1975 Porsche 911 3.0 RSR

A serial owner of many high-powered and more exotic 911s, owner Garry was looking for an even more extreme edition of his favourite Porsche when he came across this car (then Black) for sale in the States in the showroom of a classic racing Porsche specialist.

‘It was an out and out race car,’ explains Garry. ‘It had no wipers, no headlights, and no windows in the sides [not even the frames], only netting.’

Despite its singular, track-oriented specification, the car’s quality and thoroughness of preparation temped him to have it shipped over and to begin the work of converting it to a hugely capable track AND road car.

‘We had to do all the stuff to make it word-worthy - and legal,’ he continues; ‘side windows, lights, hazard flashers, (better) rear view mirror and, of course, road wheels’ - though the Porsche retains its set of (rather hard to get) Fuchs racing alloys.

‘When I was researching the wheels [of the original 3.0-litre RSR], I found an article about (Italian) Roin wheels, which the reviewer said were excellent,’ Garry recounts. He got in touch with Andrea Roin himself (there’s an email trail to view), and a custom set of 10” and  12” x 17” RSR five spoke split rims was made for the 911.

In contrast to their deep powder-coated black, Garry had the car resprayed Porsche Grand Prix White, which gives the car a very authentic ‘works car’ look.

‘Zentrum Porsche Nottingham fettled the car,’ he adds. ‘They rebuilt the pedal box, balanced the carbs and did any other jobs that needed doing.’

With probably only 200 miles driven since arriving in the UK five years ago, this high-spec and very authentic-looking 3.0-litre RSR replica looks fresh and very road or track ready. 

The basic tub of the Porsche is a (completely rust free) 1975 non-sunroof 911S, rebuilt (and seam welded) State-side with RSR vented quarter panels, air boxes, glassfibre bumpers, bonnet and wings, as well as a somewhat flared rear, which boasts an IROC 53" ‘Whale Tail’ fin with - when needed - a “wickerbill” spoiler extension (not fitted).

Some track-oriented machines can be crude in their execution, but this car has a high-quality fit and finish. That dazzling Grand Prix White is almost blemish-free across the car, and the colour and gloss of the paint shows no variation across the different materials; steel and glassfibre.

Plastic/rubber windscreen/window seals and mounts were all replaced as where the satin black inserts. If you look carefully at the nearside headlight surround, you might find a very small chip to the top coat there (probably best to stand on a chair and look through a telescope), and there is a small flaking patch in the black coating of the mounting itself. Looking at the front and rear bumper, you’ll notice two vertical slots; these are for towing hooks (supplied).

The mesh grills and locking pin plates are all very tidily executed and the ‘Carrera RSR’ looks badge very neat. That big rear wing is very firmly mounted and the whole engine cover opens and shuts as precisely as the original - no wobbles or rattles (this reviewer also inspected and photographed the car). The same can be said of the fit and finish of the whole car. That Porsche solidity is retained and both lids and doors close to a snug fit. The doors can take a little coaxing, but considering the 911 is armed with a full FIA-approved, padded interior cage, that can be forgiven.

One expression (also imported from the US) to describe this beast would be; awesome. 

If anyone can get in and out of this car in an even vaguely elegant manner, it’s something to boast about. The thing that will hinder you of course is that immensely sturdy-looking roll cage. Its installation looks to have been very carefully executed and it is (freshly) foam-padded in all the right places. The original interior is of course gone - bare painted metal all around greets you, though it's a good way to see the solid, dent/rust-free condition of the tub. The doors by the way are standard steel - hollow, with stock handles and latch mechanism; now with period door cards with leather strap pulls - again done quite nicely. Front and rear windscreens are standard, while the doors sport FIA Lexanglass fitted with smoothly-operating sliders. The driver’s seat is a Type BS6 bucket seat, while the co-driver gets a Porsche-logo’d high-backed/winged model. Both have thick, high-quality Schroth ProFit II-6 saloon FIA harness belts. (The original ‘track day/racing Sparco Evo seats and ex-FIA belts - out of date - come with the car).

