Jerry Seinfeld has assembled one of the most respected Porsche collections in the world, and he shares it on his own terms. Retromobile New York has confirmed that four cars from that collection will be on display at the Javits Center for the show's American debut, November 19-22, offering visitors a rare opportunity to see them in person.
The selection reflects a deep command of Porsche history. It includes the most successful 908/03 ever built, the one-off 718 Spyder commissioned in its honor, a 550 Spyder with documented period race history and a Volkswagen pickup that celebrates one of America's great privateer Porsche teams. Each car connects to another in the group, giving the display a cohesive story.
The setting is fitting. Seinfeld has kept his collection in New York City for decades.
The Most Successful 908/03 Ever Built
Porsche developed the 908/03 for two specific races: the Targa Florio in Sicily and the Nürburgring 1000 km. Both rewarded agility on long, narrow and technical circuits, so Porsche created a compact 3.0-liter flat-eight spyder weighing about 545 kilograms, with the driver positioned so far forward that his feet sat ahead of the front wheels. Production totaled 13 cars.
Chassis 908/03-008 established the model's reputation. On May 3, 1970, Jo Siffert and Brian Redman drove it to victory at the Targa Florio for John Wyer's Gulf-sponsored team, wearing No. 12. After six and a half hours on the Madonie circuit, they crossed the line roughly a minute and 42 seconds ahead of the sister car of Leo Kinnunen and Pedro Rodríguez.
Four weeks later, the same chassis won the Nürburgring 1000 km for Porsche Salzburg with Vic Elford and Kurt Ahrens Jr. One year after that, in Martini Racing colors, Elford and Gérard Larrousse won the Nürburgring again. Three major victories with three different teams make 008 the most accomplished car of its type, and its 1970 wins played a central role in Porsche's manufacturers' championship that season.
Today, 008 is restored to its 1970 Targa Florio specification, and Seinfeld has publicly named it his most treasured possession, a meaningful distinction within a collection of this caliber.
A One-Off 718 Spyder Built to Match
The 718 Spyder makes an ideal companion. Seinfeld commissioned it from Porsche's Special Projects group, with Grant Larson overseeing the build, to mark the 50th anniversary of the 908/03's Targa Florio victory.
The 2021 car carries the race car's identity: PTS Gulf Blue beneath the No. 12, orange and green accents and a British flag decal. Illuminated door sills read "50 Jahre Targa Florio 1970-2020," and the VIN ends in 1970, a detail that reflects the care behind the project.
The pair was first shown together at the Porsche Zentrum in Monterey during Car Week in 2022. Retromobile New York now gives East Coast enthusiasts the opportunity to see both in Manhattan.
550 Spyder, Chassis 550-0041
The 550 Spyder is one of the foundational cars in Porsche's racing history, and chassis 550-0041 carries a well-documented story of its own.
Completed in May 1955, 550-0041 left the factory in silver with red darts and red upholstery, powered by a Type 547 four-cam engine. German driver Richard Trenkel took delivery and, within days, finished fourth overall in the Rhein Cup race at Hockenheim. Later that year, Dutch dealer and driver Mathieu Hezemans acquired the car and campaigned it across Europe into 1956, at times sharing driving duties with Carel Godin de Beaufort at circuits including Zandvoort, Solitude and the Nürburgring.
The Spyder arrived in California by 1960, where Vasek Polak's shop fitted a 1500 Super pushrod engine in place of the four-cam. One couple then cared for it for 22 years. A restoration completed in 1992 returned it to four-cam power, and the original engine case, No. 90037, remains with the car. In 1998, it received the Road & Track Trophy at Pebble Beach.
The Rennstall Bunker Tribute
The fourth car adds a welcome touch of period paddock culture. Alongside the Porsches is a 1958 Volkswagen T1 single-cab pickup built as a recreation of the Rennstall Bunker transporter, a design many enthusiasts will recognize from Schuco's scale model, complete with a 550 Spyder on the bed.
Rennstall is German for racing stable, and Bunker refers to Art Bunker, a Kansas City Volkswagen and Porsche dealer who raced Porsches throughout the 1950s, including 550 Spyders at Sebring and Nassau. He won the all-Porsche race at Nassau in December 1955 at the wheel of a 550. His team's extended VW pickup carried its race cars to events and has remained a favorite among transporter enthusiasts ever since.
Shown at the same event as a 550 Spyder, the truck completes the story. Early American Porsche racing often looked exactly like this: a dealer, a pickup, a Spyder on the bed and the road to the next race.
Plan Your Visit
Retromobile New York runs November 19-22 at the Javits Center in Manhattan. It's the first American edition of the Paris show, which has been a fixture of the European collector calendar since 1976.
The Seinfeld cars share the floor with a deep roster of dealers and exhibitors, plus Billy Joel's motorcycle collection, which crosses the block with no reserve. Tickets are on sale now at retromobile.us, and if you use the button below, you'll save 10%.
