Porsche 911 2.7 Carrera RS Lightweight (1973)

The ultimate 911. There is no more iconic silhouette than that of the early 911 and of all the variations and differences in these cars, the shape of the 2.7 RS with its Aerodynamic ducktail is the most instantly recognisable. It captured the imagination like the Jaguar E type had a decade before, and the initial run of 500 sold out almost immediately. Porsche had to reinstate production to build more, another 1090 in fact, in order to meet demand.

RS stands for Rennsport in German, meaning "Racing Sport". The Carrera name was reintroduced from the 356 Carrera which had itself been named after Porsche's victories in the Carrera Panamericana races in Mexico in the 1950s. These sensational cars also achieved great success on the race track, RSs both in touring and in lightweight spec were raced in almost every sports car race, the lightly modified RSR examples scored victories in the Targa Florio, the 24 Hours of Daytona and the 12 Hours of Sebring all in their first year.

The Carrera RS was essentially available in three specifications. M491 - the RSR version, purely meant for track use; M472 - the Touring version with the full standard 911 interior package, trims and bumpers, and M471 - the lightweight road/race version. Of the 1590 Carrera RS's produced, only 200 were the highly sought after M471 lightweights. These cars have, more than any other version, come to epitomise the ethos of Porsche's greatest ever road car.

The lightweights, as their name suggests, were designed to give the ultimate performance while still being road legal, and were generally bought by the most hardened of sporting drivers for road use or racing drivers for use on the track. In this last respect the car became nigh on unbeatable in the production car category on racetracks all over the world, and indeed was the car of choice in production Porsche racing well into the 1990's, when it still outperformed all subsequent Porsche products.

It is not difficult to see why. In addition to the magnificent qualities of the standard RS Touring, the lightweight went further again in the quest for performance. The rear seats were deleted, as were the door lockers and armrests, exterior decorative trim, clock, and other items considered superfluous. Lightweight RSR bucket seats were used up front, fibreglass bumpers instead of steel, and lightweight glass substituted the production panels. This resulted in a 100 kg weight reduction, with the consequent benefit to handling, acceleration and braking.

This example is one of just 17 UK "C16" cars delivered and was originally retained by Porsche GB and registered as "RGO 3L" during which time it was utilised for the race and rally season of 1973 as well as being the subject of many magazine road tests and articles, accordingly the car had rally instruments as well as a roll bar fitted from new, which still remain fitted today. Nick Faure, the works driver for the team at the time, reminisces about how he and Alan Giddins took RGO 2L (sister car) and RGO 3L to Castle Combe for a day when they were new. During that day they perfected the fuel injection setup as well as suspension setup and at the end of the day both cars would lap the circuit in identical times. For the competition season the sister car (RGO 2L) was utilised as the primary car and was found to be so reliable that RGO 3L was rarely used and therefore was subsequently sold to its first private owner following the RAC Rally of 73 (for which it is likely it took part in the practice for). Since then the car has had just 4 owners from new and has retained much originality including its matching numbers engine and correct Grand Prix White with Red script colour scheme.

The lightly used race and rally car was then purchased by the famous record producer Michael Hayes AKA Mickie Moist of Rak Records and was re-registered 880 JRM. In late 1974 the car was sold to Michael Dawes for the sum of £6,500, who would retain the car until 1989. During this most cherished ownership, the car was regularly exercised and maintained at every opportunity, documented in the cars extensive history file. In 1989 the car was purchased by Mark Colton, son of Richard Colton who also had an RHD M471. Mark continued the meticulous care of the car throughout his ownership entrusting the car to Autofarm for a well-documented and sympathetic restoration beginning in the summer of 1989. Remarkably the original rally equipment intended for the RAC Rally still remianed until this point, when the car was subsequently converted by Mr Colton to road car specification. Mark would retain the car until his tragic passing in 1995 during a hill climb in his Pilbeam single seater.

Its most recent custodian acquired the car shortly after and has retained the car until now, it being part of one of the finest collections of motor cars in the world. During this extensive period of ownership, it has always been maintained and stored to the highest standard and during December 2016, the well regarded Porsche specialist Jaz have carried out a full inspection as well as major service.

With so few owners, extreme originality and such an interesting history this M471 Carrera RS in RHD represents a rare opportunity to own one of the most iconic and best 911s in existence. Presented in its original colour combination and still fitted with its matching numbers engine this really is an opportunity to good to miss.