Carmakers used to go about track specials by bolting on some racier hardware to one of its road cars, chucking out some weight and slapping a few stickers down the side. Nowadays, track-honed performance cars sit far closer to their racing counterparts than ever before. The Lamborghini Huracan STO was intended to be a road-going version of the Super Trofeo racer, the Maserati has just released a Stradale version of its MC20 GT2 car and, of course, the Porsche 911 GT3 RS is as close as it has ever been to a Cup car with number plates.
We could spend all day arguing over who came up with the road-going racer first. Motor racing would have never happened had it not been for a bunch of adrenaline-hungry aristocrats pitting their contraptions against each other to see who had the fastest. But you can’t deny Porsche’s influence on the current performance car landscape. Renault, for instance, freely admitted that the R26.R was intended as a front-wheel drive GT3, and it’s said the VW Golf GTI Clubsport S was inspired by Weissach’s finest, too. Which means that they, and Porsche’s GT division itself, would never have come to be had it not been for the Carrera RS 2.7, like the one for sale here.
The RS 2.7 is a car of many firsts. Arriving in 1972, the 2.7 was the first 911 to wear the Carrera name (meaning ‘race’ in Spanish and derived from the epic Carrera Panamerica rally where Porsche enjoyed many victories), which combined with the rennsport ‘RS’ letting shows just how focused Porsche’s new road racer was. The 2.7 RS a homologation special, after all, built to squeeze the 911 into the Group 4 so that it could compete in the world’s major endurance races and rallies.
That’s not all, though. The 2.7 RS was also the first series production car with front and rear wings, kicking off a trend that’s still going strong today, and was (unofficially) the first German car to complete a 0-62mph dash in under six seconds, making it the country’s quickest production model at the time. That’s in part down to the bigger flat-six with 210hp to play with and just 960kg to drag along in lightweight guise. Other changes included firmer suspension and larger brakes, which in turn created the clubsport recipe that Porsche and its rivals continue to crib from to this day.
Two versions were offered: a lightweight model and Touring. This particular model is one of the latter, meaning it weighs just over a tonne but, in return, it should feel a touch more refined with thicker glass and a bit more sound deadening. Not only is it one of the original 500 homologation cars, it’s also right-hand drive, of which just 100 or so were made. And if that wasn’t enough, it was also owned by Jay Kay (I know - what hasn’t he owned?) for over 20 years, making a brief appearance in the music video for White Knuckle Ride, so it should be in as good condition as the pics would suggest.
Prior to the Space Cowboy’s ownership, the car was put through a full restoration, including an engine overhaul and a return to its original Dalmatian Blue colour, which looks simply sublime when paired with the white Carrera graphics. It’s got some serious provenance, so it’s little wonder why the seller’s looking to get £585,000 for it. Values do appear to be all over the place, mind, and you could pay considerably more or less depending on condition and history. Saying that, this white example has lived a harder life and the steering wheel is on the wrong side, but at a £200k discount it’s certainly tempting. Just need to go digging behind the back of the sofa.
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