$500,000 will buy you this stunning replica of the only race car Apple ever sponsored

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Apple Car replica
What better way to turn up to the Apple Park tour once things reopen after lockdown?
Photo: DuPont Registry

Have $499,000 to spare and looking to show off your Apple fandom credentials? A replica of the Apple-sponsored 1979 Porsche 935 K3 race car, which once raced at Le Mans, has shown up for sale online.

Apple sponsored the original car, operated by racing team Dick Barbour Racing, in 1980, only a few years into Apple’s history. That vehicle, which features the Apple Computer name and rainbow colors, is now part of radio host and podcaster Adam Corolla’s extensive car collection. While the model for sale here is just a replica, it’s still a pretty stunning collector’s piece — as suggested by the sizable asking price.

A 2016 profile of the original car by The Drive notes that:

“The idea [for Apple] to sponsor a racecar came from Bob Garretson, who ran a race shop in Mountain View, just a few miles from Cupertino. In 1980, Jobs dropped by with Steve Wozniak to have some work done on his 356. They all hit it off. Soon, Apple Computers became the main sponsor for Garretson’s race team.”

Recreating the original Apple Car

The car only competed in a handful of races, although it picked up something of a cult following. This replica, spotted by Apple Insider over the weekend, re-creates the original with a few tweaks. A DuPont Registry sales listing notes that the car “actually has many GT2 components. These include a, “3.8 TT built by Bob Holcomb, GT2 6 speed transmission and the complete double wish-bone 993 rear suspension module was expertly grafted into the 911 tub.”

The car is available to buy for $500k. Alternatively, if you’d rather pay for it by the month, you can do so with monthly payments of $4,415. Or you could just wait for the actual Apple Car, which Apple has reportedly been working on for the past few years. It’s unlikely to look quite like this automative beauty, however.

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