Lot 131: 1974 Porsche 911 3.0-Litre Carrera RS Group 3 Coupe

�The Carrera paid off in circuit racing� when a prototype fitted with a 3-litre engine outlasted the Matras and Gulf Mirages to win the Daytona 24-hour race� went to Sebring and won again� then returned to Europe (and) pulled off a shock victory in the Targa Florio (then) went on to take fourth place at Le Mans,� � Porsche, Chris Harvey, 1980.

Porsche revived the Carrera name for its luxuriously equipped, top-of-the-range 911 in 1973. Designated �Carrera RS�, the newcomer was intended as a limited edition product for Group 4 GT racing, a class that required a minimum of 500 built. However, the resulting demand for this fabulous car proved so great that the production run was later extended by 1,000-or-so units. Based on a lightened 911S platform, the Carrera RS featured revised suspension and wider rear wheels (beneath flared �arches) for improved handling, while the 2.7-litre, fuel-injected, air-cooled six-cylinder engine�s 210bhp boosted top speed to around 150mph. Not merely a styling gimmick, the Carrera�s trademark �duck�s tail� spoiler made a vital contribution to high-speed stability, a virtue of increasing importance as power outputs continued to rise.

Announced at the same time, the lightweight version was the out-and-out GT racer. Indeed, homologation demanded that the cars be built in this form; customers wishing to purchase a Carrera RS for the road having to specify the Touring package (order number �472�) which cost an extra DM 2,500 (�430) and offered the greater comfort of the 911S�s trimmed and upholstered interior. Weighing a mere 900kgs (dry) courtesy of thinner body panels and Spartan interior, the Carrera RS Lightweight raised the 911�s performance to new, even more exulted levels, immediately proving itself a winner in both rallies and circuit races.

�The power and torque of this engine, and the wide rev-band, really do make this latest Porsche a shattering performer with out the necessity of �doing a Vic Elford�,� reckoned Motor Sport�s inimitable Denis Jenkison, who appreciated also its well-sorted suspension. �The joy of such suspension is that you can ignore road surfaces, undulations, irregularities and so on, and put all your driving concentration into speed judgement and direction, and it is no wonder that Porsches excel in the Targa Florio or round the Nurburgring.�

This Carrera RS has the later, 3.0-litre engine and comes with Porsche Certificate stating that it was prepared originally to FIA Group 3 specification is one of only 56 made. The car is presented in fully restored condition, having been rebuilt from the chassis upwards between September 2005 and November 2006 by respected marque specialist Marc de Siebenthal in Switzerland. It is offered with UK Swansea V5 registration document.

Motor Sport summarised the Carrera RS thus: �Nothing that is desirable comes easily or cheaply and the Carrera RS is no exception, but without question it is one of the great cars of the 1970s; the personification of GT motoring and race breeding,� sentiments with which we can only concur.




Cette Carrera RS �quip�e du dernier moteur trois litres est accompagn�e d�une attestation de Porsche �tablissant qu�elle fut pr�par�e � l�origine conform�ment au r�glement du Groupe 3 et qu�elle fit partie d�un lot de 56 voitures homologu�es. Elle se pr�sente totalement restaur�e apr�s une reconstruction � depuis le ch�ssis � effectu�e entre septembre 2005 et novembre 2006 par le r�put� sp�cialiste de la marque Marc de Siebenthal en Suisse. Elle est offerte avec son document d�immatriculation V5 de Swansea. Le magazine Motor Sport r�suma ainsi son impression sur la Carrera :
� Rien de ce qui d�sirable n�est bon march� ni facile � obtenir et la Carrera RS ne fait pas exception, mais sans aucun doute, elle fait partie des grandes voitures des ann�es 1970. Elle personnifie le grand tourisme et la race �. Une conclusion que nous ne pouvons que partager.