Riviera Blue Porsche 993 Carrera RS

If any two letters have encapsulated Porsche’s sporting prowess over the years, it is these – RS.
It is now forty-seven years since the introduction of Porsche’s first RS, the iconic 911 Carrera RS 2.7, back in 1973. For Porsche, the letters RS, which stand for Rennsport, brings to mind today rich images of sporting achievement and excellence, and of impressive roadgoing performance earned the hard way through countless racing victories. To its credit, the Stuttgart manufacturer has ensured that since ‘73, each successive major evolution of the 911 has featured the RS badge in its line-up, and each has in turn taken the sub-model to a new level of performance.

Two decades later, at the Frankfurt Motor Show in 1993, Porsche unveiled its all-new 3.6-litre Type 993 model, the first 911 to be completely redesigned from the ground up. It was, however, only in ‘95 at the Amsterdam Auto Show, that the Carrera RS was introduced featuring a larger 3746 cc engine with Porsche’s innovative Varioram induction system. The motivation for producing the 993 Carrera RS was for homologation in the N/GT motorsport class. It was developed from the outset as a street-legal two-seater sports car, much along the lines that has inspired the design and manufacture of top performing road cars at Porsche since the early days. In the mid-90s, the 993 Carrera RS represented the pinnacle of road-legal performance in the 911 non-turbo stakes, and with the 993 being the last of the air-cooled cars, that elevates the model still further.

Weighing in at 100 kg (220 lbs) lighter than the standard Carrera, the higher performing Carrera RS ran on three-piece 18-inch ‘Cup’ wheels by Speedline as standard equipment. The weight saving came through the elimination of items such as electric windows, electric mirrors, central locking, headlamp washer system and audio speakers. The windshield washer fluid bottle was reduced from 6.5-litres to just 1.2-litres, the driver and passenger airbags were eliminated, and a much-reduced interior lighting system was installed. The rear seat with seat belts was omitted, while the doors featured a fixed handle for closing the door, and a blue pull strap for opening. With the electric window feature deleted, the windows could only be lowered/raised by means of a traditional mechanical winder. However, the 911’s power-steering system was retained as this feature significantly improved the drivability of the car.

The 3.6-litre 911 Carrera engine was increased to 3.8-litres in the RS by increasing the bore from 100 to 102 mm while retaining the same 76.4 mm stroke. The increased performance of the Carrera RS was transmitted to the road through the same 6-speed manual gearbox fitted to the standard Carrera. The front suspension was lowered by 30 mm and the rear by 40 mm. The Carrera RS could brake from 100 km/h to zero in just 2.7 seconds, and this was achieved by means of 4-pot aluminium fixed callipers operating on 322 mm ventilated and perforated discs on all four wheels. This vehicle is fitted with the optional and much larger Clubsport adjustable rear wing.

Just like the 911 Carrera RS 2.7 of 1973, the 911 Carrera RS (993) was one of those sports cars that as a young boy, you would dream of having one day. Each RS iteration, in its time, has played an important role in the wider 911 family, as the Rennsport theme has ensured the continued transfer of technology from race track to road car. The 993 Carrera RS was produced in limited numbers and is revered as arguably the ultimate 993 alongside the GT2.

The road to 993 Carrera RS ownership

Steve Kings’ road to owning a 993 Carrera RS was in fact a fairly long one, and one that was filled with trials and experiments along the way.
His first foray into 911 ownership started with a Guards Red 3.2 Carrera in 1996. This relationship lasted about a year, at which time a Black 930 Turbo caught his eye. “I had the Turbo for around five years, and I spent more on modifications than the original purchase price. The end result was a highly modified 450 bhp+ fire-spitting beast,” Steve recalls.
At this time, a friend owned a Maritime Blue 964 RS, and after having driven that car Steve knew that this was the 911 to own. “The normally aspirated experience was totally different from the turbo lag, followed by an explosion of power. The power delivery was instant and quite alarming in the RS, it was a more planted ride and I felt more at home with the RS,” Steve admitted.

“Around 2004, I came across a Speed Yellow 993 Carrera 2 with full factory Turnwald Clubsport wing pack, which I duly bought. More money was spent on suspension, interior, brakes, wheels, engine remap and a single mass flywheel. It was a 993 RS ‘re-creation’, but it was not the real deal,” he revealed. To exacerbate matters, during the Brands Hatch 2005 Porsche Festival, Steve parked the 993 Carrera 2 in a line-up with other 964 and 993 RS cars, but he was politely asked to move it from the display! “Looking back, that was the precise moment when the decision was made to buy a 993 RS, so the C2 was sold almost immediately and the winter months of 2005 were spent searching for a 993 RS,” he explained.

“In December 2005, an email arrived with photos of a 993 Carrera RS in Switzerland in the colour that I wanted, Riviera Blue. A few more emails followed back and forth, a bank transfer was made, and the car was finally mine,” Steve recalled with a broad smile.
The Carrera RS was shipped to Germany then eventually delivered to the Oulton Park RS track day in March 2006. Steve still recalls the moment his 993 RS arrived, “I still have vivid memories of the trailer ramp being lowered to expose the Riviera Blue paintwork of the RS shining in the spring sunshine, and the sound of the raucous, intoxicating, air-cooled flat-six coming to life, the smile on my face and the intriguing glances of those nearby. The RS had arrived and curiously I felt, so had I.”