1973 Porsche 911 RS Carrera

Sold for $495,000 at 2012 RM Auctions - Monterey.
Considered one of the finest and sportiest cars of all time, the Porsche 911 Carrera RS Lightweight was to epitomize all that an excellent driving car could be. The result would be the very definition of 'Power-To-Weight-Ratio' and a must have for all collectors and enthusiasts.

Considered one of the greatest, if not the greatest, dual-purpose Porsche ever to be created, the Carrera RS was as close to the track as one could get without building a purpose-built race car. But if someone did want a purpose-built race car he or she would not have to look any further than the lightweight model of the Carrera RS.

Originally, the Carrera RS was so built to satisfy the homologation rules governing sportscars available for use in competition. However, what Porsche would manage to create with the RS would be so popular that the production run would continue well past the 500 hundred examples needed to be produced and would total some 1,580 examples.

However, if someone was strictly looking for performance, then the lightweight form of the model was the car to have. Void of almost all of the amenities and featuring such modifications as lightweight body panels and glass, lightweight RS competition seats, minimal body trim and lightweight carpeting throughout, the Carrera RS Lightweight weighed as much as 200kg lighter than its fellow touring model. Utilizing a 210bhp, 2.7-liter air-cooled SOHC six-cylinder engine, Bosch fuel-injection and a five-speed manual gearbox, the Carrera RS Lightweight would come to symbolize nimbleness and balance.

Having built just 200 examples of the Lightweight body styling, the car would come to be acclaimed as 'the 911 to own' and one such example, chassis 9113601079, would be made available for sale at the RM Auctions event in Monterey in 2012.

Completed in April of 1973, chassis 1079 would be sold by the famous Porsche dealer Mahag. The first owner would take ownership of the car and would keep it for a period of just a couple of years. During that time, the car would mostly take part in city driving. Then, in 1975, the car would be sold to a Mr. Alfred Spah of West Germany. He would come to own out of interest in using the car for what it had been designed for—competition. He would use the car to take part in a number of national slalom and hill climbing events. In 1976, Mr. Spah would finish 3rd overall in the hill climb championship. Then, in 1977, he would become Champion of the Baden-Wurttemberg region in this very car.

The following year, 1978, the car would be sold. This time the car would be sold to a United States Air Force Lieutenant Colonel Roger Kruckerberg. He was stationed in West Germany at the time but would quickly have the car shipped to the United States and Oregon. Over the course of the next decade the car would continue to take part in some autocrosses but would be mostly stored away. While mostly spending its time in storage the car would not be neglected. Mechanically and cosmetically, the Carrera RS Lightweight would be greatly cared for and maintained.

Following a decade as the possession of Lieutenant Colonel Kruckerberg, the car would be sold to Mark Heininge of Aurora, Oregon in 1988. Heininge, a proud Porsche collector, would also use the car sparingly and would keep the car in very original condition. Just two years later, the car would change hands again. Yet another avid Porsche collector, Portland's Ted Halton, would come to own the car. He would own the car for the better part of a decade and would also do his part to keep the car as original as possible.

Chip Connor and Chris Cox would come to own the car for a brief period of time following Halton. The car would even become the property of a prominent Porsche collector from Hong Kong. However, it would never leave the United States. Instead, the car would remain in a climate controlled environment maintaining its high level of originality.

Still bearing its original orange bar hood crest, 1079 sports straight body panels and still has an excellent finish. Including the original non-opening lightweight Glaverbel rear quarter windows, this highly original Carrera RS Lightweight even has its original door panels, seats, carpets and rubber mats. Overall, the instruments inside the car remain highly original and in excellent working condition. Number 143 out of 200, 1079's impressive originality even includes the correct plastic fuel tank, hardware and even the correct red fan shroud.

Considered one of the 'best performing lightweights available', 1079 comes with its high degree of originality, but also, a number of period photographs and documents that all add to the history of the car. What makes this particular Carrera RS Lightweight all the more rare compared to the other 199 in the model lineup is the car's good fortune for having avoided modification. Therefore, chassis 1079 is as it would have been when it rolled out of the factory back in 1973. Bolstered further by its low mileage and its obvious sympathetic care it has received throughout its life and 1079 certainly becomes one of the best examples available of the Carrera RS Lightweight Coupe. Given its condition and originality, 1079 was estimated to draw between $350,000 and $450,000 at auction.

Sources:
'Lot No. 123: 1973 Porsche 911 Carrera RS Lightweight', (http://www.rmauctions.com/FeatureCars.cfm?SaleCode=MO12&CarID=r215&fc=0). RM Auctions. http://www.rmauctions.com/FeatureCars.cfm?SaleCode=MO12&CarID=r215&fc=0. Retrieved 2 January 2013.

'Lot S157: 1973 Porsche 911 Carrera RS Lightweight', (http://www.mecum.com/auctions/lot_detail.cfm?LOT_ID=CA0812-134350). Mecum Auctions. http://www.mecum.com/auctions/lot_detail.cfm?LOT_ID=CA0812-134350. Retrieved 2 January 2013.

By Jeremy McMullen