1973 Carrera RS Cars for Sale

[DOUGS73E]

RM | Sotheby's Auction, Battersea Evolution, London, UK
Held in partnership with the Concours of Elegance, Windsor Castle - Offered on: Wednesday, September 7, 2016
1973 Porsche 911 Carrera RS 2.7 Touring, Lot 152
VIN: 9113600435
Engine: 6630466
Trans: 732566
Color: White? (originally Signal Yellow/114)/Black
Mileage: -
Auction Estimate: £450,000 - £550,000/~US$600,000-$725,000

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Auction Description:

- An ultra-desirable, first-series Carrera RS
- Original numbers-matching engine
- Highly optioned with a limited-slip differential, electric sunroof, sport seats, and a Blaupunkt Frankfurt radio
- Recent service by Canford Classics

This Carrera RS, chassis 0435, was one of only 12 cars delivered new to Portugal, and of those 12, the only one finished in Signal Yellow (code 5252). In January 1973, it left the factory and was clearly bought by an enthusiast, as can be seen by the great list of options chosen, including a limited-slip differential, head restraints, sport seats, a Blaupunkt Frankfurt radio, power antenna, and an electric sliding sunroof. Significantly, chassis number 0435 is an early production (first 500 cars built) homologation Carrera RS, which was manufactured from a lighter gauge sheet metal (0.8 millimetres) than the later-production series cars that were built using 0.88-millimetre thickness steel.

Although little is known of the car’s early life, it is believed to have had three owners in Portugal prior to Mr. Francisco Cruz Martins of Cascais, a well-respected and active racing driver, who owned the car in the late 2000s. Being an active driver in Portugal, Mr. Martins campaigned the car on several historic rallies throughout his ownership with the registration plate CA 74 86 and is believed to have never suffered an accident.

In 2011, the car was purchased by a resident in Southern France, where it was seldom used before passing to a respected UK-based collector in 2014. Later, the car was then sent to Autofarm for an inspection and a list of suggested works was drawn up. Unfortunately, the UK-based collector was not in a position to complete these works and sold the car. Under its new ownership, the car was delivered to UK Porsche 911 specialists Canford Classics, where it was thoroughly inspected and all suggested works, totalling £37,000, were completed. A copy of the detailed invoice is within the car’s history file. Works included a new flywheel and clutch, replacement of all suspension bushes and bearings, and a completely new interior.

[fourteenten]

Has the front clip of the RSL 1418 been replaced? Steal tank, later space saver and alu vin plate not original...250km/hr speedo and plastic oil tank lid weird as well. No mention why the engine and gear box were replaced either.

Cees

[911MRP]

The M471 Carrera RS Sport's yellow oil filler lid probably signifies a later oil tank replacement and workshop not bothering to modify the later filler to the correct looking earlier style. That style seems to be what Porsche supply and diligent shops do modify the neck or maybe source one nos.

Also to my eyes paint colour match seems very poor in some shots. Might go along to auction or preview as not far from here.

Doubt option M462 Carrera RS black side script lettering was original factory option on this chassis as no options shown for in reference books or other factory sources.

Much is being made in description of "lightweight" by using it in banner heading of listing and discussing extensively lightweight panels in the auction write which is ironic because a third series car with this late chassis number 1418 from June of 1973 would probably not have had (m)any of the RS lighter thinner gauge panels that had by then runnout -- instead probably had regular steel.

Compounded by the inconsistency of 0.7 vs 0.8 thickness comments between their own two listings then this: "Most of this second series was comprised of Touring versions (option code M472), which used standard-thickness sheet metal and glass, a steel rear bumper, a single battery, and most of the 911 S’s road equipment and comfort trim items." In many ways an incorrect statement that apparantly suggests the M471 car for sale that almost certainly no thinner panels is a lightweight and those second from second series that the Stuttgart scales certifiably demonstrated did have lighter body shells are not lightweight. If I were a second series M472 card owner misrepresented to incorrectly infer this M471 bodyshell is superior, I would be irritated.

May be difficult for auction houses to know every detail of every car whereas enthusiasts are often focussed on a marque or model. However if an auction house write up is drawing buyer's attention to and inferring a feature that is somehow distinctive thing about model / better (in this case the lightweight body panels) then they ought to get that detail right about the particular car. This listing from a well known auction house is an example if how misunderstandings about important value affecting details get spread about certain models and it confuses buyers as well as some others.


Presumably at new this example would have had the other M471 late-series example "features" that differ from the M471 among the first 1000 or so homologation examples that were weighed and certified.

As an M471 --correctly/ accurately--- it should be termed a Carrera RS Sport?

