Image Credit: Bring a Trailer.Some Porsche owners buy back their old cars for nostalgia, but Dr. Phyllis Yes had a very specific reason for reclaiming her former 1967 Porsche 911S. According to the original Bring a Trailer listing, the Oregon artist returned as the winning bidder after becoming concerned that a future owner might remove the elaborate paintwork she created decades ago.The short-wheelbase 911S sold for $250,000 on August 5, 2026, after a dramatic final stretch of bidding. Yes initially placed a $167,000 offer before another bidder raised the price to $170,000, prompting her to jump straight to $250,000.That extraordinary $80,000 increase ended the contest, and Yes later explained her motivation in the Bring a Trailer comments. She wrote that she had been unable to sleep while thinking about the possibility of the artwork being stripped from the Porsche.AdvertisementAdvertisementThe reunion will not put the car back into regular use, however. Yes said she intends to donate the Porsche to a museum so the unusual creation can be preserved and enjoyed by the public.A 911S Became A Rolling Art ProjectImage Credit: Bring a Trailer.The Porsche was built on December 27, 1966, as a 1967-model-year 911S and originally left the factory in Polo Red. It had already been repainted silver when Yes acquired it during the mid-1980s.Yes, an artist and former dean at Lewis & Clark College in Portland, became known for work that explored gender roles by transforming objects traditionally associated with masculinity. The Porsche became one of her most ambitious examples, eventually receiving the name "Por She."Working with two assistants, Yes spent approximately 600 hours over two months creating a three-dimensional lace-style pattern across the body. Antique lace was placed over the panels while white paint was airbrushed through it, followed by hand-applied acrylic rosettes in alternating pink and amber tones.AdvertisementAdvertisementThe completed artwork was then protected with a pearlescent polyurethane finish. Rather than resembling a conventional custom paint job, the resulting surface turned the entire body of the early 911 into a sculptural canvas."Por She" Traveled Across The CountryImage Credit: Bring a Trailer.Once completed, the Porsche was displayed at the Bernice Steinbaum Gallery in New York City. It subsequently traveled across the United States as part of an exhibition in 1985, giving the car an identity that extended well beyond its status as an early 911S.Yes eventually sold the Porsche in 2010, after which its next owner commissioned an extensive refurbishment between 2012 and 2013. German Master Tech in Bend, Oregon, handled much of the work, while several specialists contributed to rebuilding and refreshing major components.The restoration did not erase Yes's artwork. She personally performed touch-ups while other work addressed corrosion, exterior trim, weatherstripping, and areas such as the bumpers, door jambs, rockers, and undersides of the hood and engine lid.Its Mechanical Hardware Was Thoroughly RefreshedThe 2.0-liter air-cooled flat-six was overhauled by Rothsport Racing in 2013 and continues to breathe through dual Weber IDS carburetors. Electronic ignition was fitted, while the Type 901 five-speed manual transaxle was also rebuilt during the refurbishment.AdvertisementAdvertisementSuspension and four-wheel ventilated disc brakes received attention as well, with Koni Classic dampers and PMB brake calipers installed. The Porsche rides on refinished 15-inch Fuchs wheels wrapped in Vredestein Sprint Classic tires.Inside, replacement front seats were trimmed in black leatherette while the steering wheel, dashboard, and door panels were reupholstered. The cabin also retains period equipment including a Blaupunkt push-button radio and Becker Olympia cassette player, while the instruments were restored by Palo Alto Speedometer.The odometer currently displays approximately 84,000 miles, with only around 600 miles reportedly added during the seller's ownership. A service performed in May 2026 included fresh oil, new spark plugs, and replacement of the oil temperature-level sending unit.The Porsche Became Collectible In Two Different WorldsImage Credit: Bring a Trailer.Early short-wheelbase 911S models are already prized by Porsche collectors, making this car desirable before its artistic history is even considered. Its significance became even clearer after it earned the People's Choice Award at the 2013 Legends of the Autobahn and later appeared at The Quail, A Motorsports Gathering in 2019.AdvertisementAdvertisementThe package sold with the car also documents that history, including period articles, service records, a Porsche Certificate of Authenticity, a tool kit, and a car cover. Those records help establish both the underlying Porsche's provenance and the unusual story surrounding its transformation.For Yes, however, the auction ultimately came down to preservation rather than market value. Her enormous final bid ensured that the artwork she created roughly four decades ago remained intact and returned to the person who understood its significance better than anyone.Do you think it was worth spending $250,000 to protect a one-off Porsche art car from potentially being repainted? Should historically significant custom cars like "Por She" be preserved exactly as their artists created them? Would you rather see this 911 displayed permanently in a museum or occasionally driven on the road? Let us know in the comments.If you want more stories like this, follow Guessing Headlights on Yahoo so you don't miss what's coming next.
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