Porsche 597 Jagdwagen: Rare prototype fetches more than 650,000 euros

Created: 2022-09-02 07:19

By: Sebastian Oppenheimer

In the mid-1950s, Porsche applied for a Bundeswehr order with the 597 Jagdwagen – a prototype was then auctioned off for a lot of money.

Update from September 2, 7:16 a.m .:

There are special Porsche models that are known to almost every car fan – in addition to the nine-eleven: legends like the Porsche 959, for example – or the 918 Spyder.

On the other hand, most people should march past a Porsche 597 Jagdwagen in a museum rather quickly – because very few people know it.

The vehicle, which looks nothing like a modern-day Porsche, is of enormous value.

A rare prototype of the Jagdwagen was sold at an auction in Monterey, California, for an enormous sum.

One bidder was willing to pay 665,000 US dollars (exactly the same amount in euros, as of early September 2022) for the rare vehicle.

You would also get two brand new Porsche 911 Turbo S Cabriolets - and a 911 Carrera 4 GTS as well.

But then you would not have such a rare vehicle in the garage.

For the buyer, the Porsche 597 Jagdwagen was almost a bargain, because the auction house had expected significantly higher proceeds: It had estimated the selling price at between 725,000 and 775,000 US dollars.

First report from July 31, 2022, 3:31 p.m.:

The Porsche brand is basically embodied in one model: the nine-eleven.

As the successor to the Porsche 356, it is still the symbol of the classic sports car to this day.

The attempt to replace it with the Porsche 928 in the early 1980s failed: the V8 Gran Turismo disappeared, but the nine-eleven remained.

Celebrities also liked to drive the 911 - for example, a copy owned by football legend Diego Maradona (†) exceeded all expectations at an auction.

At the beginning of the 2000s there was a real revolution: With the Cayenne, an SUV was added to the sports car model range of the Stuttgart car manufacturer.

But Porsche made its first foray into the world of off-road vehicles much earlier: in the mid-1950s, the company developed the 597 Jagdwagen as part of a tender for the German armed forces.

A prototype of the Porsche 597 Jagdwagen will soon be auctioned off.

(Iconic image) © Arnulf Hettrich/Imago

Porsche 597 Jagdwagen: Rare prototype could fetch more than 700,000 euros

The vehicle, which is being auctioned off by auction house RM Sotheby's, is one of just 22 military prototypes produced.

The vehicle is powered by a 1.5 liter boxer engine from the Porsche 356 - one of which was recently extensively converted for an expedition - with an output of 37 kW (50 hp).

Porsche 597 Jagdwagen: Prototypes showed numerous defects in Bundeswehr tests

However, a test of the Porsche 597 by the Bundeswehr in January 1956 revealed numerous defects: Among other things, there was a crack in the body, starter defects, axle shaft fractures and oil leaks.

Complaints were also made about the rear engine, which was considerably too loud, a windscreen that was too small and rattling seats.

The Porsche 597 never went into mass production for the Bundeswehr – also because the production costs would have been too high for Porsche and the factory would not have been able to deliver the required quantities in the scheduled time.

The major order for around 5,000 units went to Auto Union in Ingolstadt – for the DKW Munga.

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Porsche 597 Jagdwagen: Probably between 70 and 100 copies were made

Various numbers are circulating about the production figures: Allegedly, a total of 50 Porsche 597s were procured by the German Armed Forces - for testing beyond the test in 1956.

The last model from the Bundeswehr stocks was retired in 1972.

In addition to the military versions, around 50 civilian models were also ordered between 1955 and 1958.

A total of around 100 copies would have been built.

Other sources, however, report only 22 prototypes and a total of only 71 vehicles produced.

Porsche 597 Jagdwagen: Prototype number 5 will be auctioned in the USA

The 597 example, scheduled for auction in Monterey, California in mid-August, has chassis number 0005 and was produced between January 1954 and December 1955.

The car is painted in the contemporary Bundeswehr olive green, and the interior also follows this color scheme.

According to the text of the offer, the copy on offer was completely restored in Germany - the sales house expects a sales price of between 725,000 and 775,000 US dollars, the equivalent of between 709,000 and 758,000 euros (as of July 2022).

Incidentally, whether the price is high is merely a question of perspective: Compared to the most expensive car in the world - the Mercedes 300 SLR Uhlenhaut Coupé - the Porsche is a real bargain.

The Mercedes was auctioned for 135 million euros.