Adam Carolla recently purchased himself one of the most iconic Porsches: Paul Newman’s 1979 Porsche 935. How much did this purchase cost him? A hefty $4.4 million, making it one heck of a car with one heck of a price tag.
To make up for this purchase, he’s selling four of his beloved Lamborghini: a 1965 350GT, 1969 Islero, 1969 Miura P400S and a 1970 Miura P400S with an SV body conversion.
We at duPont REGISTRY had the pleasure of interviewing Carolla regarding his Lamborghinis and his latest purchase. Enjoy!
Autofluence: What prompted the purchase of these vehicles?
Carolla: “I always thought Lamborghinis were more interesting and they are always made in far fewer amounts. Take something like the 350GT and compare it to the Ferrari of its day. For example, the 1964 Ferrari Lusso, that’s a beautiful car that was a two cam– the 350GT was a four cam. The Lusso had three carbs, while the 350GT had six. And there were only 120 of the 350GTs made, making them small-batch cars. As far as 1960’s Italian, the Islero has a healthy powerplant for an introductory Lamborghini and they were produced in far fewer numbers than the Ferrari Daytona, which are more expensive. I honestly bought each of these cars to enjoy them and as investments.”
AF: What’s it been like caring for these classic?
Carolla: “I start them up, put them on a trickle charge…honestly, not a whole lot over the years as they’ve been garage-kept. But when I made the decision to sell them, I took all of them and made sure they all looked and ran right. I went over every car, had the carbs tuned and had Franco’s European do all the real fine tuning. In the end, all of them needed to look and be correct, and it was an excuse for me to perfect these cars.”
AF: Which car are you going to miss the most?
Carolla: Definitely the 350GT. It’s so iconic and 60’s. No one ever sees one. Like, I went to the Italia Concours, they had everything Italian, but no 350GT.
AF: What made you decide to buy Paul Newman’s Porsche?
Carolla: Well, I made the documentary about Paul Newman’s racing career. This had me spending hours and days and weeks putting together the segment of him going to Le Mans. I sat and watched all the footage of the car, and I figured the car had to be sitting in a private collection. Surprisingly, it popped up on Gooding & Company. I saw it and knew it was going to be expensive, but I knew I’d never have another shot at it. It’s one of the most iconic 935’s on the planet. I could buy another 350GT or Islero in the future, but not this car.
AF: Have you driven the Porsche yet?
Carolla: Not yet, but I plan on taking it to the Laguna Seca for the Rolex Monterey Motorsports Reunion for three days. I just want to drive a 935 so badly, and I don’t plan on going slow. Whatever happens will happen.
AF: Is there any advice you’d give to an aspiring car collector?
Carolla: Do your homework, there’s so much on the internet, and don’t be scared to wring em out.
