It’s not everyday you have the chance to buy a car from a living legend, much less an incredibly rare Porsche->ke1 race car,->ke148 but here we are. Built in 1961, this 1-of-14 Porsche 718 RS 61 is being sold on behalf of Sir Stirling Moss at the Bonhams Auctions event at the 2015 Goodwood Festival of Speed->ke3879 in June, where it’s expected to fetch a staggering $3 million.

Sir Stirling has quite a history with the Porsche 718. He shared a 718 RS 60 (the nearly identical predecessor to the RS 61) with Graham Hill at the 1961 Targa Florio, a race won by 718s in 1956, 1959 and 1960. Unfortunately, the car’s transmission failed while leading, just a few miles from the finish line. He teamed up with Hill again in a 718 RS 61 for the Nürburgring 1,000 kilometer race. Amazingly, it snowed during the race (as if the Nürburgring weren’t terrifying enough), but the lightweight Porsche handled well in the abhorrent conditions. The duo almost worked their way into the lead, when, again, it broke.

Despite, his lousy luck with the car, Moss liked the 718 so much that he bought an RS 61, chassis No. 718-070, for himself a few years ago and drove it competitively in historic events, including Le Mans->ke1591 Classic and the Goodwood Festival of Speed. You can do the same if you’re able to find a few million dollars in your couch cushions.

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Why it matters

The 718 was an evolution of the 550 Spyder, and spawned several variants. The RS 61 was the second of these. It was originally powered by a 1.6-liter flat-four producing around 180 horsepower, but many owners swapped these out for larger engines. Sir Stirling’s car has a 1.7-liter, but some went as big as 2.0 liters. Later coupe->ke141 versions were even fitted with flat-eight engines.

Before Moss owned it, this particular 718 spent its formative years racing in the United States. It was first restored in 1969 and again more recently by Porsche specialist Andy Prill in England. RM Auctions sold another 718 RS 61 in equally good condition for $2,750,000 in 2014. Given this one’s previous owner, we wouldn’t be surprised to see it exceed the estimated hammer price of $3 million.