Porsche Carrera RS 2.7

The rear-engine Porsche 911 is the sports car with the oldest mass-produced design. This seemingly timeless car was unveiled in Europe in late 1963 at the Frankfurt, Germany, auto show, and went on sale in America in 1965.

There have been numerous updates to the 911 and many different versions since it arrived. But the 1973 911 Carrera RS 2.7 coupe is the most famous of the 1965-73 first-generation Porsche 911 models. It's also the most costly model of that lot, valued at approximately $200,000--and up--if in excellent condition.

All first-generation 1965-73 six-cylinder 911s sold in America are popular because they had few power-robbing emissions controls and no hefty, federally mandated "safety bumpers" that added bulk to their clean lines.

The Carrera RS 2.7 was the top first-generation 911 and one of the best road cars of all time. It was the fastest production 911 and a solid race winner. Some Porschephiles feel it's the best 911 ever built.

The 911 was only Porsche's second brand new road model since it began selling its "356" model here in 1950. Porsche knew that a hot version of the 911, which replaced the 356, would help 911 sales because it found in the early 1950s that race wins drew customers.

The Carrera RS 2.7 thus was conceived as a 911-derived race car. However, it could be easily driven on roads because the Porsche philosophy was that its cars--except for pure competition models--could be used for daily transportation.

The RS was the first production street/race 911 widely offered to the public, although it initially couldn't legally be used in America for anything but racing. It had no emissions equipment because it was made strictly as a European road-race car.

Fortunately, the EPA eventually relaxed emissions standards enough for older cars to let Porsche fans bring the RS here and legally drive it on roads.

The RS was derived from the 911S--the fastest standard Porsche 911. But the RS had a larger, more powerful 911S six-cylinder engine and was extensively lightened. The rear-drive RS looked nearly the same as a 911S, but had a "chin spoiler" under the front bumper and rear fender bulges to cover wider tires for better handling and more efficient power delivery.

The RS also had an unusual "ducktail" rear spoiler to significantly improve high-speed handling. (Many later 911 production models got a rear spoiler.)

There also was stylish "Carrera" script stretching across each door in a contrasting color that matched the car's light Fuchs wheels. (The script could be deleted if a buyer found it too flamboyant.)

The Carrera name hadn't been used on road/race Porsches for a decade, but it was put on exotic Porsche competition cars--ending with the 1966-67 Carrera 906.

The Carrera name was new to the 1970s younger generation of Porsche fans. The automaker prized that name because a Porsche had successfully competed in the famous Carrera Panamericana road race in Mexico in 1953 and 1954.

The letters "RS" stood for "Rennsport" (racing sport) and designated a competition Porsche. The "2.7" stood for the 2.7-liter displacement of the strong, compact 210-horsepower RS engine, which had Porsche's traditional horizontally opposed piston layout, still used in the 2009 911.

The RS was fast, even by today's standards. It did 0-60 mph in 5.6 seconds and hit 100 mph in just 12.8 seconds. Top speed was 150 mph.

The car was amazingly responsive, with its quick-revving engine, powerful brakes and light, almost telepathic, steering. The race-tuned suspension and wider tires gave a rough ride at low speeds, but it smoothed out at high speeds.

The car performed so well largely because it was extremely light at 1,985 pounds--hundreds of pounds less than a 911S. The RS used the 911S coupe body shell, but Porsche didn't miss a weight-saving trick. For example, the RS had thinner body sheet metal and windshield glass, a fiberglass rear engine lid and fiberglass bumpers.

There was no weight-adding sound insulation or rear seat, and rubber mats replaced heavier carpeting. Thin front bucket seats had almost no padding. Door panels were flat and plain, with a pull cord instead of an inside door handle. There was no clock or even a passenger's sun visor.

There also was no undercoating, doorsill trim, glove compartment lid, coat hooks or springs to counterbalance the front trunk cover.

Porsche needed to build 500 RS models to qualify it for the Group 4 Special GT race category. Many in the automaker's sales department argued that the car would be a failure because it was too stripped and couldn't be sold as a road car in America--a prime Porsche market.

The price for the basic stripped RS was held to $11,785-- not much more than the 911S price--in Germany to help sales. To make its sales department less anxious, Porsche offered the RS with an $893 "Touring Package" that gave the upholstered and trimmed interior found in the 911S--along with steel rear bumpers and guards.

The RS with the package could only come from Porsche dealers because 500 RS models had to leave the production line in stripped form. Many RS buyers in Europe ordered the package because they wanted the fastest Porsche road car, but not in stripped form.

Porsche salesmen worked hard in September, 1972, to get RS orders from Porsche dealers and distributors, who also were wary of the car. Moreover, Porsche management members had to take an RS.

But the RS had a good start. An encouraging total of 51 orders were taken when the 1972 Paris Auto Show opened October 5.

A surprising thing then happened: The RS generated so much buzz and excitement at the show that the entire run of 500 cars was sold out a week after it closed.

With orders holding up, Porsche made a second series of RS models over the winter. It upped the price by $308, but there were no complaints. Porsche discovered that RS buyers would pay a premium to be part of the small group who owned an RS.

The 1,000th RS was finished on April 9, 1973. Numbers vary a bit, but a total of 1,560 or 1,580 RS models were built by the end of the 1973 model year. The additional sales let Porsche reclassify the car for the Group 3 Grand Touring race category, where its performance brought numerous wins.

Europe's Autocar magazine tested an RS with the Touring Package and said it was "sensational, even by Porsche standards."

Porsche then pushed the envelope and built about 60 even faster, more-special "RSR" models, which were a further modification of the RS. They cost an additional $8,940, but had such items as a 308-horsepower six-cylinder engine.

It soon was evident that the RSR was easily worth the extra money. In its first season, the RSR won world-famous races, including the Targa Florio, the 24 Hours of Daytona and the 12 Hours of Sebring--earning it the World Manufacturers and IMSA Divers championships.

A 911 Carrera RS 2.7 never seems to go out of date. It looks racy and is more than fast enough for today's roads. However, with escalating RS prices, most of the car's owners don't drive it much, or at all, because it's become so valuable.

Which is a pity because the car is such a blast.