Estimated Price:

$300,000 - $400,000

Realized Price:

$334,000

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Chassis No. 911 360 0012
Engine No. 6630022

Signal yellow with black interior, black and white checked 'houndstooth' inserts to the front seats

Engine: six cylinder, air-cooled, 2,687cc, 210bhp at 6,300rpm; Gearbox: five speed manual; Suspension: independent all around with wishbones, transverse torsion bars, anti-roll bar to the front and semi-trailing arms with transverse torsion bars and anti-roll bar to the rear; Brakes: hydraulic disc all around. Left hand drive.

The classic 2.7 Carrera RS was created in 1972 and was developed from the 911S series as the basis of Porsche's assault on the international 3 liter classes. It is one of the most famous Porsche road cars ever built and is now regarded as one of the top five sports cars to emerge from the 1970s. Its versatility is hardly surprising as the 911 series was designed from the start to be equally suitable for competition and series production. The RS is highly usable, content both trickling through traffic and competing on the race track. It is a truly formidable race car.

Thanks to a Nikasil coating on the cylinder walls, the existing 2.4 engine from the then current S was able to be bored out to a capacity of 2,687cc. The 2.7 liter fuel injected six cylinder air-cooled engine was the largest used on a road-going Porsche at the time, capable of 158mph, accelerating from standstill to 60mph in just over five seconds. Combined with an excellent gear change, powerful yet responsive brakes and precise handling, the Carrera RS was more than a match for any Ferrari Dino! Only 1,580 2.7 RS Carreras were built in total.

Initially the new 2.7 derivative was due to be known as the 2.7 S and it is acknowledged that nine pre-production road car 2.7 prototypes were built. The vehicle we offer is the second such example having been completed in April 1972, some six months before the first run of production cars were assembled. Various letters on file from Porsche whilst corresponding with several owners also confirm this early production date. Early factory promotional materials depict this car and it is easily identifiable not only by the color but due to the fact that it did not originally sport a ducktail rear wing - a signature feature of the production cars.

Porsche retained the car until the RS production run had been completed and judging from early Austrian registration documents that are on file, the car passed to the talented young Works driver Helmut Koinigg who took ownership on 26 September 1973. It is reputed that the car was a gift yet he was not content with the signal yellow exterior thus requested the car be painted white. One of these documents pictures the car and a rear spoiler had been added at this time also. An Austrian native, Koinigg had raced for the Porsche team at Le Mans in 1974 and had a promising career ahead of him, sadly whilst practicing for the 1974 US Grand Prix at Watkins Glen he was tragically killed.

The next owner was a fellow Austrian Helmut Gold who acquired the car on February 27, 1975. A Vienna resident, he reputedly traveled extensively with the car even taking it as far as Africa. Gold repainted the car to the original color and it remained in his ownership until 28th August 1986 when it was sold back to Germany. It then passed to Erich Weidener from Memminghem who restored the car and painted it white again. In 1990 it was purchased by Friedhelm Tang of Bonn who kept the car for a number of years before it was sold locally to Christopher Stahl who (despite having already started to restore the car) sold it to David Mohlman under the guidance of Edmond Harris in the UK.

The decision was taken to restore the car in the UK to original factory guise at BS Motorsport with the engine and gearbox left to Manfred Rugen in Germany to undertake. Fresh from completion the car was then sold to the current owner.

Condition today is a sheer delight and even to the casual onlooker it is easy to begin to scratch one's scalp thanks to the combination of RS bumpers, deleted rear spoiler, 6x15 inch (front) and 7x15 inch (rear) wheels, simple 'S' badging and the adorable houndstooth front seats. It is both a testament to Porsche for building a truly usable prototype rather than a hacked mule and the attention paid during restoration that we are able to appreciate this extremely important 2.7 RS Prototype as it is today. With the current wave of renewed enthusiasm for the 2.7 RS this hugely significant example is certainly one of the most important and individual of the bunch, and would surely be a centerpiece in any of most discerning collections worldwide.