Beautifully-Restored Carrera RS Lightweight Found on Issimi
The Carrera 2.7 RS is the stuff of legends, well known as the ultimate road-going Porsche of the 1970s. Of all the 1,580 Carrera RS 2.7s, only 200 were made were ordered with this lightweight ‘Sports’ trim which made the car more responsive and purposeful. The 2.7 RS was based on the range 911S and was created to homologate the 911 for the FIA’s new series of production-based sports car, which required at least 500 examples to be built within a 12 month period in order to homologate the car for racing.
The roadmap for the 2.7 RS was simple. More power, less weight, and an optimized chassis. The engine was expanded from 2.3 liters to 2.7 liters and got Nikasil coated cylinder linings and MFI Bosch mechanical fuel injection and 915 5-speed gearbox. Independent front suspension with MacPherson struts, torsion bars, and anti-roll bars, were coupled with independent rear suspension and transverse torsion bars, tubular shock absorbers, and an anti-roll bar. Wider wheels necessitated flared rear wheel arches to accommodate the wider track. The four-wheel disc brakes provided stopping power to counter the powerful acceleration the RS could achieve. Weight was reduced through a reduction in sound proofing, thinner body panels, some fiberglass body panels, and thinner glass. Indeed, weighing in at a mere 2,370 pounds in the more luxurious “Touring” form, the Carrera RS was capable of 150 mph top speeds and a jaw dropping 0- 60 time of just 5.5 seconds.
What all Lightweights lack, compared to Touring RSs, are items like front bumper trim and decorative chrome strips that run the length of the sill beneath the Carrera script. For the first series of Lightweights, the Porsche crest was a weight-saving sticker instead of a metal badge. On the rear decklid, simple rubber hooks took the place of a metal catch and cable.
This particular car is not only a genuine lightweight, it is from the first 500 units of production, making it one of the cars that actually contributed to the homologation of the Carrera RS for racing. These early cars differed in detail compared to later cars. For example, there is no pebbled finish on the underside of the front deck lid or on the structural elements in the engine compartment, both of which are correctly finished on this superbly restored example. Also of note is that this car is one of only a handful of Lightweights fitted with a sunroof from the factory.
The car is in excellent shape, having been used carefully since the restoration and showing only minor wear and aging since. Total number of owners is unknown. The car has an asking price of €1,250,000. Check out the full listing at Issimi.
All photos as curtesy of issimi.com
