BOLD RIDE
Back in the early ’70s, Porsche brought back the Carrera nameplate for an ambitious 911-based racing program, with engineer Norbert Singer heading the project. After the successful but expensive 917 program had run its course, the aim was to get the 911 ready for FIA’s Group 4, and this meant both significant modification and a production run of at least 500 units.
The starting point was the already quite potent 2.4-liter 911 S. To give it the Carrera treatment, Porsche enlarged the motor to 2.7 liters, beefed up the suspension, gave it aggressive fender flares to make room for the wider Fuchs alloy wheels, and fitted a Bürzel, also known as a ducktail spoiler.
Completing the now familiar Porsche formula of adding power and subtracting weight, the new Carrera RS 2.7 also featured thinner steel and lighter glass in the bodywork as well as a fiberglass deck lid. The interior was also stripped of carpets, sound deadening materials and even the back seats. The result was a car with 210 horsepower (20 more than the 911 S) that weighed 2,300 pounds.
Porsche only needed to build 500 examples before going racing, but high demand brought the total production to over three times that number. That’s still an incredibly small batch of cars, however, and today these cars are extremely collectible for their rarity and for their status as the ultimate classic 911.
The earliest examples were ultra-lightweights, but the car pictured is a 1973 Porsche 911 Carrera RS 2.7 Touring, which was the more usable version that saw the return of at least a few creature comforts like carpeting and insulation. It has just 1,000 miles on a 2012 restoration and has been a proven concours car over the past couple of years.
The car will be offered for public sale at RM’s Amelia Island sale next month. Carrera RS 2.7s have been collectible for a long time, but in terms of value they have especially been swept along by the huge surge in Porsche prices recently. They are easily $500,000 cars in today’s auction market, and strong examples take significantly more.
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