Embracing the Porsche Spirit: A Guide to Owning the 964 RS America
Today a rare and sought-after 911, the RS America was a Stateside special that arrived at exactly the right time.
Credit: Bonhams
Background & Tech
In the late 1960s, as California’s new anti-smog legislation became operative, it was apparent that highly tuned cars like the Porsche 911 would be affected. Breathing through carburettors and running on premium fuel, the 911 was soon in difficulty with traffic authorities. The S was even withdrawn for a year in 1969 so that Porsche could reduce its emissions, replacing the Weber carburettors with mechanical injection but as the law became tighter this proved only a temporary fix and by 1974, the now 2.7 flat six had been converted to K Jetronic injection, a second-generation system developed by Bosch for Porsche which metered out fuel far more carefully.
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