1973 Porsche 911 Carrera 2.7 RS
¤595,000 from Kidston SA, Geneva, Switzerland
SOMETIMES THE HYPE surrounding a genuinely iconic car can be quite intimidating. Whether or not a 911 Carrera 2.7 RS can actually live up to its monumental reputation is always going to be a matter of opinion, but this is an era-defining classic.
Built to homologate a serious 911 for racing, the 2.7 RS was the ultimate performance Porsche when it was launched. Wider rear wheelarches housed the 7-inch wide Fuchs alloy wheels, with a purposeful ducktail rear wing added for high-speed stability. A special engine was necessary, so the old 2.4-litre motor was enlarged to 2.7 litres and fitted with Bosch mechanical fuel injection. The use of the name Carrera was a throwback to the special racing cars that helped the company to forge its reputation.
It’s hard to comprehend now, but Porsche was genuinely concerned that it might not be able to sell the requisite 500 homologation cars. In fact, dealers managed to shift a total of 1580. Offered in both Touring and Lightweight spec, the latter for easy conversion into a competition car, many ended up as weekend racers when used prices dropped.
This particular Blutorange 2.7 RS Touring, offered by Kidston SA, has managed to survive in original specification, with an unbroken chain of Italian enthusiast owners. It was delivered to a Porsche dealership in northern Italy in May 1973, and specified with the highly desirable Recaro sports seats and limited-slip differential from the factory.
It passed through a number of owners in a relatively short time when it was new, but through the 1980s and 1990s ended up in the hands of various collectors and enthusiast drivers, all of whom thankfully managed to maintain its originality.
When the current owner bought chassis 1226 in 2014, he commissioned one of Italy’s best Porsche specialists, Autofficina ACR, to fully restore the car. Porsche Heritage provided a certificate to authenticate the original and highly desirable spec that same year.
When the team at Autofficina started to dismantle the RS, previous layers of paint were stripped back carefully so the original metal could be preserved – revealing no signs of any previous accident damage. It was found to be in remarkably original condition, with matching-numbers engine and gearbox.
With great parts availability it can be tempting to over-restore cars such as this, but Autofficina stripped and rebuilt wherever possible, only replacing (with genuine Porsche parts) when the original components were beyond repair. By the time it was completed, the total bill came to just over €127,000. As absurd as this might sound, that makes the €595,000 asking price seem like surprisingly good value.
Whether or not the RS lives up to its reputation (although we don’t think you’ll be disappointed), there aren’t many examples on the market right now that could compete for the specification, ‘no story’ history and recent restoration work of this one. It might not be the hallowed Lightweight version, but the more comfortable Touring only makes it easier to enjoy even more of the time. Have fun!