Porsche Typ 718 RSK Sport Spyder

“The 1959 Sebring 12-Hours provided the Americans Sesslar/Holbert and their RSK with victory in the 1,500 cc class from the works RSK driven by Barth/John Fitch…and fourth overall behind two three-liter Ferraris and the larger works RSK of Trips/Bonnier…” – Richard von Frankenberg, “Porsche: The Man and His Cars.”

Of all Porsche competition sports cars of the 1950s, the incredibly fast and agile Typ 718 RSK is probably the best known. It was developed for the 1958 season to replace the successful 550A Spyder, based upon a lightened spaceframe chassis, and only some 34 were built.

The car pictured here is a particularly little-used example that was apparently acquired by Ray Heppenstall from Don Pedro “Papa” Rodriquez – famous father of those two great Mexican racing drivers Ricardo and Pedro Rodriguez – circa 1959 who passed it to Bernie Viel and Bob Holbert, contemporary American SCCA Champion with his stable of three Porsches.

Holbert sold...