THE PERFECT ALL-ROUNDER
A 3.0 RS that won its class at Le Mans – and competed in the Monte Carlo Rally
Looking back to the mid-1970s, two letters have come to define one of the most successful eras in Porsche competition history: RS. For the 1973 model year, the now legendary 2.7 Carrera RS in both Touring and M471 ‘lightweight’ specification proved beyond doubt that the 911 was truly versatile, equally at home on the public road as it was on the twists and turns of a race track or rough, tough rally stage. It was truly a car you could drive to work on a Monday after enjoying a weekend’s motorsport. In its ultimate guise – the 2.8 RSR – the 911 Carrera proved to be a valuable weapon in Porsche’s armoury. But almost from its inception, its days were numbered.
The 2.8 RSR had proved its worth on the track with wins in the European GT Championship and the IMSA Camel GT series in the USA, but the imminent arrival of the G-series ‘impact bumper’ 911 for the 1974 model year, and the fact that it was not feasible to develop the 2.8 RSR further, led Porsche to embark on new RS projects: the 3.0 RS and RSR.
One problem with the original RSR was that rules only allowed the wheel arches of the production car (ie, 2.7 Carrera RS in this instance) to be widened by a maximum of two inches, to enable the fitment of fatter tyres for racing. On paper it appeared that if you wished to fit wider wheels and tyres, it would be necessary to start with a wider homologated bodyshell, which did not exist.
But the race department spotted a loophole in the regulations which said that an ‘evolution’ version of the homologated car could be accepted as long as a minimum of 100 cars were produced. The swap to the latest styling allowed the marketing department to promote the new Gseries models off the back of the new race-oriented version (as it turned out, 55 of the 3.0 RS were built, along with 54 3.0 RSRS, making a total of 109 cars).
The 3.0 RS featured the wider wings of the 2.8 RSR, which could be further widened to Rsr-spec for use in Group 4 (GT) competition. The regular – if you can use such an expression – 3.0 RS was supplied with 8J and 9J x 15 Fuchs wheels, front and rear, shod with 215/60 VR 15 and 235/60 VR 15 Pirelli CN36 tyres. For Group 3 the RS was equipped with 9J and 11J rims, front and rear, with a choice of race tyres to suit.
In addition to the wider arches, the 3.0 RS featured a front spoiler with provision for a central oil cooler, and ducts to feed cooling air to the front brakes. Bumpers, bonnet and engine lid were glassfibre to save weight. Speaking of which, the RS featured thin-gauge steel for the roof, dashboard and door panels, all in an effort to keep the weight as close to 900kg as possible.
The brake system was far superior to that of the old RS
“BUT THE RACE DEPARTMENT SPOTTED A LOOPHOLE…”
and RSR models, which had relied on aluminium 911S calipers, with big cross-drilled vented discs and matching calipers from the 917 (and early 930 Turbo). Brake bias between the dual 17mm and 22mm master cylinders was adjustable via a balance bar set-up.
With the exception of a new three-spoke steering wheel to match that of the 1974-year 911 road cars, the stripped-out cockpit was much like that of the M471 2.7 Carrera’s in
that the seats were simple lightweight buckets, while the rear seats, armrests, glove box lid and clock were deleted. Rubber mats replaced the carpets and sound-deadening materials, doors were pulled closed by cords in place of regular handles. Four-point harnesses and mounting points for a roll cage were further evidence of the 3.0 RS’S intended usage.
The 3.0 RS was equipped with what in many ways was essentially a development of the previous 2.8 RSR engine, but slightly detuned to make it better suited for road use. The compression ratio was dropped from 10.3:1 to 9.8:1, while the twin-plug ignition system was swapped for a more conventional single-plug set-up. Induction was via a mechanical fuel-injection (MFI) system, similar to that used on the 2.7 RS. The major departure was the change from a magnesium crankcase to one cast from aluminium, which was heavier but stronger than the original. A bore of 95mm combined with a stroke of 70.4mm resulted in a capacity of 2993cc, which saw the engine achieve an output of 230bhp at 6200rpm and 204lb ft of torque at 5000rpm on the dyno.
By way of contrast, the RSR version developed 330bhp at 8000rpm, with 233lb ft of torque at 6500rpm. The increase in output was achieved principally through a change of cam profile (to Carrera 6 spec), slide injection and a dual-plug ignition system. Valve sizes remained the same as for the 3.0 RS. Both models used a Type 915 five-speed transmission with its own separate oil pump and serpentine cooler, and a ZF limited-slip differential.
Suspension-wise, the 3.0 RS followed virtually the same path as the 2.8 RSR, with an aluminium front crossmember, reinforced steering arms and Bilstein dampers. Front torsion bars were 19mm in diameter, used with an 18mm anti-roll
bar. At the rear, 26mm torsion bars were used alongside an 18mm anti-roll bar. Coil springs were available as part of a
‘race’ package, these being in either steel or titanium. In the case of the latter, the standard Bilstein dampers were swapped for aluminium-bodied alternatives.
