1976 Porsche 911 2.7 RS Homage

Background:

The 1970s represented a truly 'rich vein' of Motorsport success for Porsche, regulation changes to 'level the playing field' only tested their resolve and ingenuity. The Porsche 917 was rendered obsolete by late 1972, with rule changes to the World Sportscar Championship now geared for prototypes. Without sufficient time to respond and complete a build program, Porsche switched their attention to the European GT Championship, developing still further the successful 2.7 RS. If ever there was justice, it prevailed in early 1973 when a Porsche 2.8 RSR, virtually 'out of the box', won the 24hrs of Daytona - a field littered with Prototypes. Unsurprisingly, it totally dominated European GTs (considering its 911 underpinnings, a remarkable achievement). The 911 RSR derivatives would remain a 'nemesis' to manufacturers for a decade. Porsche entries won all of the 'blue ribbon' events - Le Mans, Daytona, Sebring, etc. with regularity.

The Car:

This beautiful 1976 Porsche Carrera 2.7 RS homage offers a taste of the 2.7 RS, but without the hefty price tag. This was also the brief for our vendor, who wanted to re-create a 2.7 RS Lightweight but didn’t want to have to sell his house.

The base for this car is a 1976 911 Carrera 2.7 S, which was originally sold new in San Diego, California, where the car spent all of its life prior to arriving in the UK in March 2018. With this build in mind, the vendor searched high and low for a rust-free donor shell. Like many before him, he concluded it was the US or nothing. As the car spent all its pre-UK life in San Diego, only two minor areas of corrosion needed addressing. The front wing extensions to house the indicators are metal and genuine Porsche parts. The rear engine cover is metal, with a fibreglass ducktail spoiler fitted. The front bonnet has been replaced with a genuine Porsche period 'long bonnet'. Bodywork repairs and a full bare-metal respray in Porsche Viper Green were carried out by OSC in Chessington in 2018/2019, as the build began.

A great deal of attention to detail was applied during the build, which sets it apart from many others. The car has been built to Lightweight rather than Touring specification, so both the front and rear bumpers are fibreglass, as they would have been on an original car. The wheels had to be sourced in Europe (at considerable expense) and are original, genuine Fuchs alloys, with the extremely rare deep-dish rears. The factory beauties are shod with four Continental tyres, each with fewer than 200 miles on them. The interior is largely stock, but some tasteful upgrades have been made to maintain usability while keeping the classic external appearance of a 2.7 RS, with a touch of luxury inside the cabin. The steering wheel is the original but has been retrimmed in Nappa leather, as has the dashboard.

Seating is provided by genuine 1970s-era Porsche electric seats, with 12-way adjustment on the driver’s side and 8-way adjustment on the passenger side. That’s not all that has been electrified; genuine Porsche electric windows have also been added to the specification. If you prefer originality, fear not. The original seats and manual window winders, along with the mechanisms, are available by separate negotiation with the vendor should you want to return the interior to standard. A modern face-off radio is also fitted.

The stock engine runs beautifully and as the car started out as a 2.7 Carrera S, the engine is largely similar to a genuine RS. The only deviation from a standard engine setup is the sports exhaust. The warm-up regulator and fuel injection distributor have both been rebuilt by renowned experts KMI. The fuel injectors have been replaced by Porsche specialists GT-One in Chertsey, who have also completed all other engine work. Servicing has been carried out on an annual basis, with the most recent service replacing the oil, filters, plugs, and leads.

The car comes with its original owner’s manual and service book, with service stamps in the warranty book dating to the early 2000s, prior to it being parked and long-term stored by its previous owner in California. The mileages match from the last stamp to the car's odometer. A substantial file contains invoices from the build, along with a Porsche letter confirming that the car has matching numbers. It is supplied with two keys.

Summary:

A beautiful homage to a legendary car and at a fraction of the cost associated with the real deal.

Location: Surrey

Seller: Private

Photography: Professional