Bought a Touring...

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Fulfilled pretty much a lifelong dream



Have only had about three hours seat time so I’m still learning the car but it’s just bloody brilliant.

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73 RS Touring in Dalmatian/Oxford Blue. Used in period as a competition car and have quite a lot of history for it but am going to do some more research to see if I can find anything else. Restored about ten years ago and improved on by the previous owner who has been fastidious in sourcing a few very difficult to locate factory original parts. It’s not a “Unicorn” car that is as it was when it left the factory (not many are...especially RHD cars given the climate in this country) So it’s a very usable car which is what I intend to do with it ! Original engine is in a crate....has a spare factory correct engine that was installed in the mid 80’s which adds to the usability.

Edited by Cheib on Sunday 20th December 13:40

Edited by Cheib on Sunday 20th December 13:42

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Thanks all

Spent most of the last year looking at various options from the Porsche back catalogue and finally went for broke. I nearly bought one in 2002 froM Autofarm for £60k but they said the owner was asking too much money. Reality is if I had bought a car then I would probably have sold it a long time ago but it would have almost definitely needed a lot of work/been a ste car as I was utterly clueless about what I was buying back then....only difference is now I now know who to ask !

Looked at various other air cooled cars including 964 RS (was seriously tempted), 2.4S, 67 S, a couple of 356’s and a couple of Hotrod’s. I had a deposit down on the grey “Tuthill” car that was discussed on here at the beginning of the year (only thing “Tuthill” about that car was the pedal box and suspension...LHD conversion, HPI Cat C and a few other issues) and nearly bought Mintbird’s 912 Hotrod until Covid intervened (Great car and a great bloke). About three months ago I started looking at 73 RS’s seriously in which time I’ve learnt a lot about the cars and realised there weren’t many good cars on the market...either in terms of history/provenance or possibly not real one’s ! There was a Lightweight advertised recently for a fraction of what it cost its owner and is one of three cars with the same chassis number...

Thanks to the PH members who have provided great counsel Even though I think one or two think I am mad. Not a car you can buy without discussing it with people and I don’t have many friends who would understand.

Edited by Cheib on Sunday 20th December 14:54

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GTSJOE said:

Wonderful car, congratulations! Special colour too??
Steve Winter at Jaz Porsche is a very good source for history/provenance on 911 2.7 RS’s.

Thanks I’ll give him a try when things are a bit easier ! Jaz are less than an hour from me.

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MDMA . said:

Possibly the same car that was at Bonhams many years ago?

https://www.bonhams.com/auctions/15343/lot/207/

No that’s a different car...very similar spec with the rear bumper bar though.

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CarreraLightweightRacing said:

Fabulous car Cheib. As others have mentioned, don't be shy with pics. Great to see you out enjoying it

Thanks...it’s not going to get much use for the next two months for obvious reasons. Took advantage of a dry day and been a while since salt was on the roads.

If we can ever travel again IoM, West of Ireland (it did the Manx and some of the Irish tarmac rallies) and some continental trips are planned.

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Orangecurry said:

Nice one for being brave.

.

Thanks ! I was talking to a mate who owned one about ten years ago....and he said something along the lines of “if you can afford it do you really want to look back in ten years time and think why the hell didn’t I do it”....when I asked myself that question the answer was “No” ! I took a while to get comfortable with it to be honest. Not with the idea of of driving a car worth that much but with committing that much cash to it...but I’ve worked hard and I want to enjoy life. Mrs Cheib was a bit surprised when I told her how much I wanted to spend on a car

Whether I own it for five or ten years who knows....but I’ll have ticked the box and created some lifelong memories along the way hopefully. Also think it’ll be pretty cool owning one when there’s the 50th anniversary in a couple of years... there should be some good events around that.

I also think it’s one of the few special Porsche’s that you can drive and not worry about mileage....anything 964 or later is very mileage sensitive. Nobody gives a damn whether one of these has got 75k miles or 125k miles. All about condition and history. There’s a lot to be said for that.

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Digga said:

Very, very pleased for you.

Nothing else can come close to recreating the glory of these past masterpieces. There are some truly great modern cars, of course, but they really don't tick the same boxes.

Enjoy!

Thanks Digga. The key to me is usability....whilst there are some truly great modern cars the key to me is how much use you can get out of them and then how much excitement they generate at legal(ish) road speeds. Once you start asking those questions the field narrows down pretty quickly.

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seawise said:

IMI A said:

no brakes - almost wet myself wring one out in third to 7200rpm then having to slow down fast for a second gear corner

yes, i remember that being the over-riding memory of the one aspect that betrays the cars age - that engine is extraordinary however, they feel like a proper little hot rods.

Brakes are definitely not its forte...you just have to get used to pushing a lot harder ! Although I think given the age of the car I think the brakes are actually pretty good (they’ve recently been serviced) once you use enough right foot. You definitely need to drive with more respect for your speed/road conditions though because they won’t get you out of trouble like modern brakes can. Not going to be pushing the handling or the braking until I do a couple of sessions at Milbrook. The Handling Circuit and Alpine Route are ideal places to learn that in relative safety.

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Thanks all A few more pice

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av185 said:

Good man C!

Be interesting to hear your thoughts about the car especially compared to your newer Pork.

There are a lot of people on here better qualified to tell you the difference. I drove it back to back with my GT3 this afternoon...most obvious difference is driving position you sit a lot lower in the newer cars...steering wheel is higher and much closer to you. Clearly visibility much better in the older cars.

