Porsche 911 ST 2.3 replica joins original
A rallying enthusiast came across the original car he was attempting to recreate - so he bought it
Prepare to be jealous. A wealthy rally enthusiast is living his dream with two examples of 1970 Porsche 911 ST 2.3 Spanish Rally Championship cars, one original and one replica, through a remarkable stroke of luck. As reported in Porsche Klassik 13 magazine, the pair were united by chance when owner Nikolas Knoll stumbled across the original mid-way through his project to turn a 911 S into his dream rally car, a model that won the Spanish Rally Championship as a team Repsol creation.
Originally, Repsol had fielded two identical cars in the series, but one was crashed beyond repair – so far beyond that its driver, Eladio Doncel, was seriously harmed and never competed again afterwards – meaning only one example was in existence. Or so it turned out to be, because Knoll set out to create his replica without knowledge of the original’s location. Nevertheless, his replica was made with nut and bolt accuracy thanks to the list of parts recorded in period racing book ‘Sporttechnische Leitfaden für Porsche-Fahrer’.
The ST 2.3 replica gained front wings, a bonnet and bumpers made from glass-fibre reinforced plastic, as well as plexiglass windows for the side and rear, lightweight door panels and wide rear arches. It sat on competition suspension with 7.0-inch Fuchs wheels at the front and 9.0-inch Minilite wheels at the back. The engine was uprated as per the original build with hard-chrome-coated cylinders, a new head with twin plugs and Carrera 6 camshafts to produce 230hp at 8,000rpm. It drives the wheels either side of it through a five-speed manual gearbox.
As mouth-watering as that specification is, the average man might be gutted to later discover the original version of the build – especially when they’ve already poured thousands of pounds into the project. But Knoll’s a successful economist so he did the thing we all wish we could: he bought the original. Knoll told Porsche Klassik 13: “Unfortunately, it had some engine damage, but after a thorough visual inspection with experts, I did not hesitate for a single second and decided: now you have two!”.
Best of all, with both now in full working order, Knoll puts them into regular use, as shown by the images of the cars on circuit here. Someone pat that man on the back!
Story credit: Jürgen Gassebner
Pictures: Stefan Bogner
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