1975 Porsche 934 RSR Coupe

The Porsche 911 Carrera 2.8 RSR, with 'RSR' representing RennSport Rennwagen or racing sport racing car, was developed for the FIA Group 4 Special Grand Touring Cars category and served as a competition counterpart to the Carrera RS 2.7. During its inaugural racing season, it won the Targa Florio, the 24 Hours of Daytona, and the 12 Hours of Sebring. Porsche was awarded the World Manufacturers' and IMSA Drivers' Championships in 1973.

Porsche updated the RSR for 1974 and, per regulations, was built around a production 911 body shell. The new 3.0 RSR wore a deep front air dam and wider vented wheel arches. The 15-inch magnesium center-lock wheels and brakes were sourced from the 917. The side windows were made of lightweight Perspex, and fiberglass was used for the trunk lid, engine cover, bumpers, and 'tea tray' rear spoiler.

Known as the 3.0 RSR, its 911/75 flat-six engine had a dry curb weight of 900 kg and produced an estimated 330 horsepower. It had twin-plug ignition, high-light camshafts, higher 10.3:1 compression, Bosch mechanical fuel injection, and an aluminum crankcase.

During the 1974 GT endurance racing season, the 3.0 RSR had victories at Le Mans, Targa Florio, and the 24 Hours of Daytona.

Porsche produced 54 examples of the 3.0 RSR, including chassis number 911 560 9120, which was completed near the close of 1974. As the third-to-last 3.0 RSR manufactured, this example was fitted with all the improvements made during production, including relocated rear trailing-arm mounting points and 1-inch larger rear-wheel arches to accommodate wider wheels.

This Porsche 3.0 RSR was delivered new to Porsche dealer and racing team owner Vasek Polak of Hermosa Beach, California, in early 1975 and its sole outting was at the Laguna Seca 100 Miles on October 3, 1976. Driven by Milt Minter, the RSR qualified 5th and later led the race before mechanical troubles forced early retirement after 20 laps.

Subsequently, the 3.0 RSR was used by Polak for testing, and remained in the personal collection of Vasek Polak for the next two decades. When Polak passed away in 1998, the RSR was purchased by Jeff Lewis of Newport Beach, California. The Porsche was then sent to Ryan Racing Restoration in Ohio for a comprehensive restoration and preparation for vintage racing. Upon completion, the RSR competed in several significant history races in the United States between 2000 and 2004, before being sold to Belgian collector and historic racer Marc Devis. John Kotts purchased the Porsche in 2005, and displayed it in 2007 at the Rennsport Reunion III.

The current owner purchased the Porsche in 2015 at the Gooding & Company Pebble Beach Auction. Since that time, the Porsche has received consistent mechanical attention at classic Porsche racing specialist Retro Sport in California. Since then, the car has raced at the 2016 Monterey Motorsports Reunion, 2016 Le Mans Classic, 2017 Laguna Seca Spring Classic Run, 2017 HSR Classic 24 at Daytona, Rennsport Reunion VI in 2018, and The Velocity Invitational in 2021.

By Daniel Vaughan | Aug 2023