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Seven of the lightest factory Porsche 911s ever built

The new Porsche 911 R has put lightweight Neunelfers firmly back on the map. However, despite the ethos behind it, at 1,370kg, the 991 R is far from the most ‘Leichtbau’ Porsche ever built.

In fact, for the following list, you can forget such legends as the 964 Carrera 4 Lightweight and the 3.2 Clubsport too because each Porsche 911 to have made our final countdown is a member of the sub-tonne club.

By our reckoning, the factory has built no less than 12 Porsche 911s that hit the scales below 1,000kg, nine of which were dedicated racing models.

7 – Porsche 911S (B Series) = 995kg
911S B Series

Often forgotten in the history of Leichtbau Neunelfers, the B Series Porsche 911S (built for one year only in 1969) was the first full-production 911 to join the sub-tonne club. The 2.0-litre car is the lightest 911S ever built; no other S-badged car dipped below the 1000kg mark.

6 – Porsche 911 Carrera 2.7 RS Lightweight = 975kg
911 2.7 RS

Probably the most famous lightweight Porsche of all, the 911 Carrera 2.7 RS was the first Neunelfer to really adopt the ‘racing car for the road’ mantra that has made subsequent Rennsport 911s so popular. Ticking the M471 option box put the car into ‘Sport’ spec, lightening it by around 100kg compared to Touring examples.

5 – Porsche 911 SC RS = 940kg
911 SC RS

The Eighties is one of the only decades not to have been blessed with a proper Rennsport 911. However, while the 959 was being developed for Group B competition, the 911 SC RS was built to fill the gap. In the hands of Prodrive, the cars featured lightweight panels to produce a startlingly low base weight.

4 – Porsche 911 Carrera 3.0 RS/RSR = 900kg
911 3.0 RSR

Released a year after the iconic 2.7 RS, the 911 Carrera 3.0 RS took weight-saving to a new level, hitting the scales 75kg lighter than it predecessor. Only available in Lightweight trim, the 3.0 RS weighed the same as its racing brother, the 3.0 RSR – one of Porsche’s most successful 911 race cars of all time.

3 – Porsche 911 Carrera RSR Turbo 2.1 = 825kg
911 RSR Turbo

The forerunner to the 934 and 935, the 911 Carrera RSR Turbo 2.1 was the first turbocharged 911 race car. As such, it was forced to race in the prototype class. This didn’t stop it finishing second overall at Le Mans in 1974, aided by its impressive power and low weight.

2 – Porsche 911R = 815kg
911R

Widely regarded as the lightest Porsche 911 ever built, the original 911R’s moniker isn’t strictly true (although it is the lightest Neunelfer ever built in any considerable number). Ferdinand Pïech went to town on the R, using fibreglass panels, plexiglass windows and magnesium componentry to reduce weight.

1 – Porsche 935 ‘Baby’ = 748kg
935 Baby

Built for the Deutsche Rennsport Meisterschaft in 1977, Porsche’s 1.4-litre 935, nicknamed ‘Baby’, weighed in a full 220kg less than the full Group 5-spec 935. After a disappointing debut at the Norisring, Jacky Icxk took 935 ‘Baby’ to DRM victory at Hockenheim before Porsche pulled the plug on the project.

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