RS Porsche 911s: You Know You Want To...
Take time-out to peruse some hotshoe Porsches with PH
But magnificent though the GT2 RS may be, you don’t have to bemoan the fact that you aren’t one of the lucky 500 owners.
You don’t even have to have car funds that stretch to the £170k you would need to get your backside behind the steering wheel of a GT2 RS to have RS-flavoured Porsche fun. Because there are plenty of other RS-badged Porsches out there. And you can find them in your favourite classified section (that’s the PH classifieds, by the way…)
Juicy offers range from the classic (and deeply desirable) 1973 2.7 ‘duck tail’ RS all the way through to the 2007 Gen1 997 GT3 RS. There are even quite a few Gen2 GT3 RSs out there in PH land, though for the moment most of those are still commanding a chunky premium over the £105k list price.
But if you’re looking for a bit more of a bargain, check out the RS on these beauties. And yes, we know you know we know you want to - so aren't you glad we're here to help?
1973 911 Carrera 2.7 RS ‘Duck tail’
Eventually Porsche built 1580 2.7 RSs, but they are rare as, er, duck teeth on the open market and, should you spot one, chances are it’ll have a price tag of at least £150k.
There are some quite convincing replicas around, however, such as this one, based on a 1979 911 SC, up for £36,995.
964 RS
£120k, but only 2965 miles...
This 260bhp hardcore chap came without electric windows or electric seats, air-con, a stereo, or much in the way of sound deadening (although a Touring version with a few more creature comforts was also available.
Prices seem to range widely, from £54k for a fairly average 964 RS to a gut-wrenching £120,000 for a right-hook car with just 3000 miles on the odo.
993 Carrera RS
It might look like an everyday 911 save for a fixed rear spoiler, a reworked front bumper, flared wheelarches and a pair of understated side skirts, but it means business. There are thicker anti-roll bars, cross-drilled and ventilated discs from the 993 Turbo, as well as seam-welded body panels, thinner glass, no rear seats and an aluminium bonnet.
When it was new, the 911 Carrera RS commanded a price tag of £68,495. But fewer than 50 were made in right-hand drive, and even LHD cars will still set you back more than the car’s original list price. We found a left-hook £49k-mile 993 RS in black on sale for £80k, and one with 45k miles up for £83k. The only right-hand-drive car we came up with was this, for a cool £100,000 - and that has been sold...
996 GT3 RS
Despite the fact that Porsche imported only 113 examples of the GT3 RS, you should be able to find a clean example of the 381bhp RennSport for less than the price of a brand-new Carrera.
If you’re keen on a spot of track-hooning, then the 996 GT3 RS, with its polycarbonate rear window, carbon fibre bonnet and rear wing, half roll cage and optional carbon-ceramic brakes might just be the car for you…
997 GT3 RS (first generation)
Not quite the real deal, but only £70k
This will get you 409bhp-worth of flat six, as much outlandish track-car graphics and wing as you can deal with, a 0-60mph time of a scant four seconds and a top speed that’s knocking on the door of 200mph (well, 193mph; it’s got quite a light knock).
You will have to shell out a bit more of the green stuff to get a 997 over a 996, mind – the cheapest 997 GT3 RS (spec) we’ve found is up for £70k (and that's a re-creation not an original), while £86k is far from inconceivable. And you’ll have to put up with the fact that the latest gen 2 997 GT3 has just come out…
)...Here's a 'proper' one
http://www.pistonheads.com/sales/1765953.htm (in proper black 'n' tan doberman spec too...)
The 996 is a real performance bargin at the moment be it RS or any other variant, Turbos seem esspecially cheap.
Loved Porsche since I was a boy and this time next year should see me with my first 911 with some luck, just a Carrera 2 to start with though.
Why are the air-cooled models considered to be more desirable than then water-cooled varieties?
1 - They have the cachet of being what Porsche made its name with. The "real deal" if you will. It's a snob thing to some extent, and a purity thing to some extent.
2 - They are a more challenging drive as they are more prone to snap oversteer if driven with a lack of respect when approaching the limit.
3 - They may possibly offer a more "communicative" drive. I can't claim this one with any degree of authority as I've only driven air cooled Carrera 3.2's.
4 - The years have not been kind to the styling of the 996 cars, in particular the "fried egg" headlamps. My take on it is that 997 models will hold their value better than 996's, in much the same way that pre-964 cars seem to hold their value better than 964's.
All of the above, my opinion nothing more, feel free to disagree.
Why are the air-cooled models considered to be more desirable than then water-cooled varieties?
1 - They have the cachet of being what Porsche made its name with. The "real deal" if you will. It's a snob thing to some extent, and a purity thing to some extent.
2 - They are a more challenging drive as they are more prone to snap oversteer if driven with a lack of respect when approaching the limit.
3 - They may possibly offer a more "communicative" drive. I can't claim this one with any degree of authority as I've only driven air cooled Carrera 3.2's.
4 - The years have not been kind to the styling of the 996 cars, in particular the "fried egg" headlamps. My take on it is that 997 models will hold their value better than 996's, in much the same way that pre-964 cars seem to hold their value better than 964's.
All of the above, my opinion nothing more, feel free to disagree.
997 GT3 RS Gen II
Gorgeous. Never a fan of the two tone paint scheme so for me this one is perfect.
Found it quite amusing that it had Sat Nav as well....
Saw this one when I was looking the other day- 9ff tuned to 750 BHP!!! (for those of you missing turbo power...)
http://www.pistonheads.com/sales/1873118.htm
Why are the air-cooled models considered to be more desirable than then water-cooled varieties?
1 - They have the cachet of being what Porsche made its name with. The "real deal" if you will. It's a snob thing to some extent, and a purity thing to some extent.
2 - They are a more challenging drive as they are more prone to snap oversteer if driven with a lack of respect when approaching the limit.
3 - They may possibly offer a more "communicative" drive. I can't claim this one with any degree of authority as I've only driven air cooled Carrera 3.2's.
4 - The years have not been kind to the styling of the 996 cars, in particular the "fried egg" headlamps. My take on it is that 997 models will hold their value better than 996's, in much the same way that pre-964 cars seem to hold their value better than 964's.
All of the above, my opinion nothing more, feel free to disagree.
I'm going to buy one right now. Damn - I seem to be several thousand short!
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