Academy Award-winning director and celebrated Hollywood star Robert Redford was also a long-time Porsche fan, owning and driving many both on and off screen.
While the actor is best known for his performances as an actor and director, the Horse Whisperer (1998) was something of a ‘Porsche Whisperer’, and once owned an incredibly rare and valuable part of Porsche road and racing history, a Porsche 904.
Redford’s 1964 Porsche 904 Carrera GTS was chassis number 12 of an estimated 106 produced and was the second car to be sold to a private customer.
Powered by a 148kW 2.0-litre four-cylinder quad-cam engine sourced from the 356, the 904 was created to compete in sports-car racing series and featured a ladder frame chassis with a fibreglass body. The 904 GTS was a success for Porsche, with cars taking first and second in the 1964 Targa Florio road race and second in the 1965 Monte Carlo Rally.
Chassis 904 012 was built in January 1964 and was originally painted silver with a blue cloth interior. Once it rolled out of the factory, it was immediately transported (by air, no less) from Germany to the USA with plans to race in the forthcoming season.
It was painted blue with a silver snout for the 1965 season, but then in 1966, it was offered for sale and purchased by Hollywood actor Robert Redford.
Redford was a successful supporting actor at the time, but still a few years from his breakout role alongside fellow ‘car guy’ Paul Newman in Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid (1969).
The actor owned the 904 GTS for almost ten years before it moved through numerous hands, ending up with a Belgian Porsche enthusiast in 1982. The car underwent a full restoration in the 1990s, which included being repowered by a 2.0-litre 911 six-cylinder engine and repainting in Irish Green.
The 904 was auctioned in 2019 and then again in 2022 by Bonhams, where it sold for €1,345,500 ($A2.4m). The highest recorded price paid for a Porsche 904 Carrera GTS was $US2,535,000 ($A3.8m) for a red example in June 2023.
Robert Redford passed away on September 16 2025, aged 89.
With over 20 years of experience in digital publishing, James Ward has worked within the automotive landscape since 2007 and brings experience from the publishing, manufacturer and lifestyle side of the industry together to spearhead Drive's multi-media content direction.
