360 0002

[911MRP]

The 911 special that ran on 25 June 1972 in the Austrian 1000km was entered by Paul Strahle (Shrahle Auto Sport) but it was evident to the very experienced reporter Jenks it was a thinly veiled factory car from Zuffenhausen.



Jenks reports it had a spoiler built on the engine hatch and wider rims.

Report by him also mention used larger cylinder bores giving 2.7 litre capacity but nothing more than the nominal which was larger than the series 2.4 or 2.5 racers capacity is mentioned nor any specific power in the magazine report .

Report does however give some details about brakes, manning it had 917 CanAm type callipers and discs. Also noted was the use of an anti-lock braking system reportedly similar to the 917 that had been entered in the same race the year prior.

Not complying with 911 homolgation it was entered in the Protoype category, driven by Waldegaard (pointedly described as “rally-man ) and Steckkonig. Listed but never drove: Karl von Wendt

Car entry no 5 finished 10th the results show it as “Porsche 911 [U]Special 2.7 litre [/U”]. Result: 10th . Grid: 18th 2:01.410
That was 28 laps behind the overall winner class 5, a 3 litre.
Attachment 633396

By comparison Fitzpatrick and Kremer finished only 13th in a Porsche Kremer racing Team entered 911 2.4S, some 43 laps behind.

The reporter regarded as amongst the most respected motorsport corespondents in the world seems suggest the weakness as being in the driver pairing with this rather withering comment. “though the special works 911 Porsche was leading the two private Group 4 Porsches, it was not lapping as fast as the Weissenach computer had predicted because there is no computer digit for driver ability.” The field included a number of world class circuit-men so perhaps a reasonable observation as doubt some those guys would have stayed with Wadegaard if had been on a rough rally stage.

Steve

[911MRP]

This discussion of this Austrian 1000km race reminds me….

My friend the late Lord Lyell was influenced to buy an a brand new Carrera RS based on that report of that particular 911 “special” in that Austrian 1000km report. In the 1988 he was interviewed in a British weekly motoring magazine:
“ Then, in 1972 I read a report on a sports car race in which Bjorn [….], the Swedish rally driver, was driving a Porsche 911 Carrera with a new 2.7-litre engine. That fired my Imagination so I investigated this new 911 and in January 1973 I took delivery of a Carrera RS Touring. …. Fifteen years and over 167,000 miles later I'm still driving round in that same Carrera every day and enjoying every minute I spend behind the wheel. Despite 167,000 miles of 911 driving behind me, it's still enormous fun”.

Charles actually kept his first series RHD RS for about two decades, had it into the nineteen-nineties. For many years (until his death) we used to meet up at the House of Lords in Westminster where, as a Conservative Party politician with Ministerial role he kept an office. This was to chat about motorsport industry and always about 73 Carrera RS. A most unlikely friendship between a member of the British aristocracy (who’d became a peer of the realm as a young child when his father was killed in action during WWII so inherited a wealth, a title, a large country estate in Scotland as well as a smart Mayfair townhouse), and a working class lad. I have long handwritten correspondence he wrote to me all about his trips in his beloved RS. Friendship that was born out of a mutual interest in motorsport.

[HughH]

@tourdecourse
Regarding engines in the 1972 ST's and 1973MY factory Martini RSR's I have this following information

The first 3 1972 Werks cars , 0041, 0047 (the Monte Carlo cars) 0769 (Zasada's car that became RS 0001following its accident in the 1972 Polish Rally) originally had 632 engines (0018,0019 and 1213 respectively) although both 0041 and 0047 were later fitted with multiple RSR engines for testing as well as other engines. As mentioned previously 0841 was delivered without a motor.

in addition there were some other special 1972 cars that had unusual engines:
Versuch / factory cars
230 0045 no motor
230 1261 632 0000
230 1632 663 0027 911/83 (probably a part of the aborted S2.7 program)
231 0863 663 9022 911/88 note both a Targa and a Sporto with a 925/02 gearbox (probably a part of the aborted S2.7 program)
331 0132 663 9021 911/88 (probably a part of the aborted S2.7 program)

Dr Piech's car 230 1514 662 0011

Then this is my list (always being added to as I find more information) of the 1972 and 1973 M491 engines

1972 / 662



CONTINUED NEXT POST

[HughH]

1973 663/693



as always i would love to see any addition imformation to fill in the many gaps

[StephenAcworth]

You are a true historian/archivist, Hugh ... and I'm always fascinated by the knowledge you have from these special cars!
Thanks for sharing.