From Herbert von Karajan to LeBron James, Bill Gates to Rihanna, and Steve McQueen to Maria Sharapova, the order book history of the Porsche 911 includes some of the most influential names of the 20th and 21st centuries. Unsurprisingly, ownership of the model has proved similarly coveted in motor racing circles; although few high-octane 911 owners—past or present—can match the sheer charisma or “cool factor” of the late, great Jochen Rindt.

Despite a troubled upbringing, Rindt’s rise through the motor racing ranks was nothing less than meteoric. In October 1961, as a callow 19-year-old, he contested his first race in his grandmother’s diminutive Simca Montlhéry—yet within three years he had competed in his first Grand Prix, and in the 24 Hours of Le Mans. However, 1965 was to prove his breakthrough year; a full Grand Prix season with Cooper yielding his first World Championship points, and Le Mans an unexpected victory with Masten Gregory in a N.A.R.T-entered Ferrari 250 LM; that very car sold earlier this year by RM Sotheby’s.

Significantly, 1965 also marked the beginning of his professional relationship with Porsche. Over the next five years—until his untimely death in practice for the 1970 Italian Grand Prix—Rindt would remain one of the cornerstones of Porsche’s long-distance racing programme; the Austrian piloting factory-entered 906, 907, and 910 prototypes, as well as a privately-owned 908/02. In June 1967, and in recognition of his factory driver status, Rindt was gifted this very 911 S, chassis number 308139S. Originally delivered via Porsche’s Austrian importers Porsche Konstruktionen KG Salzburg with the local registration number S8.491, significantly it lists its illustrious former keeper as “kunden”—customer—on its accompanying Wagen-Karte.

As with many of his peers, Rindt dovetailed his Formula 1 and Sportscar commitments with racing in other formulae; his hectic 1967 schedule also encompassed the British, French, and European Formula 2 Championships with the Winkelmann Racing Brabham team. Consequently, the distinctive Bahama Yellow 911 was often employed for trans-continental road trips, and became a regular sight at European race circuits. Significantly, the Austrian dominated all three Championships that year; some 11 wins from 19 starts cementing his unofficial title of “King of Formula 2”.

A move from Cooper to Brabham for the 1968 Formula 1 season proved ill-starred; the latter’s Repco engines proving no match for the standard-setting Ford DFVs used by the likes of Lotus, McLaren, and Matra. The Porsche was retained by Rindt for the majority of the year, although a move to Lotus for 1969 saw his erstwhile “company car” superseded–much to his chagrin–by the complimentary but relatively mundane Ford Mustang provided by his incoming engine suppliers.

Chassis 308139S reverted to Porsche Salzburg’s care in late 1968, whereupon it was prepared for rallying and re-registered S16.193. Duly entrusted to veteran Kenyan driver Joginder Singh—later to become the first three-time winner of the Safari Rally—the car’s first known event was the 40th Internationale Österreichische Alpenfahrt, in May 1969. “The Flying Sikh” and co-driver Peter Jakl were pitted against the likes of Hannu Mikkola, Simo Lampinen, and Paddy Hopkirk, but despite three top ten stage finishes, their rally ended in retirement.

Barely a fortnight later Singh bounced back to finish a creditable third overall on the Vienna-based Internationale Semperit Rally, while the car’s next outing was in the 1970 Rallye Lyon-Charbonnières-Stuttgart-Solitude, in which it was to be shared by Walter Pöltinger and his navigator Manfred Stepany. Once again, the entry for the gruelling near-2,000 kilometre event was of high quality—boasting the likes of Andruet, Darniche, and Ragnotti—yet the pair finished a noteworthy second in class, and 25th overall.

Just a month later, in April 1970, ownership of 308139S passed to the Austrian Funder OHG Rally team; the car consequently being re-registered once again as K60.133. May saw it contest the Internationale Österreichische Alpenfahrt, in which Porsche specialist—and subsequent WRC driver—Klaus Russling and co-driver Gerd Eggenberger finished a fine tenth overall and second in class. Significantly, some four of the nine cars ahead at the finish were factory entries from Saab, Ford, Alpine-Renault, and Lancia, while future WRC Champion Björn Waldegård emerged victorious in a similar Porsche 911S. The Internationale Donau Elan-Elf Rallye in late July 1970 represented the car’s competitive swansong. On this occasion, Russling was co-driven by Franz Mikes, although two top ten stage finishes proved scant consolation for their eventual retirement from the event.

Following the conclusion of its competitive career, 308139S passed through a succession of private Austrian owners and it fell into a state of disrepair, having been modified to present as a later G-Series 911, which was not uncommon for early 911s at the time. Importantly, the car’s early history remained known and it eventually passed into the hands of the noted Porsche historian and author Dr. Georg Konradsheim. In 2011, the car was acquired by the present—appropriately, Viennese—custodian, in whose care it has remained ever since. During this time, the car was entrusted to an Austrian marque specialist for an exhaustive 2½-year nut-and-bolt restoration to original factory specification, at a cost in excess of €200,000 bringing it back to its original colours of Bahama Yellow over black leatherette. Great emphasis was placed on retaining as many of the car’s original components as possible, while utilizing new old stock parts only where absolutely necessary. Finally, the car was featured in Christophorus magazine in the March 2021 issue.

Used only sparingly since, 308139S offers an irresistible combination of the superior 911 S technical specification, unimpeachable provenance, and a poignant association with Formula One’s only posthumous World Champion—not to mention a rich and varied rally history. Consequently, it represents one of the most significant pre-impact bumper 911s to be offered in recent years, and one worthy of due consideration by any appropriately discerning Porsche—or indeed Rindt—aficionado.