1993 Porsche 964 Carrera RS

The original Porsche Carrera RS 2.7 of 1973 was a homologation special for a new competition model while the Carrera RS of the early 1990s was essentially a road-legal version of the 911 Cup car. Jürgen Barth had proposed an all-new 964-based racing car, one that could help return the Porsche 911 to the pinnacle of GT racing. Introduced in 1993, the Carrera RSR 3.8 Strassenversion was immediately successful, with class victories at Le Mans, Daytona, and Sebring, along with overall victories in the 24-hour races at Nürburgring and Spa. To homologate the RSR, a number of road-going models were required to be built. These cars, the Carrera RS 3.8, would share the general specifications of its racing sibling. They were a development of the Carrera CUP and hand-built in Porsche's racing department. They were engineered for performance with a specialized suspension, uprated braking components, and a strengthened, seam-welded chassis, with lightweight glass and aluminum panels helping it achieve its low weight of 2,670 pounds. The 962's air-cooled flat-six was bored by 2mm, increasing displacement to 3.8-liters and produced 300 horsepower. There were wide Speedline wheels and an aerodynamic package with a deep front spoiler and adjustable rear wing.

The interior had lightweight bucket seats and a three-spoke, non-air bag steering wheel. Non-essential items, such as air-conditioning, were available upon request.

These vehicles were hand-built in Porsche's racing department at Weissach-Flacht. 55 examples were built and of these, 10 (possibly 11) were ordered with the track-focused Clubsport package (option code M003) with three being specified in right-hand drive. After Germany, Japan was an important market with 12 examples being delivered in left-hand drive and equipped with a smaller 77-liter fuel tank.

The Clubsport Package added a roll cage, competition harnesses, and Recaro racing seats. The 3,746cc Type M64/04 SOHC air-cooled flat 6-cylinder engine used a Bosch Motronic 2.1 Electronic fuel injection system and delivered 300 horsepower at 6,500 RPM. There was a five-speed manual transaxle with limited-slip differential, four-wheel ventilated disc brakes, a front independent MacPherson strut suspension with coil-over shock absorbers, and an independent rear setup with semi-trailing arms and coil-over shock absorbers.

Similar to its McLaren F1 and Ferrari F40 counterparts, the RS 3.8 was exclusive, had a true motorsports pedigree, and were factory-built thoroughbred supercars.

by Daniel Vaughan | Oct 2019