1974 Porsche 911 Carrera RS Coupe

Ernst Fuhrmann was head of Porsche from 1972 through 1980, taking over less than a decade after the 911's introduction. Along with offering his full support to the continued development of the 911, he also initiated a project led by engineer Norbert Singer that resulted in 1973's Porsche 911 Carrera RS 2.7 and RSR, the forerunners to the 1974 Carrera RS 3.0.

The Carrera RS 2.7 was powered by an over-bored, 210-horsepower version of the standard 2.4-liter 911. The 2.7 and RSR were both successful in sales and in competition, and by the end of production in July of 1973, a total of 1,580 examples had been sold. A far superior car followed, 1974's Carrera RS 3.0.

Development of the new G Series 911 resulted in two versions including the street-legal Carrera RS, which was ideal for Group 3 races and rallies. The other version was the Carrera M491 Group 4 Racing Package, a RSR, that was powered by a 3.0-liter six, and rode on center-lock magnesium-alloy wheels. The RSR had larger fender flares, a whale-tail rear spoiler, dual fuel pumps, a Recaro bucket with a high backrest, integral headrest, pass-through holes to accommodate a six-point harness, and a 110-liter safety fuel tank. The suspension was modified slightly from the street RS, including Delrin bushings instead of rubber for the suspension arm pivots, and a standard coil-spring layout with optional adjustable coils. In the front were 9-inch wheels, with larger 14-inch in the back. A fire extinguisher, rollbar, 10,000-RPM tachometer, and 300 km/h speedometer were additional modifications.

For 1974, a total of 109 Carrera RS 3.0 models were built, with 55 of those being RS models and 54 were RSRs.

Along with mechanical improvements, the RS 3.0 received a reduction in weight. The roof and door panels, instrument panel and seat pans were of thin-gauge steel, and fiberglass-reinforced plastic was employed for the front and rear bumpers, front lid and engine-compartment lid with its larger integrated spoiler and soft rubber surround.

To accommodate the larger wheels and tires, large fender flares were added. In the front, the nose was re-fashioned in reflection of the G Series' new styling. It had a large inlet for oil cooling and two smaller ones for brake cooling. All exterior trim was painted black.

Inside, the cockpit remained spare. There were no rear seats, clock, carpeting, door handles, or armrests. The doors closed by pulling a cord.

The street-trimmed version used a slightly detuned version of 1973's RSR powerplant. Instead of a magnesium crankcase, however, it was made of aluminum. The 230 horsepower engine had a 9.8:1 compression ratio which made it the first 911 to require premium fuel. A five-speed manual gearbox sent power to the rear wheels via a limited-slip differential.

Braking was supplied by four-wheel ventilated and cross-drilled discs sourced from Porsche's 917 Cam-Am racer. Dual master cylinders and an adjustable crossbar for front/rear brake bias were standard. Although the suspension setup was similar to the 1973 RSR, it was given stiffened trailing arms that pivoted from solid spherical joints, stiffer rear torsion bars, adjustable-length lever arms on the anti-roll bars, optional raised spindles for the front suspension struts, and allowances for the mounting of steel or titanium coil springs over the Bilstein shock absorbers.

In 1974, the RSR took the FIA GT Cup and, in John Fitzpatrick's hands, the European GT Championship. It also won the European hillclimb Championship for GTs. Peter Gregg won both the IMSA Camel GT and SCCA Trans-Am series in US competition.

This particular example was initially purchased from Max Moritz Sportwagen in Reutlingen by a German gentleman driver. The car served as a replacement for his Carrera RS 2.7 which had endured a blown engine. It was road-licensed in 1974 and 1975, and was entered in many races throughout Europe.

When the 1975 season came to a close, it was sold to Stuttgart's Porsche Hahn dealership and became part of a team with three cars, all painted white and given the livery of its German beer-maker sponsor, Dinkel Acker. Its original color had been a shade of green called 'Grun Gelb.'

Partway through the 1977 season, the car was re-assigned into Group 4 competition, so it could compete in the Rennsport-Finale at Hockenheim. It was given a new exhaust and the 3.0-liter six-cylinder engine was exchanged for the RSR twin-ignition 3.0. As part of the upgrade, it received a bigger Bosch fuel pump and slider-valve injection replacing the previous butterfly-valve setup. These changes brought horsepower to 330 horsepower at 8000 RPM.

After the season, the car was sold to a buyer in Luxembourg. Later, it was badly damaged in a fire. It was then placed into storage before it resurfaced in Germany and then sold in 2003 in France. By this point, it was partially restored and finished in white with blue Carrera striping and wheel centers. A full restoration was undertaken in 2012, bringing it back to its Dinkel Acker configuration. It was given a dual-ignition 3.0-liter engine based on a 930 crankcase.

Since that time, the car has been used in vintage competition, including races at Laguna Seca and Daytona. In 2016, the car was co-driven by former Porsche factory driver Gijs van Lennep at the Classic 24 at Daytona.

By Daniel Vaughan | Dec 2016