Lot 245: 1973 Porsche 911 Carrera 2.7 RS

One of the most famous Porsches ever built, the Carrera RS has come to be regarded as one of the top sports cars to emerge from the 1970s. It was designed with ambivalence very much in mind: Porsche's engineers wanted a car that could be successfully used on the race track and the road. Few people could ever argue that they did not succeed in their aim, for the RS is an eminently useable car just as at home trickling through traffic as it is ploughing down the overtaking lane of the autobahn; yet when competing at Le Mans, Daytona and in the Targa Florio it was almost invincible, often winning outright against pure racing prototypes. The RS (for Rennsport) was based on the 911 model but used lightened bodywork and a revised 2.7 litre, fuel-injected version of the ubiquitous flat-six cylinder engine, the largest then used in a road-going Porsche. With a weight of around 950kg and an honest 210bhp on tap the RS could sprint from standstill to 60mph in just over five seconds and achieve a genuine 158mph; it was one of the fastest production cars in the world and still maintains the simple clear lines that so beguile those new to the Porsche scene and connoisseurs of the marque alike. It is no surprise that the essence of the 911 has not changed too much over the years. Ferdinand Porsche was famously quoted in response to a journalist at the launch of the new 911 asking why the doors were exactly the same as on the previous model. "It's a good door", replied Porsche. And, detail aside, the shape has remained the same. The difference with the Rennsport version lay under the skin and respect is what it quietly whispered in one's ear. This 1973 Porsche Carrera RS started life as a RS Touring version and was later converted during the '70s to lightweight specification by a well known Porsche specialist. This fantastic example has been fitted with a full roll cage, original specification lightweight seats and a sports exhaust. Comprehensively restored over the last two years to as new condition, according to the owner, this RS is finished in fabulous Gulf light blue and has been barely run-in. Complete with up to date German papers, FIA papers and the Porsche data sheet for the car, which confirms the original specification and colour scheme, together with a full photographic record of the restoration, this must be one of the best examples of the seminal 911 RS on the market.Questa Porsche Carrera RS venne alla luce nel 1973 in versione Touring e fu modificata durante gli anni '70 in versione Sport da un noto specialista Porsche. Questo fantastico esemplare stato dotato di una gabbia di protezione, sedili originali della versione Sport e marmitta sportiva. Come descritto dal venditore stata restaurata negli ultimi due anni e riportata in condizioni come nuova, stata finita in azzurro Gulf e da allora ha percorso pochissima strada. Completo di documenti tedeschi aggiornati, documenti FIA e del foglio di registro Porsche che conferma specifiche e colori originali, accompagnato con un servizio fotografico del restauro, questo deve essere uno dei migliori esemplari di 911 RS sul mercato.