1981 Porsche 911 SC / 2.7 Carrera RS

The vendor only bought the car in February. He says: ‘it was actually at the London Classic Car show and it was the company owner’s own personal car. I wanted to buy a car to do some rallies in and I know I shouldn’t have bought it without driving it, but it was just so attractive.’

Having now lived with the 911 for a while he realises it’s really a touch too firm and ‘hardcore’, and he’d need to change too much in order to make it suitable to compete in the type of navigational rallies he’s now doing.

‘It is fast, light and perfect for weekend blasts, and also for the occasional race-track,’ he explains. ‘With a pair of triple Weber carburettors and RSR headers, it’s very exciting to drive and makes a wonderful noise.’

First registered on 1/1/1981 as an SC, its early history isn’t available. The V5 shows nineteen owners but that’s not an issue, as it was thoroughly rebuilt and converted by a private owner to 2.7 RS Carrera specifications between 2011 and 2014 (please see the fantastic picture history of this process in our photo gallery, below).

Prior to this, in 2003 it received a 964-body conversion. 911 & Porsche World magazine carried this out, with an accompanying feature in the December 2003 issue. After this it was raffled as a charity prize and is believed to have competed in some club races, before being bought as a semi-stripped down car by the restorer (again a picture of it arriving pre-restoration is included in the history file).

Since its 2014 completion the 911 has completed just 8000 miles and that means it’s most definitely still fresh for the fight. Backing this claim up is a fresh MOT (a new tachometer replaced a faulty item at the same time), newly fitted Toyo PXT1-R tyres (£525) and a recent engine tune.

We’ve seen quite a few 911 2.7 Carrera RS evocations over the years and before you even think about mechanicals, the key to a good one is all about body fit and finish. The pictures in the history file demonstrate the lengths that the builder went to, but the proof is undoubtedly in the spectacular Porsche in front of us here at our Abingdon HQ.

The GT Racing fibreglass wheel arches have been fabulously (read, invisibly) cut in, while the panels line up as if it’d rolled out of the factory. Perhaps most key of these, is the boot lid endowed with iconic ‘ducktail’ spoiler, Carrera RS decal and 2.7 badge mounted on the grill louvers. The paint quality is pretty much flawless (not words we use lightly).

Too often finished examples displaying shonky ride heights that are displeasing to the eye, but not here, as our pictures demonstrate it’s absolutely bang on. It sits on rare and spotless Dage Compomotive three-piece alloy wheels, with Fuchs wheel centres and brand new Toyo rubber.

The car was taken back to the bare shell during the build and finished in Porsche Gulf Orange. Having been stripped out as per the original Sport model, it’s a decidedly light car and tops the scales at just 1025kg. It’s also had age-related registration plates fitted and these match the black and orange colour scheme perfectly.

To us perhaps the only things that we’d change are the lightweight style rear light clusters, which aren’t really to our taste. Potential buyers worry not, as vendor John had the same thought: ‘I don’t really like them and sourced standard items. However, I never got round to fitting them. They will however come with the car, so the next owner can have the choice.’

It’s purposeful in here and although stripped out, it’s a little more luxurious than many race cars. There’s a full carpet set that’s immaculately fitted, and the Rennsport Race seats (similar to the iconic 1970s Scheele seats) remain as new and, allied to the Luke four-point harnesses, hold you in tighter than a presidential handshake. 

To save weight the heater has been whipped out, but there’s a little mobile aftermarket job mounted just behind the seats and it does a reasonable job on the warmth/cooling front. 

As per the car’s persona, a full roll cage is fitted (horizontal door bars currently removed) and it’s a very unobtrusive item that sits nice and tight to the bodywork. And there aren't seats in the rear, not really a car for the school run if we're honest.

Overall it’s a very well finished cabin and matches the exterior standard nicely. There are also some nice touches, such as the driver’s and co-pilot footrests, as well as some key ones like the centrally mounted cut-off switch for the electrics. Who doesn't like a rope-leather door pull...

