One of the first 500 homologation models!

Delivered to Munich!

The FIA made a momentous decision at this CSI meeting in London on 16 June 1972: to achieve homologation in Group 4, at least 500 units of a vehicle must demonstrably be built. This decision did not exactly catch Porsche by surprise. The company had already been thinking about why BMW and Ford were leading the field on the racetrack. A new top model was already in planning for 1973. It was to be called the 2.7 S, equipped with a 210 hp engine. But there was significant scepticism as to whether sufficient buyers would be found for the 500 cars. What followed - to put it mildly - was one of the more striking cases of differing opinions between the manufacturer and sales organisation. The 2.7 S was to be abandoned in favour of the homologation model. But the sales organisation had already made all the preparations, printed the leaflets and set the prices. So it was not amused by any stretch of the imagination. Today we know which side of this argument prevailed. The development team under Wolfgang Berger pulled out all the stops, and in doing so gave birth to a legend: the Carrera RS. RS as in racing sport.

This Carrera RS, chassis #0235, was built in December 1972 and is therefore one of the homologation models manufactured with extra-thin metal to keep the homologation weight as low as possible. It was ordered via Mahag in Munich. The reference documents indicate it was destined for Dr Konradsheim in signal yellow, with sports seats and headrests, a limited slip differential, heated rear window and 3-point safety belts. The good doctor decided to pick up the car himself, without conservation.

The RS was sold to Horst Derkum in Mönchengladbach sometime in the 1980s. Horst Derkum is hardly an unknown figure in the Porsche world, as he is considered an eminent authority in building race cars; he also ran his private racing team with considerable success for years. The Porsche went from one specialist to the next around 1990. Esben Kraen had caught wind that Horst Derkum owned an RS, and he managed to prise it away and bring it to Denmark. He immediately set about restoring the vehicle, taking four years to produce a result that even today testifies to the quality of craftsmanship. Esben Kraen enjoyed his #0235 for 20 years, entering numerous events throughout Europe, before finally selling the car to a friend.

The RS experienced engine damage on two occasions in its early years, each time receiving a replacement housing of the correct type, the 911/83. The first one was irredeemably leaky, the second one put aside and kept with the car, unused and still sporting its original manufacturer’s number. The engine that is currently installed is based on a 911/81 magnesium housing and was prepared by Esben Kraen specifically for his RS.

All the magnificent tales to recount about the Carrera RS already have already been told. It inspires books as much as it does dreams. This specimen has been in the hands of undisputed Porsche experts for decades, and was restored by one of them for his personal use. Not much has changed since then, certainly not the coveted pedigree of this sportster. This early homologation model will spoil its new owner for choice: climb aboard for immediate gratification, or exercise patience and wait until it has been restored to its original condition anno 1972.

VIN: 9113600235, mileage: 58,122 km (read), displacement: 2,681 cc/B6, engine: 6630259, colour: Grand Prix white/black (fabric), gearbox: 5-speed, power: 210 hp, papers: Danish vehicle papers and German TÜV inspection (§21)