At least the auction house does actually use the correct terminology Sport later in listing. As Jeff pointed out in this previous post (# 1005) if that the very loose RS "lightweight" moniker then gets shortened to RSL, even more confusion.

And to add even more confusion to this mix, some have taken to using shorthand to refer to the RS Sport (aka lightweight) as the RSL. Unfortunately that was a Porsche factory designation - for the M472 Carrera RS! Why? L = luxus = luxury.

I've noticed the auction house preamble about the model is where things stated are incorrect, rather than the example for sale bring incorrectly described. It kind of alludes that this particular example has a lightweight shell.

On the day when many British 16 year olds school kids get their summer exam results I would not mark this auction house's attempt very highly for getting all their facts correct. Haven't counted them, but clearly number of errors in their listing text below:

"210 bhp, 2,687 cc SOHC air-cooled horizontally opposed six-cylinder engine with Bosch mechanical fuel injection, five-speed manual transmission, independent front suspension with McPherson struts, torsion bars, and anti-roll bar; independent rear suspension with transverse torsion bars, tubular shock absorbers, and anti-roll bar; and four-wheel disc brakes. Wheelbase: 2,272 mm

In the words of former factory driver Jürgen Barth, “The Carrera RS 2.7 is the basis for Porsche motorsport in the 1970s.”

On the heels of Porsche’s resounding success with its incredibly powerful 917 in prototype racing, the FIA decided to limit engines for the World Championship of Makes to more than three litres of displacement. Porsche management needed a new weapon to be drawn from its production lines, one that would not only help the public identify more closely with racing 911s, but also help recoup some of the stratospheric expenditures of the 917 program. Creating a small series of 911-based racers for the new European Group 5 Special Grand Touring category for three-litre cars was the agreed-upon goal. A minimum of 500 examples of Group 4 road-legal cars would have to be built in one year to meet regulations.

There would be an aluminium front subframe for the competition model, and the body shell would be stamped from steel only 0.7 millimetres thick, rather than the standard 1.0-millimetre production material. Thinner, lighter, and very expensive side and rear window glass was ordered from Belgian firm Glaverbel, and the engine and front lids were made of thin, balsa-reinforced fibreglass. Both the front and rear bumpers were also of fibreglass, with the front providing access to a centrally mounted auxiliary oil radiator. The rear fenders were widened to accommodate new 7-inch-wide Fuchs alloy rims.

The most important and recognisable characteristic of the RS is its “ducktail” spoiler mounted on the engine lid. Body insulation was deleted, as was almost all interior trim. Superfluous hardware was eliminated, including rear seats, reclining front seats, a glovebox door, a clock, the passenger sun visor, the inside door handles, and armrests. The door latches were operated by pull-straps, and simple plastic door-pulls replaced the originals. All of this careful attention to saving weight trimmed the dry weight to a mere 2,150 pounds (975 kilograms).

The 911’s magnesium-cased 2.4-litre S engine was enlarged to give a displacement of 2,681 cubic centimetres (Type 911/83). Its thin-walled cylinder barrels were coated with a new product called Nikasil, which was a low-friction nickel-silicon carbide material that allowed the aluminium pistons to be used directly in aluminium barrels without the need for iron liners. With 8.5:1 compression and Bosch mechanical fuel injection, this engine delivered a reliable 210 brake horsepower at 6,300 rpm, which was some 30 more than the 911 S, and it also saw a big increase in torque to 202 foot-pounds at 5,100 rpm. The 911’s five-speed transaxle was fitted with taller fourth and fifth gears, giving a top speed of about 150 mph (244 km/h).

By the time the car was formally introduced at the 1972 Paris Auto Show, the initial production run of 500 units had already sold out within a week, to the surprise and delight of Porsche’s directors. A second 500-unit production run was quickly approved, and eventually 1,080 were constructed. Most of this second series was comprised of Touring versions (option code M472), which used standard-thickness sheet metal and glass, a steel rear bumper, a single battery, and most of the 911 S’s road equipment and comfort trim items."

[Signorini12]

Speedstar

Did that RS come from Sicily with a very low mileage?

Regards
Mike

Yes. have you ever seen this car?

Best

Mario

[john rice]

911MRP: Regarding the creative interpretations of Homologation... Back when the RS was an Enthusiast's car and not a Collector-Investor car [I must include the word "Investor" to place this in proper context] no one made such silly claims. Now that they might get a few more thousand out of them or claim this makes "Just another RS" into something particularly special. Regardless, don't waste your time about it as it is at best someone's personal ego trip and at worst, an attempt to increase value.

