Pic of the Week – 1973 Porsche 911 Carrera RS 2.7 Touring

The Porsche 911 Carrera RS 2.7 was introduced to the public at the Paris Motor Show in October 1972. With the decade of the 1970s came a fresh, loud and colourful outlook on life and even sports cars were subjected to a bold makeover. Gone were the plain white, cream, silver, or black colours, as the ‘70s shouted lime green, yellow, blue, orange, and many other radical shades. This Carrera, from the first batch of 500, was sold as a Touring model (option M472) imported into the UK in 1973. Suitably registered UEN 911L, it is finished in Grand Prix white with green scripting and wheel centres.
In 1980, the car was acquired by David Gilhooley (the car’s sixth owner), which kick-started an almost three-decade relationship that would see the car become the best-known Carrera RS on the UK scene. During the next 28 years, just shy of 150,000 miles would be added to the car’s odometer as it competed in events at all the UK’s major race circuits. In 1983, the car formed part of the Porsche Club ‘73 Carrera RS team to compete in the 1983 Birkett 6-Hour, a relay race run by the 750 Club at Silverstone. In the same year, UEN 911L was awarded third place in class in the Club’s Concours d’elegance, showing how well it was maintained. UEN 911L visited Stuttgart, toured the French Pyrenees and Spain in 1982, drove to the Nürburgring, Le Mans, and competed in the 6-day Paris-to-Riviera France Tour Classic Rally in 2005. In all of these activities, the only damage to the car in 28 years was a right front wing that required repair. All other panels, and all the glass, are still the original items as fitted to the car when it left the factory in 1973.
In early 2008, the engine was comprehensively overhauled but soon after, David Gilhooley sadly passed away. Rob Gooding, a worthy custodian, acquired UEN 911L in 2009.
Written by: Glen Smale
Image by: Virtual Motorpix/Glen Smale