Apparently, if you are the co-founder of WhatsApp, you can spend a lot of money on buying any and every car you want. That is exactly what Jan Koum has been doing. In the time since founding WhatsApp and eventually selling it to Facebook for a hefty sum, Koum has erected a handsome collection of Porsches. In fact, he has so many that he's selling off ten cars he doesn't use!
The ten Porsches are not just your regular run-of-the-mill production cars. Each one of them is a collectible in its own right. Koum is putting these cars up for auction through Gooding & Company's annual Amelia Island auction, Florida, on 8 March 2019.
“Many of these Porsches offered for sale are the best examples in the world and they are all an important part of my collection,” says Koum. “If I had unlimited time and unlimited garage space, I would never sell any of them, but nevertheless I'll be very happy to see the next owner enjoy driving these special cars on the road or on the racetrack-just as Porsche intended for them to be used.”
So let's begin with the treasures coming up for sale, shall we? First up are three Carrera RS models. Car number one is a 1992 Porsche 964 Carrera RS, one of only 1,910 lightweight models produced, delivered new in Italy, and finished in striking Blossom Yellow.
This Porsche 997 Carrera RS is one of the last air-cooled 911s, signaling the end of a glorious era at Stuttgart.
Next up is the 1993 Porsche 964 Carrera RS 3.8. Porsche only built 55 of these, with only 12 garbed in Speed Yellow. This particular car was sold new in Japan and is extremely low mileage, featuring in a book named “Porsche 964 Carrera RS 3.8”. The 1995 Porsche 993 Carrera RS 3.8 is the third car of the lot. It is the last of air-cooled Carrera RS cars, finished again in Speed Yellow with Porsche Exclusive department features.
There are seven more cars from Stuttgart up for grabs, and the first three are not even the best of them. Up next is the legendary Porsche 918 Spyder Weissach which has just 30km on the clock. One cannot get a better deal than this: a mint halo car from a legendary manufacturer. As you know, Porsche sent out severely limited numbers of the 918 hypercar out of its factory, 918 to be precise. Koum's example is one of only seven painted in Liquid Metal Chrome Blue.
Going back in time to the 997-generation Porsche 911s, there is a 2008 Porsche 997 GT3 RS 3.6 of which just 53 North American spec units were ever made in RS Green. This green 911 only shows about 20,000km. Moving two years ahead, we have the 2010 Porsche 997 GT3 RS 4.0 with carbon ceramic disc brakes, finished in an eye-catching livery made up of Grey Black and Red colour combination.
Following this is a 2011 Porsche 997 GT3 RS 4.0, one of 600 built. Of the 158 cars sent to the North American market, Koum's is the only one specified with carbon ceramic brakes, red and black two-tone interior, and adaptive sport seats. Critically, it sports less than 250km on the odometer.
This particular 2016 Porsche 911 R is the closest you can get to right-out-of-the-box. Its window stickers and extremely low mileage are a testimony to the fact.
The final 997-generation Porsche 911 in the lot is the famed Widowmaker: a 2011 Porsche 997 GT2 RS. Porsche built 500 of these, of which 142 made their way to North America. It sports Porsche's rare optional carbon fibre fenders and has seen less than a thousand klicks from new.
Koum is also parting with a 2016 Porsche Cayman GT4 specified in Signal Yellow with carbon ceramic brakes, carbon fibre bucket seats, radio delete option, and a lightweight battery. The Cayman has also been driven less than 800km.
Finally, perhaps the most unique 911 in Jan Koum's collection is also going under the hammer. A 2016 Porsche 911 R, one of only 991 examples built. This particular 911 R has those fetching twin red striped down its length, a radio delete option, lightweight bucket seats, and a single-mass flywheel. What's more, it comes with its original window sticker and delivery packaging from the factory. Talk about mint cars, eh?
Such a diverse collection from a single manufacturer, and we've been told Jan Koum is selling these ten because he does not use them as much. We are drooling at the thought of taking a look at the ones he does use, for they have to be even more exclusive than the ones he's putting up for sale. Now do you wish you had thought of WhatsApp?
Check out the latest prices and specifications of Porsche Cars in the UAE.
