• Year of manufacture 
    1973
  • Car type 
    Other
  • Lot number 
    161
  • Drive 
    LHD
  • Condition 
    Used
  • Location
    United States
  • Exterior colour 
    Other

Description

The 1973 Porsche 911 Carrera RS has long been considered not just a pinnacle of early 911 development, but a pinnacle driver’s car, period. This example, chassis 1193, is one of only 200 RS Lightweights built and benefits from a thoroughly documented Porsche factory restoration commissioned by noted Porsche collector Jean-Claude Miloe.

The Porsche 911 represents the continuing evolution of the tropfenwagen concept, with the engine and gearbox between the rear wheels. With his work both on the Volkswagen and Auto Union Grand Prix cars, Dr. Ferdinand Porsche has become personally associated with the design, although other makers such as Tatra, Mercedes-Benz, and Saab also experimented with it. The 1973 RS is the most powerful, the lightest, and the last of the first-generation road-going 911s. It also introduced significant design features that would become 911 hallmarks, among them muscular rear-wheel arches, staggered Fuchs wheels, and the famous ducktail spoiler.

The RS was developed during a period of gasoline scarcity that resulted in new racing regulations, excluding Porsche’s dominant 917. Porsche thus turned from building race car prototypes to modifying road cars – specifically the 911 – for the track. Notable wins for the 911 were the 24 Hours of Daytona, 12 Hours of Sebring, and the Targa Florio. Racing homologation requirements demanded that 500 examples be built. To Porsche’s surprise, there was plenty of demand and a total of 1,580 RS 2.7s were built.

Mechanically, the RS benefited from a raft of evolutionary tweaks. By using flat-top pistons and Nikasil-lined cylinders, a technique Porsche first used on the 917, the engine capacity was enlarged by a few hundred cubic centimeters, resulting in the first Porsche road car with more than 200 hp. Wind-tunnel research led to a larger front air dam and the distinctive ducktail spoiler, which reduced rear-end lift by 75%. Interestingly, the inspiration for the ducktail’s shape came from the rear of the Fiat 850 GT owned by one of Porsche’s engineers, Tillman Brodbeck.

In Lightweight (or M471) specification, Porsche pared the weight of the RS to 1,984 pounds, down from 2,194 pounds in standard touring form. The savings were accomplished by using thinner body panels, a fiberglass front bumper, an aluminum and fiberglass engine cover, Glaverbel glass, and a stripped interior with minimal soundproofing, thinner carpets, crank windows, racing front seats, and the deletion of the rear seat, clock and sun visor.

This well-documented Lightweight was sold new in Italy before being purchased by Swedish collector Bilar Staffou Kaiser. Collector Jean-Claude Miloe of Paris, purchased the RS in the early 1990s and sent it to the Porsche factory in Zuffenhausen, Germany, in 1995 for a comprehensive restoration, which is documented with three separate invoices, totaling more than 75,000 deutsche marks. Mr. Miloe owned 40 cars, and 1193 was used only sparingly post-restoration. In February 1996, it was sold to Paul Tholly and it remained in the Saint-Étienne area of France for the next two decades.

The RS was acquired by the consignor in 2015 and was serviced by DriverSource of Houston in 2016. This included the reinstallation of the rebuilt type 915 gearbox, installation of new Michelin XWX tires, new valve cover gaskets and valve adjustment, new cold start valves, a new clutch, and the adjustment of the fuel injection system.

Chassis 1193, retaining its matching-numbers engine, is handsomely appointed in the classic and sporting RS color scheme of Grand Prix White with red decals and a black cloth interior. The 1973 RS 2.7 is one of the most iconic Porsches of all time and one of the company’s most successful competition cars. This example, with its Lightweight specification, well-documented provenance, and restoration by the Porsche factory is a particularly desirable example of the legendary 911.


Gooding & Company
1517 20th Street
Santa Monica  90404  California
United States
Contact Person Kontaktperson
First name 
Gooding & Company

Phone 
+1 (310) 899-1960