Barth's Own Rally-Bred 1980 Porsche 924 Turbo GT 'Monte Carlo' Heads to AuctionMotoriousElizabeth PuckettThu, September 10, 2026 at 12:00 PM UTCAdd us on GoogleBarth's Own Rally-Bred 1980 Porsche 924 Turbo GT 'Monte Carlo' Heads to AuctionLong before it became a road-going legend, the Porsche 924 Carrera GT cut its teeth on the icy hairpins of the Monte Carlo Rally, and now the actual test mule behind that program is heading to auction. Currently listed on Hagerty Marketplace, this 1980 Porsche 924 Turbo GT, nicknamed "Monte Carlo," is chassis number 93A0190001, a hand-built factory special that was campaigned personally by Porsche racing legend Jurgen Barth.Porsche's turbocharged 924 program grew out of the twilight of the 935 racing era, as new FIA rules pushed the factory toward a smaller, four-cylinder platform for its next-generation competition car. Barth, a Le Mans-winning driver who also ran Porsche's customer racing operation, worked closely with engineers to build a largely hand-assembled version of the 2.0-liter inline-four, complete with a turbocharger and intercooler. That effort led to the Carrera GT concept shown at the 1979 Frankfurt Motor Show, and to homologate the car for GT competition, Porsche needed a production road version to follow.Before that road car ever reached showrooms, though, this very chassis was built as a rally-prepped development car and handed to Barth just weeks before the 1980 Monte Carlo Rally. Riding on a raised suspension with a gutted, roll-caged interior, auxiliary lighting, bolt-on fender flares, and a five-speed manual gearbox, it wore a striking white livery with Hugo Boss branding, one of the earliest examples of that fashion house's foray into motorsport sponsorship. Barth finished sixth in class on the car's debut and returned to campaign it again at Monte Carlo in 1981, cementing its place as the proving ground for what would become the 924 Carrera GT and the ultra-rare Carrera GTR race car.AdvertisementAdvertisementBarth kept the car in his personal collection for more than four decades following its rally career, and it still wears its original 1981 Boss livery along with genuine wear from its competition days. The current owner acquired the car directly from Barth in 2022, and it comes with a trove of period photographs, German registration paperwork, and two rally helmets worn by Barth and co-driver Roland Kussmaul. So respected is this particular chassis that a tribute car built in its honor was driven by Barth himself at the 2019 Monte Carlo Historic Rally, nearly forty years after the original ran the event.Now offered without reserve as part of The Autobahn Speed Collection auction, the 924 Turbo GT is a rare chance to own a genuine piece of Porsche competition history rather than a replica or tribute build. The car does not currently run and will need real recommissioning work, but for the right buyer, that's a small price to pay for a machine that helped pave the way for one of Porsche's most important homologation specials. Bidding was already well into five figures as of this writing, with the auction set to close on September 30.⚡️ Read the full article on MotoriousSign up for the Motorious Newsletter. For the latest news, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
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