1973 Porsche Carrera RS – Classified of the Week

When it comes to Porsche there are certain Holy Grail cars. Models that are a little bit special. Now some would contend that any Porsche is special, and it’s a solid argument. Porsche doesn’t tend to make rubbish cars, whatever the class, but cars like this 1973 Carrera RS are a cut above, especially as it’s a one owner example with a complete history. Like we said, if Indiana Jones was to buy this then he would most definitely have chosen… wisely. He would have to sell a hell of a lot of trinkets to be able to afford it mind you, but we’ll get to that.

RS, or Rennsport (the German word for racing or motorsport) are two very important letters when it comes to Porsches for they represent peak performance. From originally appearing on the 718 RSK racer back in ’57 to the modern day 911 GT3 RS it’s a moniker synonymous with speed and power. The second car to ever carry the badging was the Porsche 911 Carrera RS. Named after the Carrera Panamericana – a 1950s Mexican road race – and built as a homologation special (if you’re not aware of the terminology then check out our “The Homologators” series) so that the Germans could compete in Group 4 GT racing, the initial plan was to produce 500 road-going versions.

These cars were unique in that they featured the now famous ‘Ducktail’ rear spoiler and flared rear arches to incorporate wider wheels for better traction. They were also super lightweight, meaning that when coupled with the 2.7-litre, air-cooled flat-six engine producing 210bhp (a bored out version of the 2.4-litre from the 911S), the Carrera RS could get to 60mph from parked in under 6 seconds and on to a top speed of over 150mph, making it the fastest German production car ever built at the time. That’s impressive even today and this was 50 years ago!

So taken were people with the Carrera RS and so impressed were Porsche with what it had created that instead of the initial 500 units, 1,580 ended up being built, one of which we have for sale via our classifieds here at Car & Classic. Yes, at £700,000 the price tag is a little eye-watering but when you actually sit down and look at what this car is and what it represents then the numbers begin to make little more sense.

This particular example is a Carrera RS M472, with the last part indicating that it is a ‘Touring’ version, of which 1,308 of the 1,580 mentioned earlier were specced as. What this means is a few extra creature comforts over the ‘Sport’ or lightweight models. Basically all of interior the bits and bobs that were removed as said weight saving exercise for the Sport were re-fitted.

The history of this 60,000 miler can be traced all the way back to the first and only documented owner who initially registered the car in 1973. From the very beginning the car has been lavished with love and respect and even when some repairs were required, nobody but respected Porsche specialists were employed.

Fully restored between 2007 and 2010 with all work fully documented the Carrera RS was later treated to an underbody clean, including rust protection treatment in 2013. The body was also sanded and repainted to the highest quality, again using only Porsche specialists. Regularly serviced and maintained the latest work has been an injection pump revision in 2021 and the car stands in the exact same colour and spec as listed on the delivery sheet.

This Carrera RS is a real collector’s piece and a truly sensational chapter in Porsche’s rich legacy. Yes it’s bloody expensive but do you think that number is going to diminish? Spoiler alert, the answer is no.