Under 2-Liter Sports Racer – 2009 Market & Price Guide

Two-liter sports racing cars have always had a place to compete within the ever-changing regulations of international motor sports: the World Sports Car Championship from 1953–1961; the Speedworld Challenge from 1962–1963; the International Championship of Makes from 1964–1971; and the World Championship of Makes from 1972–1981. There was even a European Championship of Makes for cars up to 2-liters from 1970–1975. This allowed manufacturers to showcase their design and engineering excellence by producing a limited number of purpose-built racing cars to compete at the world’s greatest racing venues including Silverstone, Nürburgring, Le Mans, Monza, Daytona, and Sebring. On the right circuit, these nimble cars could often get the better of their larger competitors. Today, these historic cars are highly sought after by collectors, not just for admiration of their technology, but also to participate in reenactments of these famous racing events. Most historic groups, both in Europe and the United States, break the categories down into pre-1960, 1960–1965, 1966–1970, and 1971–1978.

1972 Lola T290

Eric Broadly founded Lola Cars in Huntingdon, England, in 1958, and by the mid-1960s Lola Cars was well known for building successful sports racing and single-seater racing cars. In 1970 Lola entered the 2.0-Liter European Sports Car Championship for makes with the T210, which featured monocoque construction while Chevron still had a tubular space frame design. Lola narrowly lost the championship to Chevron by a single point. In 1971, Lola won the championship with the T212. For 1972, Lola’s  formidable design team drew up an entirely new 2.0-liter car. Lola designers Eric Broadley and Bob Marston were joined by a young Patrick Head and John Barnard. Both Head (Williams) and Barnard (McLaren, Ferrari, and Benetton) were later to be involved with the design of multiple Formula One World Championship–winning cars. The T290 was an improved full monocoque design, powered by a fuel-injected Cosworth FVC engine mated to a Hewland FGA 5-speed gearbox. This 1,200-pound car with 260-plus bhp was an outstanding racing car. Drivers of the T290 included none other than Gerard Larrousse, Vic Elford, Guy Edwards, Jo Bonnier, Jean-Louis Lafosse, David Hobbs, and, in the United States, a young Bobby Rahal. The T290 was one of the most advanced 2.0-liter sports prototypes of its day and was the basis for the T292–T298 series as well as the 3.0-liter T280–T286 series. Today, it is a great choice for historic racing.

1958 Porsche RSK Spyder

During the 1950s Porsche AG of Stuttgart, Germany, became world renown for its beautiful aluminum-bodied Spyder racing cars. It started with the 550 in 1953 and, by 1958, had evolved into the RSK. The RSK had a tubular space frame, independent suspension, and a trick four-camshaft, four-cylinder 1,500-cc engine. This 1,200-pound, very nimble, excellent-handling sports car finished 2nd in the Manufacturers World Championship in 1958 and in 1959. The car took 2nd place in the Manufacturers World Championship with its 1,500-cc engine against the might of Aston Martin and Ferrari with their 3,000-cc cars. In fact, at the Goodwood Tourist Trophy in September of 1959, if Porsche had won the race, they would have been World Champions. An RSK led the race and, ultimately, Porsche finished 2nd in both the race and the championship. Porsche did not better this success until the might of the 917, a decade later. This certainly put the RSK on the map as the most important of all the Porsche Spyders.

The RSK had class victories at all of the great races, and often outright victories over much larger competition. At the 1958 Le Mans 24 Hours, RSKs were 3rd and 4th overall, and at the 1959 Targa Florio, an RSK took 1st overall. They won at the Nürburgring, Monza, Spa, Reims, Avus, Zeltweg, and in the United States with a class win at the Sebring 12 Hour.

Only 34 RSK Spyders were built. They are clearly the Spyders to own, and are an example of Porsche’s design and engineering excellence from a time in motor sports that will never take place again.

Criteria Used For Assessing Valuations for this Guide:

• Degree of Originality
• Overall Condition, Restoration
• Technology, Design, Coachbuilder
• Production Numbers/Rarity
• Competition History
• Ownership History, Documentation
• Modern Event Eligibility

Regional Variances

The prices stated in this guide are based on U.S. values. The values of historic racing cars can vary as much as 25%-35% in other countries, depending on local market appeal, currency rates, import duties, and VAT. Most of the time, we are able to document known sales or closed escrows, as they say in real estate. When this is not possible, a logical estimate of the car’s value is given, based on its sales history and relationship to cars of its type.

The prices stated in this guide are based on U.S. values. The values of historic racing cars can vary as much as 25%-35% in other countries, depending on local market appeal, currency rates, import duties, and VAT.