1973 Porsche 2.7 Carrera RS

Collection of the Torre family, Jamestown, RI

• Homologation car for group 4 racing

• Made with larger displacement 2.7L engine to allow for more power

• Made to be as light as possible

The 2.7L Porsche Carrera RS is recognized as the car that started it all for Porsche. Created to meet group 4 homologation requirements, the Carrera was the road legal version of the group 4 racing Carrera. In the previous years, the 911 had serious success in racing, however it had one massive issue - the rear end would get light in high-speed corners, however the Carrera fixed that.

The Carrera was produced under a shoestrings budget with little room to make major changes to the car. The rear wing, better known as the ducktail, was where Porsche engineers centered their focus. The Carrera’s wing added around 100 Kg’s of downforce to the rear of the car, making it handle better in high-speed corners. This ducktail was a gamble by the engineering team who were nearly turned down by Porsche marketing and design teams for it being “appalling” with the head of sales saying 20 will sell at best. The engineering team prevailed by saying “either 500 units or nothing” which was the minimum number of units needed for the homologation - they ended up selling 1580 of the Carrera RS. 

The 2.7-liter engine is a larger version of the existing 2.4, offering more power and boost. Despite its size, it produces an impressive 207 horsepower - especially given the car’s light weight. More power in the 911’s came only a few years later, with the introduction of the Porsche turbo in 1975. However, at the time of its release, it was one of the quickest sports cars on the planet, being able to reach 62 mph in a mind boggling 5.8 seconds. That is faster than the modern Volkswagen Golf GTI.

Other changes to the car include bigger rear tires, the body of the lightweight model was made from thinner sheet metal, 0.88mm to 0.8mm, the suspension was upgraded, and thicker anti-roll bars. On the dashboard they replaced the clock with a blank black pad, even removed the glovebox door to save weight.

The 2.7 Carrera RS is the definition of rennsport, with it being as bare and as light as engineers could make it while being illegal for the road. This was the point of rennsport - make the cars as light and maneuverable as possible, just like a racing car. The 2.7 Carrera RS is the car that truly started it all for Porsche, marking the leap to Group 4 racing and debuting the now-iconic ducktail wing.

This specific 2.7 Carrera is number 12 / 72 touring and based on car 224. In 1973, renowned watchmaker Jack Heuer bought the car brand new in Switzerland from Porsche dealer—and famed racing driver—Jo Siffert. It was then imported into the United States in 2005 where it has been since. Heuer sold it because he believed that it was “no longer appropriate to be driving around in such a flashy car”.

Specifications:

Engine: 2.7L Air-cooled flat-six

Transmission: Five-speed manual

Power: 210 hp @ 6,300 rpm / 188 lb-ft torque @ 5,100 rpm

Speed: 150 mph (Top) / 0-60 mph 5.6 sec

Curb weight: 2,116 lbs