since completion.
- —Mechanical
Rust-proofing treatment applied to the bodyshell during the Götten family's period of ownership, which limited subsequent corrosion when the car was later restored.
Credited to the Göttens in the restoration documentation; no date or specific workshop is identified.
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