The black leather dash and dash and instruments of the original car show a gentle patina, and the interior ‘cabin’ shows a few scuffs. The seats and Porsche-bossed Prototipo quick release steering wheel look new, as does the fire extinguisher and that heavy-duty, precision Wevo gear shift. As a driver, you now have the option of the convex racing mirror bolted to the roll cage or a new stick-on, windscreen-mounted rear view mirror.

Like the exterior, the cockpit looks professionally done; no loose ends or sharp edges, nothing ‘bolted on’ as an afterthought. There’s all the right kit to make a day at Brands Hatch or the Nurburgring safe, potent and exciting, while taking the beast out on the road wouldn’t become impractical torture. However, we do advise practising getting in and out of the thing before performing this feat in front of kids/grandkids/rivals/significant other. 

It’s when you start to look at the business end(s) of the Porsche that you begin to realise how thoroughly it’s been prepared. Everything in the engine bay appears very robust and servicable. While not brand new, components show only light wear or weathering. The 310hp, dyno-tested 3.0-litre flat six is carburettor-fed (triple Webers with K&N filters), and uses a distributor-less/coil-less ignition system. It has race manifolds and flow master silencers. All the fuel and oil lines are (spotless) braided stainless steel, running variously to a 15-gallon fuel cell (with electric fuel pump and regulator) or the oversized oil cooler behind the chin spoiler. The underside of the flat-six looks very clean - no oil stains or corrosion. Indeed, from any angle, both it and its rebuilt 915 transmission (with limited slip differential) appear to be very sound.

The underside of the body looks to be in excellent shape. You might see very tiny specks of surface rust, but there is no real effect or impact to the metal underneath.

The beefed-up suspension components look very strong and in fine fettle. The RSR sports Bilstein dampers with coil over springs all round, a Hyme jointed mount with bump steer kit up front and adjustable rear camber plates. The rear trailing arms have ‘monoball’ cartridge kits installed.

Front braking is handled by 993 Twin Turbo discs/calipers with RSR pads, while that at the rear is ‘standard’. The hand brake assembly is new. As mentioned, those very cool Italian Roin split rims are new and look it - as do their Toyo 888 tyres. And remember, a set of 16” Fuchs alloys also comes with the car - shod with still usable Goodyear slicks. Undoubtedly sort-after and effective, they nonetheless have a tremendously Seventies vibe - so might make a pretty cool workshop ‘display’. 

There isn’t a huge amount of documentation with the car, though you’re left in no doubt as to the authenticity of its importation and title. Also, Zentrum Porsche knows the car and have details on record of the work done. However, in many ways, the car is very ‘open’ - anyone who knows what they are looking at can see what they are getting. Also, with a stripped-out body, it is far easier to inspect areas that would be hidden on a normal road car. 

Values of original 3.0 RSRs start at ‘please enquire’ and, with any significant race history added, go on to ‘don’t even ask’. Coupled to that, many of the fifty-something originals went on to be converted to 934 or 935 spec. Many were also crashed or re-bodied. So it becomes a question of what do you want? If it’s factory originality and race history, then simply sell the Learjet and dive in. But if it’s performance and feel that gives you the buzz, then an authentic ‘evocation’ might be the way. And anyway, how far removed is a ‘recreation’ from a rebuilt near total racing wreck? (That question will set the phones ringing).

Weighing up the authenticity, quality and spirit of this evocation - plus the not inconsiderable addition of those track day spares (or indeed those Fuchs wheels alone), we expect this formidable Porsche to command between £53,000 and £73,000. 

Viewing is always encouraged, and this particular car is located with the seller in Nottinghamshire; 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’.

This vehicle is not with us at The Market’s HQ, which means we have had to rely on the owner’s description of it, in conjunction with the photographs you see here, to compile the listing.

With this in mind, we would encourage potential bidders to contact the owner themselves and arrange to view the car in person, or to arrange a dedicated video call in which they can view the car virtually and ask questions.