RSR versions featured coil-over shocks all round, along with new Delrin suspension bushes. Centre-lock wheels/hubs were also fitted, allowing the use of 917-style magnesium-alloy wheels. The front struts were also modified to give a lower ride height by moving the spindle upwards.
The car you see here is something rather special. Chassis number 911 460 9034 was built in March 1974, to ‘French specification’, fitted with engine number 6840061 and bearing the production number 104 2554. It was finished in Grand Prix White, possibly with gold ‘Carrera’ script. Interior was black leatherette, with cloth seat inserts. It was delivered to its first owner, Gérard Meo in Paris, bearing the licence plate 9500 CQ 93.
The car was prepared for competition by Jean Egreteaud in Bordeaux – himself a well-known Porsche ‘pilote’, having driven three times at Le Mans – and driven by Meo in Group 3 specification in Le Championnat de France des Circuits (French track championships). The car was raced and hillclimbed throughout 1974 with fairly impressive results, including wins at Nogaro, Nivernais hillclimb, Magny Cours, D’urcy hillclimb and Magny Cours for a second time.
Most impressive, though, was a 14th overall placing at Le Mans, good enough to see the car finish 8th in the GTS class, driven by Meo, Egreteaud and Lagniez. It covered 2325 miles at an average of 96.90mph and would have placed higher had Meo not had a collision with another car, which damaged the taillights, forcing an unscheduled pit stop.
The 1975 season began well enough, with a win in the
Magny Cours 100-lap event, while driven by Gérard Meo and Raymond Tourol. Further outings at Spa and the Nürburgring followed, and then another visit to Le Mans with drivers Christian Bussi and Patrick Metral finishing 23rd overall and ninth in class. But the good times were about to come to an end when Gérard Meo and Guy Mejean appeared at Dijon in August. A heavy accident destroyed the car…
And this is where the history gets interesting. To quote William I’anson, who currently have this car for sale in the UK, ‘After the Dijon accident, Egretaud purchased a new replacement shell, number 006 0001, supplied by Porsche in late 1975. The “new” car built around chassis number 006 0001 went on to enjoy a long competition career including the Tour de France, Tour de Corse, Monte Carlo Rally and numerous other races and rallies.
‘The damaged chassis of 9034 was then sold to the well known racers, Montpelier-based Almeras Frères, in late 1975 where it was repaired and rebuilt as a 3.0 RS Group 4 car. It was allocated chassis number SM1107534, as the VIN tag with chassis number 9034 had been transferred to 006 0001 to allow it to continue using the 9500CQ93 French registration previously on #9034.’
This is fairly typical of how race cars lost, shared and regained identities back in the day – nobody much worried about things like ‘matching numbers’ or originality. Times have changed, of course: the same swaps today would be frowned upon…even though they still take place… William I’anson continues: ‘Using the new allocated chassis number SM1107534, the car was then given a new road registration 5632 QZ 34. When finished, Almeras Frères sold the car to Maurice Ouviere in Brest who then registered it 2490 RH 29. It was sponsored by his night club/disco, “Flashback”, and with the car run by the Almeras Frères, he then embarked on two full and successful seasons of races, rallies and hill climbs.’
The 1976 season kicked off with a win at Rally de l’ouest in
“THE CAR YOU SEE HERE IS SOMETHING RATHER SPECIAL”
March, driven by Maurice Ouvriere, who also competed in the Rally de Touraine later the same month. Further rally appearances came in April and May, including a Group 3 win in the Corse du Côte de St Germain. Then came a return visit to Le Mans, driven by Breton trio André Gahinet (who drove under the name ‘Segolen’), Maurice Ouvriere and Jean Yves Gadal, aka ‘Ladagi’. Wearing race number 71, the car finished 12th overall and first in Group 4.
The result was impressive, and a classic example of ‘to finish first, first you have to finish’. The Group 4 Porsche was running third in its class until the leading car, a 934 driven by Hezemans and Schenken, suffered a serious transmission failure, leading to a 2 hour 30 minute pit stop. This saw the car knocked down to second in class at the finish. The rival Porsche which would most likely have won GT honours was the 934 of Chenevière, Zbinden and Buehrer, which was running in 12th place overall and now heading the GT class.
But with just one hour to go, the engine failed leading to a last minute retirement, leaving the way clear for our featured car to take class honours.
Other notable results in 1976 included a ninth overall in the Tour de France Auto, driven by Andruet, Sartoux and Sainx, and 11th overall in the Giro d’italia at the hands of Jean-yves Gadal and André Gahinet (‘Segolen’).
In 1977, there was a fourth and final visit to Le Mans, where it finished fourth in the IMSA class and 14th overall, driven by Jeanlouis and Jackie Ravenal. Four Le Mans, four finishes, including a class win: impressive results by any standards. But that only tells half the story. Earlier in 1977, #9034 had competed in the
Monte Carlo Rally, followed by a number of other rally and race events. How many other cars can be said to have competed in both the Monte and at Le Mans?
William I’anson takes up the story once more: ‘1978 proved to be the last year of regular competition for #9034 when it was sold to Jean-claude Gas in Toulon, road registered 1244 RP 83
“EARLIER IN 1977 #9034 HAD COMPETED IN THE MONTE CARLO…”