On 6/11/2018 it received a full engine diagnostic report, fettling and tune at a cost of £2665.16 by Dave Griffiths Racing in Shrewsbury. At this time the distributor was rebuilt and a new ignition coil fitted – the specialist noted on the invoice that the ‘engine now pulls clean up to the limiter.’ It’s since had a further tune, which means that its potent 210bhp is fully available.

During the rebuild it had RSR headers and a pair of Weber 40IDA carburettors fitted for a little extra va-va-voom. Pop the boot lid and you’ll see it’s detailed to colour match the rest of the vehicle, and still presents in very nice condition. Up front, there’s an RS style strut brace fitted and spare wheel housed.

The suspension has adjustable SPAX shock absorbers and is polybushed all round, which is perfect for the smooth surfaces of a race track – if a little harsher on rutted B-roads. A quick glance underneath shows a bit of road grime and dirt, but no untoward signs of corrosion.  

What’s the first thing we like to see with any rebuilt? Pictures, please. And the second is of course, invoices. Thankfully this 2.7 Carrera RS replica’s history file is jam packed with both. There’s a lovely picture book with annotated handwritten photographs fully detailing the car’s conversion into a 2.7 RS replica. It’s wonderfully comprehensive and includes all aspects of the process, including engine rebuild, body adaptation, prep and paint, and the re-fitting of all mechanical components.

There are plenty of previous MOT certificates running back to the Nineties, as well as invoices back to the same period. Of more interest are the most recent ones showing the outlay on RS-specific parts. These include Rennsport Race seats and runners (£1078.51), engine rebuild components (£1095.24 and £1109), cylinder head and crankshaft rebuilt (£684) as well as other interior and exterior trim items (£1740), among others.

Our brief test-drive found a superb drivers’ car that’ll raise the pulse at all speeds. All was tight and felt fresh, indeed the car was driven to us from London for auction. Our only issue is what appears to be a slight weep from the brake master cylinder under the bonnet.

Please visit the documents section of the gallery of this listing where you will find photos of this and other paperwork to support our claim that this car has been built and then maintained to the very highest standard (there so many invoices in the file that only the larger and more significant items are shown).

What an absolute beast we have here. An evocation is always difficult to price, as it’s dependent on many factors. However, we’re confident that this is a top example and as such, believe it’ll sell for possibly between £40,000 and £50,000. It is of course up for sale with no reserve, which means someone could get it for even less. Release your inner hooligan…

The other factor at play here is that it’s right-hand-drive. Many that we’ve seen have been LHD, and that makes it an even better buy for a UK bidder. What is clear is that although it may be a touch hardcore for the current vendor, the next owner will get a properly sorted track-oriented 911 that looks, sounds and goes beautifully. Some of these back-date cars were built, shall we say, a little shonky, a bit too much to a budget and it's a pleasure to confirm this Carrera RS has been built significantly better than that.

Viewing is always encouraged, and this particular car is located at The Market HQ in Abingdon; to arrange an appointment please use the ‘Contact Seller’ button at the top of the listing. Feel free to ask any questions or make observations in the comments section below, or try our ‘Frequently Asked Questions’.

If needed, please remember we have a network of trusted suppliers we work with regularly and can recommend: Classic & Sportscar Finance for purchase-financing, Thames Valley Car Storage for storing your car, AnyVan for transporting it, and Footman James for classic car insurance.

BORING, but IMPORTANT: Please note that whilst we at The Market always aim to offer the most descriptive and transparent auction listings available, we cannot claim they are perfect analyses of any of the vehicles for sale. We offer far greater opportunity for bidders to view, or arrange inspections for each vehicle thoroughly prior to bidding than traditional auctions, and we never stop encouraging bidders to take advantage of this. We do take a good look at the vehicles delivered to our premises for sale, but this only results in our unbiased personal observations, not those of a qualified inspector or other professional, or the result of a long test drive.

Additionally, please note that most of the videos on our site have been recorded using simple cameras which often result in 'average' sound quality; in particular, engines and exhausts notes can sound a little different to how they are in reality.