And 911 360 1035: Wasn't there a day when we believed that it was the very last RS with all lightweight panels? I remember it being sold about a decade ago and not the slightest mention at that time. Of course, thanks to gents on this site we have realized that they didn't run out until much later.

[Veronica87911]

Just saw this one: http://www.ebay.com/itm/Porsche-911-...-/252506301536

[DOUGS73E]

Just saw this one: http://www.ebay.com/itm/Porsche-911-...-/252506301536

For the record:
For sale at Vintage Point Miami
1973 Porsche 911 2.7L Carrera RS
VIN: 9113600595
Engine: 6630607
Trans: 830586
Color: Grand Prix White/Black Leatherette
Mileage: 65,000
BIN Price: US$949,000

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Dealer's Description:

Porsche options:
- Electric Windows
- Heated Rear Window
- Headrests L&R
- Sports Seats L&R

Sold as Is. No Warranty.

This Grand Prix White M472 Touring model was first registered on March 2nd 1973 by Roland Kistler of Switzerland. He would compete in local slaloms and competitions with the car until he sold it in July of 1981 to another Swiss gentleman, Arno Flach, with 107,615 km. Flach recalled having seen the car at the Porsche dealership 8 years earlier before Kistler picked up the car, and actually took a picture of it, which is included with the sale. Flach would also take the car out for a bit of competition from time to time, including a first place at the Automobil-Slalom Altenrhein in 1982. The RS would move on to another Swiss owner in 1986 with 145,000 km on the clock, and then shortly after it made its way to its first British owner in 1987.

Jim Ablett was an accountant at Cognos Limited in England, and he also fancied a bit of auto racing. In April of 1987 he first registered the car in the UK, and by July he was racing. From July 1987 to October 1989 he would enter the RS in almost 70 different events, including the Pirelli Porsche Club GB Championship, the Pirelli Autofarm Modified Porsche Championship, the 750 MC Racing Championship, and the Gordon Russell Intermarque Championship. The car would be managed by Porsche racer Neil Bainbridge, and Bainbridge and Canadian Jacques Robichon would occasionally co-drive with Ablett. All of his efforts with the RS are documented in 5 binders full of race results, programs, pit passes, and newspaper/magazine clippings.

In June of 1990 the RS was for sale at Dick Lovett Limited in Swindon, and on June 14th Simon White of Cheltenham put a £1000 deposit down on the car. He would end up owning the car for the next 16 years. During that time he would work at bringing the car back to use as a street car, spending vast amounts at Jaz Porsche, Legends, and Mech Repairs doing extensive mechanical and interior refurbishments, including a £8000 engine rebuild in 2001 and a new transmission in 2003. During his ownership the RS would be photographed by Robert de la Rive Box for use in his book, “Darf es ein Ferrari sein? Bugatti, Ferrari, Mercedes…” and would also be on the cover of Classic Cars magazine in May of 2006.

In November of 2006 the car would change hands briefly to Timothy Underwood also of Cheltenham. He would own the car for less than a year before the cars last owner, Anthony Lucas of Bristol, would purchase it in October of 2007. In January of 2008 he would have Autofarm of Weston-on-the-Green do a major mechanical service on the car, which would be follow by Lucas’s participation in the Pomeroy Trophy the following month. Over the next few years he would have BS Motorsports Ltd do extensive work on the car including a full engine, transmission and LSD rebuilt. An interesting note is that BS Motorsports is owned by Neil Bainbridge, the Porsche expert that took care of the car during Ablett’s racing days in the late ‘80s. At a dyno test in 2010 the car was putting out 216 hp @ 6450 rpm and 192 ft/lbs of torque @ 5260 rpm. Lucas would continue to use the car for touring purposes, including a trip to the Monaco Grand Prix in 2010.

[928cs]

I don't understand why they have restored this RS as a M471/M472 mix.
It seems to have a lot of documents regarding its previous life, with pictures and so on so why restore it with an configuration that does not match one of the previous?

I think that I would have restored it like this:
562411757.jpg

[Pirulero]

The Yellow Rs "lightweight" for sale tonight by Rm is a fake/replica.
Sold at 265.000€ crazy!

Read the addendum to the description:
"please note that this car is a 1973 911 Carrera RS 2.7 Lightweight, though it has been rebodied"
http://www.rmsothebys.com/lf16/londo...weight/1082298

[fryardds]

"please note that this car is a 1973 911 Carrera RS 2.7 Lightweight, though it has been rebodied"

Sure it is. What a load of crap that statement is.

No original engine or transmission along with a replica body, good grief. I wonder if they grafted in the original VIN stamping during the 'restoration'?