1974 Porsche 911 Carrera RS Coupe

The Porsche 2.7-liter Carrera RS was a homologation special that allowed Stuttgart to race a 2.8-liter Carrera RSR under the factory banner. A year later, in 1974, the company used the same basic approach to homologate a 3-liter RSR factory race car.

A total of 1,580 examples of the 1973 Carrera RS were built, however, the 1974 Carrera RS 3.0 had a much smaller production run of just 55 cars.

The 1974 Carrera RS 3.0 was powered by a 3-liter engine fitted with new cylinder heads with larger inlet ports, and larger inlet and exhaust surfaces for the valve heads. The cars specified for Group 4 regulations were given the twin-plug ignition. The crankcase material was switched from pressure-cast magnesium to a more durable die-cast aluminum alloy. In race tune, the engine could offer as much as 330 horsepower. In standard street guise, the RS 3.0 produced 230 horsepower.

The chassis of the 3.0 was essentially a carry-over from the prior 2.7-liter version, upgraded with rear torsion bars and anti-sway bars, and the Fuchs wheels were widened by an inch at the front and rear. Ventilated disc brakes from the 917 race car were also placed at all four corners of the car. The bodywork was modified, incorporating elements of the 2.8 RSR factory racer, and paneling from the G-Series. Wider front and rear fenders were necessary to house the larger wheels. In the back was a larger rubber-edged whale tail which replaced the 2.7-liters ducktail. A deeper front bumper housed a larger oil cooler.

Among the accolades of the Carrera RS 3.0 was a 12th-overall finish at the 1974 24 Hours of LeMans.

This particular example was formerly a factory demonstration car. One individual who was given a factory test ride in the car was a car dealer from Ohio named Charles Stoddard. He was granted a test run on the Hockenheimring with Jürgen Barth at the wheel. Years later, Mr. Stoddard would come to own this particular car.

After the cars demonstration duties had been performed, it was distributed to Sonauto, the Porsche-owned importer for France. On July 14th of 1974 it was exported to the United States, and after three years of unknown ownership, it was offered for sale in December of 1977. This was when the car came into the care of Mr. Stoddard. On December 19th, the dealer officially purchased the car for himself from his own dealership, Stoddard Imported Cars. At the time, the odometer displayed 16,423 kilometers.

The car would remain with Mr. Stoddard for nearly 20 years. In November of 1995, he sold it to Japanese collector Motoi Akaishi, and the car remained in Japan until January of 2004, when it was purchased by the current caretaker. When re-imported to the United States in March of 2004, the car had its original factory-appointed white paint and gold-highlighted Carrera RS script. The original 3.0-liter and transmission also remained intact.

The new owner replaced the clutch and rear shock absorbers, soundproofing the engine bay, lowering all four corners for a lower center of gravity, and mounting new Michelin XGT tires. In January of 2012, the owner applied for a FIVA passport. It was subsequently driven on the Tour Auto Rally through France.

The car currently displays 29,279 kilometers.

By Daniel Vaughan | Jun 2017