The Carrera RSR 3.0 is one of those rare and super-special Porsches, and one of the most successful Group 4 racing cars ever. Today the Carrera RSR models rank among the most sought after of all Porsche 911 variants.
The Carrera RSR 3.0 was made in small numbers for racing. For the privateer in the mid-1970s who wanted to go sports car racing, and in particular compete successfully at the famed 24 Hours of Le Mans, there was really only one viable option, the Porsche RSR. Introduced in 1973, the 2.8 RSR was a factory-built racing car based on the 911 chassis. These were not converted street cars, but rather purpose built competition models designed and built from the ground up for serious racing use.
In 1974 the factory made significant changes to the car including a new 3.0 liter engine, wider wheels with center lock hubs and improved aerodynamics. The result was a car that would dominate the GT category and challenge for overall wins around the world, and the 3.0 RSR would go on to become the most successful Group 4 racing car of its time. Its combination of low weight, immense Porsche 917 brakes, impeccable handling, and a 330+hp naturally aspirated flat-6 that gave the model a power-to-weight ratio that would humble even the most mighty offerings from Italy, England, or America.
This particular 1973 Porsche 911 RSR (R7) is the car that achieved a remarkable 4th place finish at Le Mans in 1973, trailing only two Matra MS670s and a Ferrari 312PB, which were on par with the speed of Formula One cars from that era. See what it’s like to drive one of the legendary Le Mans race car in this video brought to us by Goodwood Road & Racing on YouTube.
I may have seen that car when Porsche paraded the cars through Stuttgart after the 1976 double world championship. Never to be forgotten !
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