Porsche 911 Carrera 2.8 RSR: Rennsport for the road
I have driven a Le Mans racer on a public road. Now, there’s a sentence I thought I’d never write. Having said that, if there is a manufacturer that has built race cars that can, with some effort, be road registered, it’s Porsche. Let’s start at the beginning of this incredible story.
This 1973 Porsche 2.8 RSR (chassis number 911 360 0636) has a rather illustrious racing history. Tipping the scales in full race trim at just 917kg, it was built in February 1973 and delivered to Max Moritz Racing a month later.
During the following few years the car had a busy racing schedule: in May ’73 it qualified tenth for the Targa Florio, but unfortunately it did not finish the event following a crash. In June it was time for the 24 Hours of Le Mans, but after 103 laps, it crashed early in the morning after more than nine hours of racing.
As was customary for the period, the car was upgraded to 3.0-litre RSR specification in 1974, while the 2.8-litre engine found its way to Australia to be installed in the Porsche EBS Prototype race car.
However, the chassis itself continued to be raced from 1974 to 1976, after which the RSR received a specially-built, 3.5-litre, flat-six engine.
In 1987 the car was bought by UK specialist Autofarm for £25,000 but only a year later it was sold to racer Siggi Brunn, who decided to restore it back to its former glory. From 1993 to 1995 and 1997 to 1999, this RSR also took part in the prestigious Tour Auto.
The current owner campaigned the car in those latter rallies, as he purchased it in 1995. Since then the car has undergone another restoration. This was more of a refurbishment than a full restoration, but when a friend of the owner began researching the car’s history, he found more than 50 pictures that detailed the car’s racing life.
It was subsequently decided to cover the car in the exact livery and stickers that it had during the 1973 Le Mans race. Incidentally, the EBS Prototype came up for sale, but its owner didn’t want to part with the engine.
Fortunately, the prototype’s new owner agreed to sell the engine, making it possible to have a matching-numbers 1973 RSR, which is rare.
To read our Porsche 911 Carrera 2.8 RSR test drive in full, pick up Total 911 issue 142 in store today. Alternatively, order your copy online for home delivery or download it straight to your digital device now.
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