Description
The legendary RS Touring you have all been looking for. An early production example produced in November 1972, so one of the desired ‘first 500’ cars featuring lighter panel work and only the 6th RS to be produced in right hand drive for the UK market.
Retaining its matching numbers and original specification it is one of only four UK examples finished in Bahia Red and features a number of options, 102 Heated rear window, 409 Recaro sports seats left and right, 423 Outside mirror drivers side, 439 Porsche side lettering (black), 569 Rear nudge bar, 651 Electric windows, the bonnet mounted Cibie driving lights were fitted early in the car’s life by AFN, the supplying dealer.
This RS has covered 117, 500 road miles in the hands of four owners from new and it has an interesting comprehensive history from new. It is in immaculate condition throughout.
The RS was collected from supplying dealer AFN’s Falcon Works in Isleworth by first owner Lord Lyell on the 12th of January 1973. This is recorded on the original registration document and Porsche Certificate of Authenticity and also in a small Smythson’s motoring book. The latter bought especially for the arrival of his RS by Lord Lyell diligently documents every one of the 110, 000 miles he completed in the car right up until he finally parted with it in May 1994.
He clearly bought the RS for long distance motoring as the journal records with regular trips from his Scottish Estate, Kinnordy near Kirriemuir, to his London house in Petersham Mews, a 475-mile drive. In addition, many drives to his house in Provence from Scotland via London were covered, a 2, 000-mile journey. An interesting entry in August 1997 records a driving visit to the Porsche factory and a test drive in a Porsche 959 with Herr Wolf at 260kph!
The many trips between Scotland and London are explained by Lord Lyell’s role as an influential and hard working Conservative Peer under Edward Heath and Margaret Thatcher in The House of Lords. Thatcher promoted him to government whip in 1979 and later to Under Secretary of State at the Northern Ireland Office in 1984. He clearly loved driving, indeed his love of fast cars is noted in his obituary of the 15th February 2017 in the Scottish Herald.
Lord Lyell had the Porsche maintained as required by supplying dealer AFN as remembered by AFN Porsche historian Jeff Moyes and it was to AFN and Porsche Great Britain that he turned in 1990 having decided that more extensive work was now required with 107, 000 miles recorded. In the end it was decided to fully restore the car, the bodywork and all running gear was stripped and refurbished or replaced as necessary. Extensive invoicing on file details the work completed and the £30, 000 spent.
A photographic album records the car coming apart and going back together. This importantly shows how good and original the car remained prior to the work having never been subject to the modifications, damage and competition rigours that afflicted so many RS’s in their middle life.
A year on Lord Lyells motoring log records him collecting his as new again RS from AFN on the 12th of July. It immediately resumed its previous life driving from AFN to Petersham Mews, on to the House of Lords and then to Kinnordy, 466 miles on this first day of use post restoration.
Lord Lyell continued to use the RS albeit more sparingly until May 1994 covering 2, 500 post restoration miles before taking the decision to part with his old friend, a difficult decision I’m sure. It was offered at auction and bought by a UK-based enthusiast with one of the world’s finest car collections.
The RS remained in this collection until 1996 and was used sparingly covering barely 1, 000 miles. In 1996 Jeff Moyes of AFN who had overseen the restoration began offering the RS discreetly for sale on behalf of the collection and it fortunately reached the antenna of a solicitor and Porsche enthusiast based in Leighton Buzzard who had been looking for a great RS with character for some time.
