Description
The legendary Porsche RS resulted from the Zuffenhausen factory’s realization that the excess weight of its top-of-the-range 2.4-liter 911S production model restricted its development potential for racing. It was therefore decided to produce and homologate a special lightweight production variant for competition purposes, which would also incorporate, as standard, specific performance enhancements forbidden as post-production modifications. The result was the Carrera RS (RennSport), which featured thinner-gauge metal in its doors, roof, trunk lid, floors and even in the gearchange platform. Thinner window glass was provided by Glaverbel and most of the standard sound proofing was removed, while performance modifications included enlarged rear wheel arches to accommodate 7″ wide wheel rims, the first of the famous ‘duck’s tail’ spoilers and the newly enlarged, 2.7-liter, 210bhp engine. These alterations resulted in the RS having a top speed of around 240km/h while ensuring that it remained stable and controllable right up to the limit.
When the homologation targets had been met, the lightweight RS was discontinued but the Carrera name continued on Porsche’s top-of-the-range model, which in its new, series-production 911 Carrera form mounted the Carrera RS’s engine in a full-weight, fully trimmed bodyshell. Otherwise, this new, more civilized Carrera remained mechanically much the same as its competition-orientated progenitor. The Belgian Police – de Rijkswacht – used these Carreras for highway patrol duties in the 1970s.
This wonderful example of the 911 Carrera Targa has been carefully updated with wide bodied Turbo panels and whale tail spoiler.
