At the wheel of the Porsche super sports car
It's not every day that you get the opportunity to sit behind the wheel of one of the most sought-after classic cars of all time. We are talking here about the Porsche Carrera RS 2.7, built from October 1972 to July 1973. Initially launched as a homologation series of 500 units, the RS experienced such strong demand from customers that Porsche ultimately produced a total of 1525 units of the high-performance sports car, which cost DM 34,000 at the time.
No wonder the car was a success, as the performance of the production sports car was exceptional for the early 1970s. The sprint from 0 to 100 km/h took just 5.8 seconds and the top speed was almost 250 km/h. These figures were made possible by consistent lightweight construction. In addition to the use of thin sheet metal and thin glass as well as the use of plastic hoods and bumpers, Porsche engineers saved many a kilogram, not least in the interior. The driver and front passenger sit in lightweight shells, the doors are opened by means of a loop and the dashboard lacks a clock and glove compartment lid for weight reasons.
Even more impressive than the pure data, however, is the driving experience in the Carrera RS, which weighed less than 1000 kg in the sports version. The rev-happy, 210 hp six-cylinder boxer engine is greedy at the throttle and develops an incomparable sound in the upper rev range. Even the shortest tunnel becomes an orchestra hall. Quickly shift down a gear with the intermediate throttle and then let the "violins" play. You can feel the lightness of being from the very first turn. The car responds to the slightest steering movement. The five-speed gearbox shifts like butter and encourages the driver to change gears more often than necessary. The urge to move forward is immediate and even on the brakes, the Carrera is by no means a classic car. The only thing is that the seat is a little high, but that is typical of the 911.
Many RS customers at the time also used the car intensively in motorsport, where it proved equally capable of winning in rallies, hill climbs and also on the circuit. It is precisely this feeling of driving the RS not on the road but on the racetrack that is immediately awakened as soon as the rear engine starts working. This was also the case during our test drive! Every glance in the rear-view mirror reminded me of the Nordschleife, because the image of Roland Asch's GT3 RSR in 24-hour design is rarely seen on Swiss national roads.
We have already published a comprehensive report on the Porsche 911 Carrera RS .
