It is no secret that in many cases the US market has missed out on some of the best cars produced in other parts of the world. In some cases, the marques themselves simply have disappeared from our shores, but in other cases a known marque decided to offer the US a much different version of a particular car. Such is the case with the car featured here: a Grand Prix White 1975 Porsche 911 2.7 Euro Carrera Coupe with 37,549 miles. Beginning in 1974 Porsche redesigned the front of the 911 in order to meet more stringent crash standards. They also upped displacement from 2.4 liters to 2.7 liters. However, the car that found its way to the US was markedly different from what the rest of the world received. Outside of the US the 911 produced from 1974-1976 was essentially a 1973 Carrera RS Touring, but with a redesigned front end. These featured the 2.7 liter MFI engine of the Carrera RS that produced 210 hp, rather than the 173 hp top-of-the-range engine found in the 911 S for sale in the US, in addition to the wider and lighter body of the RS Touring. Fortunately, it is now possible to find some of these non-US versions on the market. Unfortunately, they are very expensive, especially relative to a 1975 US-spec 911, which these days is one of the few 911 variants to show little appreciation in value.
CLICK FOR DETAILS: 1975 Porsche 911 2.7 Euro Carrera Coupe on eBay
Year: 1975
Model: 911
Engine: 2.7 liter flat-6
Transmission: 5-speed manual
Mileage: 37,549 mi
Price: Reserve auction (Buy It Now $145,000)
For 1973, Porsche realized that they needed to up the ante in order to remain competitive on the racing scene. The rules at that time stipulated that manufacturers had to produce (homologate) a certain number (500) of identical cars for them to be accepted for production car racing. To this end, they created the Carrera RS (Rennsport) 2.7. This was basically a lightened version of their existing 2.4 litre 911S with a larger 2.7 litre engine. The Carrera name referenced their earlier class victories with the 356 in the Carrera Panamericana races in the 1950s and the RS stood for Rennsport (literally, race sport in German). It was offered in both Lightweight and Touring versions. Though a one-year only model, in total, 1,580 were produced and they have become the most sought after 911s of all time. Then, for 1974 (for all markets other than the U.S.), Porsche offered a new top-of-the-range model, the 911 Carrera 2.7. This was essentially identical to the 1973 Carrera RS, both mechanically and bodily, with the same widened arches. The main difference being the new-for-1974, federally mandated, impact bumpers. Even with these however, it still weighed in at exactly the same weight as the RS Touring version (1,075 kg) and therefore had identical performance and handling. (In fact, Porsche wouldn’t build a faster normally-aspirated production model until 1988!!) The Carrera 2.7 was built in very limited numbers until production ceased in 1976.
The car offered here is one of only 508 examples built for 1975 and was delivered with a factory sliding steel sunroof. Finished in Grand Prix White with black interior, it was sold new in Italy where it remained with its original owner until 2012 when it was sold to an Austrian collector before coming to the States in 2013. It is in superb condition throughout and is very strong mechanically. The engine is the correct 911/83 motor type (as fitted to the ’73 RS) but is from a 1974 Carrera 2.7. So, it is the exact same type of engine as was fitted to the car originally, just not the one that came with the car. It was recently serviced, with receipts for over $6,000. Currently on an EU title, the car is located in Los Angeles, California with US duty paid.
With Touring versions of the 1973 Carrera RS regularly selling for well in excess of $400,000, these fractionally younger but virtually identical twins currently represent an incredible opportunity to own one of the greatest Porsches built, for a fraction of the cost.
For further information, please call +1-310-593-2080. This car can be viewed on my website, kastnerandpartnersgarage dot com and is available for sale locally. I reserve the right to end the auction at any time. Thankyou for looking.
There is something about the photography used for this ad that I really love. The car is located in Los Angeles and they seem to have found the perfect back alley to provide the right contrast for a Grand Prix White 911. The last time we featured one of these cars, bidding fell just shy of $122K and that was on a car with nearly 87K miles. That suggests to me that the price here is probably quite reasonable, possibly even low, given where the air-cooled 911 market is headed. Now $150K is a lot of money, but compared to the cost of a 1973 Carrera RS off which it is mostly based, it’s actually cheap!
-Rob
