This 911 started out as a 1978 European market 3.0 Carrera coupe. At some point in its life, factory steel “turbo “ fenders were installed.
I bought this car from my dear friend Jeremy Van Bemmelen in 2014, and it was a project car. At first, my intention was to restore it as stock as possible, including the factory European bumpers with their smaller bumper ettes. But at some point, I changed direction, and envisioned the car you see here.
One of my favorite 911 models are the RSR race cars, both the 1973, and 1974 versions. Having already built a 1973 RSR, I wanted something different.
With so many custom 911’s being built, it’s not easy to find your own way. My objective for the build was to have something that was first and foremost, fun to drive, while retaining all of the great elements of a classic 911. That said, I’m an RSR freak. So, that out of the way, I didn’t want to do a 1973 RSR, as there are so many of those being done right now. So, I decided to base the car on the 1974 RSR, which is an equally beautiful shape in my opinion.
The first thing done was to media blast the car, and strip off decades of mediocre paint work, and neglect. Luckily, the car was mostly intact, with very little rust when the process was done. 1974 IROC style RSR bumpers, and a 1973 style ducktail were fitted, along with many hundreds of hours of straightening the body, and using as little fillers as possible. The car has virtually no plastic filler. Prussian Blue metallic was chosen as the color, a Porsche factory paint code that has been available for some 30 years.
The engine is a 3.2 liter flat six, that produces about 275 hp at 7,000 rpm.
It was built with 9.5:1 JE Pistons, Nikasil cylinders, Webcam 464/465 grind camshafts, RSR lightweight flywheel, PMO 46 mm carbs, Electromotive ignition, and fitted with SSI heat exchangers, and a Scart Montecarlo ‘supersound ’ twin outlet muffler.
The interior is a hybrid of components, which bridge the gap between spartan RSR, and some practicality. The single hop roll bar, allows the retention of rear seats, which was a requirement, so I can take my kids for rides. The door panels are RSR style, with 1970’s 911 armrests, and storage pockets. The pockets were custom upholstered in matching black vinyl, with Alcantara interiors. The seats are early style Recaro reproduction sport seats, covered in black vinyl with Houndstooth Pepita wall inserts. Rear seats are matching.
Carpet is Hargan “salt and pepper” gray, and early 911 carpet choice. The gauges are brand new, and rebuilt with LED lighting.
The suspension is upgraded with larger sway bars, Bilstein shocks, and turbo tie rods. Brakes are 4 piston caliper Stop Tech’s, with ventilated rotors.
Wheels are Braid Fuchs style, in proper RSR sizes of 15×9 in front, and 15×11 in rear, shod with Michelin TB-15 tires.
A 911R style fuel tank is fitted, with racing style filler in the middle of the hood. Also, an early style RSR tie bar is installed between the shock towers.
The result is a lightweight 911, with a very spirited engine , and great road manners. A really fun, connected to the road feeling car. It feels like a brand new car. Not a squeak or rattle anywhere. The controls all have similar weighting, as a great driving car should. The throttle response, and power from this engine is fantastic. It propels the car with ease and authority.
Everywhere you go with this car, someone admires it!