The ultimate Porsche 964 RS?
It is often overlooked that 1992 was a significant year for Porsche. While many may instead highlight a year later when the last air-cooled 911 was revealed in the 993, 1992 was the final year of the 964, which brought with it the return of a revered moniker: the RS.
It had been eight years since the appearance of the very limited edition SC RS, and almost 20 years since the heyday of the 2.7 and 3.0-litre Carrera RS models, and so in the 964 Rennsport, Porsche once more dedicated an extremely focused model to the 911 range that was aimed at the real enthusiast sports car driver.
In tandem with the earliest 911 RS, the 2.7 Carrera, which was available in Touring, Sport (sometimes referred to as Lightweight) and even Racing trim, the 964 RS could be specified in Touring, Sport and track-ready N/GT trim.
Costing DM40,000 more than the 964 Carrera, 2,282 964 Rennsport models were produced, though just 90 of these were of the Sport variety, while 290 of the N/GT were sold for track use, leaving 1,902 units in Touring trim.
For a limited-edition high-performance model, this was a healthy production run compared with the 1973 Carrera RS, of which just 1,508 units were built.
In terms of specification, the 964 RS had the same top speed as the Carrera 2 (161mph). However, its sprint times were improved. The M64/03 engine was more powerful, and the RS was 230 kilograms lighter as a whole (in Sport trim), with weight reduction going as far as eliminating unnecessary wiring from the car’s harness for those components not included on the RS.
With a tweaked chassis that sat the RS 40mm lower than the standard Carrera, the 964 Rennsport was a true performance machine. It was certainly worth the eight-year wait for that RS moniker to return to the 911.
By 1995, the 993 RS had upped the game yet again, with power output at 300bhp and a top speed of 172mph, despite a weight increase of 50 kilograms over its predecessor.
To read more, grab your copy of Total 911 issue 123 in store now. Alternatively, order it online for home delivery or download it straight to your digital device.
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