Jerry Seinfeld Turns Down $25M for His 1969 Porsche 917K

If somebody knocked on your door and offered $25 million for one of the old cars sitting in your yard, 99.9999% of you reading this would likely jump at the opportunity. Jerry Seinfeld, however, operates differently because when one of his classic Porsches went up for sale at Mecum’s Kissimmee event this weekend, the bid went up to the 25 mill, but—get this—it didn’t meet Seinfeld’s undisclosed reserve price.

That said, this wasn’t your average hooptie. It was a 1969 Porsche 917K with quite a starry history. The 917 was the car Porsche won Le Mans for the first time in 1970, and this particular example (Porsche built just 65) was purchased new by one Steve McQueen. It was used as the star car in the 1971 movie Le Mans in which McQueen starred. Throughout the years, chassis 917-022 went through multiple owners, ultimately ending up in the hands of comedy icon and prolific Porsche collector Jerry Seinfeld, who has described it as “the greatest car I’ve ever owned.”

With that sort of pedigree, I’m not gonna say turning down the $25 million was justified, but it becomes a bit more understandable. Oh, and in case you missed it, Jerry is a billionaire now, so there’s also that.

In any case, the crowd at Kissimmee was understandably disappointed when the storied Porsche crossed the auction block without actually selling, in spite of the sky-high bid.

I’m personally not that familiar with the show, but I’ve seen enough to feel like this is the sort of Curb-esque premise that would be the subject of a whole episode of Seinfeld. Being offered a sum of money most people would chop a limb for in exchange for a car, and turning it down? Costanza would balk, but Kramer would surprisingly but unsurprisingly get it.

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