I know what you’re thinking: another article about a Porsche Carrera GT sold on Bring a Trailer? We’re over it, too. This one didn’t even break any auction records, trading hands for a mere US$1,865,000! But we figured it still merited some attention for a few reasons.
What sets this Porsche Carrera GT apart from the several others that have crossed the digital auction block at Bring a Trailer recently – man, I’ve typed out that phrase in way too many articles this year – is its pedigree, specifically the fact it was bought new by noted car collector Jerry Seinfeld, who I’ve heard also occasionally tells jokes.
The funnyman acquired the car from Manhattan Motor Cars of New York City in January of 2005, for US$448,300, and held onto it until 2011, when he liquidated it from his garage. The current owner picked it up in 2015, and has barely moved the odometer needle in the seven years since, with total mileage clocking in at a mere 3,700 miles (5,950 km).
The actual spec is none too fancy, with the Porsche wearing a handsome but conventional black over dark gray interior. Like every other CGT, it rocks a 5.7-litre V10 and a six-speed manual.
A 2004 Porsche Carrera GT bought new by Jerry Seinfeld Photo by Bring a Trailer
A 2004 Porsche Carrera GT bought new by Jerry Seinfeld Photo by Bring a Trailer
A 2004 Porsche Carrera GT bought new by Jerry Seinfeld Photo by Bring a Trailer
A 2004 Porsche Carrera GT bought new by Jerry Seinfeld Photo by Bring a Trailer
A 2004 Porsche Carrera GT bought new by Jerry Seinfeld Photo by Bring a Trailer
Looking into our crystal ball, we wondered whether the car’s celebrity tie-in might push the Porsche past the $2-million mark, which another CGT on Bring a Trailer landed on in mid-January of this year. Instead – perhaps tempered by its spec – it fell just a little short of that threshold, netting US$1.865 million.
That’s still a very respectable price, considering insurer Hagerty says best-in-the-world pristine examples typically go for closer to US$1.5 million.
The car, which was sold with no reserve, ended up in the hands of a first-time BaT bidder, Auto-Focus. It was sold by Bill Noon of Symbolic International – “a world-renowned dealership with an impressive inventory of classic and competition automobiles” – whose first Bring a Trailer sale dates to 2012!
On the same day as the Porsche sale, Noon also let go of a 1964 Volkswagen Type 2 previously owned by Seinfeld. The pearl-white camper van hammered for a much more modest US$120,000, roughly 50 per cent higher than most mint-condition examples of the same might sell for.
Keyword: Porsche bought new by Seinfeld nears $2-million sale price