In terms of driving the sporting heritage of the RS is very apparent in how it drives in terms of firmness of the suspension and chassis. It is much firmer than you would think for an old car....but clearly there’s a lot more compliance in the tyres and the seats. The seats are just fantastic...I would actually say the balance between comfort and lateral support is superb.....better than any modern seat I can think of.

The car just feels some much more alive than the modern cars....the car is talking to you constantly. Steering at speed is beautifully balanced and incredibly communicative....that oh so thin steering wheel is a joy to use.. Gearchange is light and requires guidance rather than a firm throw....get back in the GT3 and it really does feel like a rifle bolt in comparison. Engine is just superb...feels super strong...rev hungry but still has plenty of torque (helped by the lightness of the car no doubt).

The RS just feels like an incredibly good balance between power, weight, chassis control and grip. Importantly for usability it feels totally at home in modern traffic...the natural speed it wants to be driven is between 50 and 70 mph....at that speed you’re in the right part of the rev range in 3rd and 4th gear and the chassis is working at speeds it’s designed for.

I might add a a steering wheel spacer to give me some more clearance for my legs...I am 6’2” and my legs are better suited to rugby than marathon running. You can put a period Momo wheel on which is a bit smaller and can be dished but that means heavier steering which I would like to avoid. Although will drive the car a bit more first.

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Orangecurry said:

....ah yes - a 1970s car with 1970s seatbelts

Looks ok -

Yes...I’ve just bought some period correct inertia reel belts..they were an option on the RS. Safer option and no hassle adjusting etc !

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RSVP911 said:

Hey chap - missed this thread somehow - congratulations- delighted you’ve found a new love in your life - it’s been quite a journey - enjoy in rude health

Don’t mean to worry you, but I think it’s faulty - it’s decals have fallen off or been stolen ?

Thanks for your counsel R. It has been quite a journey.

Funny you should mention the decals....previous owner took them off as an experiment. I am having them put back on

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2.4te said:

Fabulous! Many congratulations.

Just started rebuilding my 1972 TE MFI 911 engine, and adding a few more horses,,. These MFI cars are scintillating and the RS takes them to another level. Owned mine 22 years....

Sounds lovely . What colour is it ? You might enjoy this video of Jay Leno in his 71 911 T which he’s got a 225 bhp engine in.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xsc46vhB82A

Talking of videos this is a great one that was published a couple of months ago on the RS....helped push me over the edge

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b7--Icb9Dog&t=...

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Racer26 said:

When I was a young teenager, I used to watch Nick Faure hurl the sensational AFN 2.7RS around the UK circuits in the Prodsports championship.
The car howled, and cornered mostly on three wheels. It was impossible not to fall in love.
Like the prettiest girl, time has done nothing to diminish the attraction.
That car of yours is perfection
Enjoy it, cherish it, love it - all in good health.

Mine wasn’t doing anything as prestigious as being piloted by Mr Fabre but it did compete in the Manx Rally and some of the Irish Tarmac Rallies....and then in the 80’s in the Porsche Club Championship.

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Break in the weather and salt off the roads...had a couple more days seat time now and starting to explore the cars ability much more. 4K rpm, third gear, 60 mph ish on country road....it’s just a sublime car to drive. I honestly can’t believe how good it is

My 12 yr old son said to me “your orange car (GT3) is angry....this is like an angry old man” which made me laugh. Quite tricky to heal and toe because the car revs so freely....engine revs just die in an instant.

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Taffy66 said:

My modern RS is pretty frustrating to drive along with slower traffic. Do you feel less frustrated driving your RS Touring compared to your 991.2GT3.?

100%...car feels much more alive. Modern cars are so heavy that they feel a bit dead at low speeds. Lack of weight combined with unassisted steering, gear change that demands that bit more concentration but is a joy to use, more glass in the cabin etc etc. All those things add up.

Drove past a couple of cyclists who had stopped for a break on a country lane....if I'd been driving my GT3 like I was driving my RS they'd have scowled at me and probably given me the finger...in the RS it's big smiles. Chances are they might not ever see one again on the road and I think they knew it and appreciated it.

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PS2018 said:

What an absolute beauty Cheib. Great story to it too, was it a private sale in the end or a dealer located it for you? No need to say which one. Trust you have the Tag Carrera RS book?!

Thanks ! It was a private sale, bloke I met through work best part of twenty years ago. Paths crossed through mutual friends about a year ago, he was a totally fastidious owner and built/maintained a fantastic history file and spared no expense getting it back to factory condition. When it was restored the lightweight panels were not available, Porsche started making them again about five years ago....he bought a set which I now have. So I am going to drive it like i stole it for a few years before getting the lightweight panels put on the car...

The fact it’s been used in competition and was converted to RSR spec in period means it’s totally understandable that the body isn’t to totally original.

I do have a copy of the RS book came as part of the deal....the number of the book matches chassis number of the car

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Decals back on it...car didn’t have them in period, very few cars that weren’t white did...but I like them!

Edited by Cheib on Wednesday 24th February 19:12

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Thanks for all the kind words gents....and yes I do struggle not to drive it

I am lucky enough to own three 911’s... neither of the others are anywhere special as this one but this one is the only one you can put miles on and it has zero impact on value.

Edited by Cheib on Friday 26th February 08:07