Porsche 911 Carrera RS Lightweight Evocation for sale, Edinburgh Scotland
ABOUT THIS CAR
A beautiful evocation of one of the most sought after 911s ever produced, this vehicle started originally as a 1980 specification Porsche 911SC. It was restored and backdated to 1973 RS spec by 911 Classic Ltd in 2011. The shell was stripped, having a rear rollcage installed with racing seats and harnesses installed. The interior was stripped of rear seats and rebuilt per RS lightweight specification with lightweight door cards and carpets.The original SC engine was restored, GRP boot and bonnet fitted and the car was finished in gleaming Viper green paint.
Further improvements followed in 2012, with the installation of an 3100cc competition engine (built by Autofarm Ltd) running on twin weber carburetors. A limited slip differential and competition clutch completed the package. The original engine is sympathetically stored and accompanies the car in the sale to maintain provenance.
Despite being a very desirable road car that would be well suited to blasts around Scottish country lanes or dashes to Southern Europe through mountain passes, this particular car is extremely competitive on the track. In 2012 it won the Road Car Class and Overall Championship of the PR Highland Speed Championship.
The vehicle is in outstanding condition with fresh MOT, having completed less than 100 miles in the last three years.
ABOUT THE PORSCHE 911 CARRERA RS LIGHTWEIGHT
RS stands for Rennsport in German, meaning race sport. The Carrera name was reintroduced from the 356 Carrera which had itself been named after Porsche's class victories in the Carrera Panamericana races in Mexico in the 1950s. The 1973 911 Carrera RS was built to meet motorsport homologation requirements.
Compared to a standard 911S, the Carrera RS had a larger engine (2687 cc) developing 210 PS (150 kW; 210 hp) with Bosch mechanical fuel injection, revised and stiffened suspension, a "ducktail" rear spoiler, larger brakes, wider rear wheels and rear arches.
In RS Touring form it weighed 1075 kg (2370 lb), in Sport Lightweight form it was about 100 kg (220 lb) lighter, the saving coming from thin gauge steel used for parts of the body shell and also the use of thinner glass. In total, 1,580 were made, and qualified for the FIA Group 4 class.
The 911 Carrera RS is one of the most desirable Porsches ever made and this has caused prices to rocket, with a record price being £847,200.
This backdated evocation offers a tantalising alternative.
ABOUT THE PORSCHE 911SC
In 1978, Porsche introduced the new version of the 911, called the '911SC'. Porsche reintroduced the SC designation for the first time since the 356SC (as distinguished from the race engined 356 Carrera). There was no Carrera version of the 911SC.
The "SC" stands for "Super Carrera". It featured a 3.0-litre aluminium engine with Bosch K-Jetronic fuel injection and a 5-speed 915 transmission. Originally power output was 180 bhp, later 188 bhp and then in 1981 it was increased to 204 bhp. The move to an aluminium engine was to regain case reliability, something missing for many years with magnesium.
In 1981 a Cabriolet concept car was introduced at the Frankfurt Motor Show. The convertible body design also featured four-wheel drive, although this was dropped in the production version. The first 911 Cabriolet debuted in late 1982, as a 1983 model. This was Porsche's first cabriolet since the 356 of the mid-1960s. A total of 4,214 were sold in its introductory year, despite its premium price relative to the open-top targa. Cabriolet versions of the 911 have been offered ever since.
In 1979, Porsche had made plans to replace the 911 with their new 928. Sales of the 911 remained so strong, however, that Porsche revised its strategy and decided to inject new life into the 911 editions. 911 SC sales totaled 58,914 cars.