I suppose it should go without saying that this 911 will not appeal to everyone. But it’s very rare and very rare tends to get…
3 CommentsTag: 1975
In a recent post on the Carrera 3.0 I wondered a bit about the relative values of those 911s compared to their predecessor the Carrera…
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BMW’s revolution and rebranding through racing started on March 25, 1973. At the Monza 4 hours race in the European Touring Car Championship, the “CSL” legend was born. Massive box flares, huge BBS magnesium race wheels and deep front spoilers adorned the delicate E9 coupe now, and the iconic German Racing White with blue and red stripes following the lines of the hood and sides of the car. And with drivers like Hans-Joachim Stuck, Chris Amon, and Dieter Quester BMW Motorsport would go on to win many races and establish the brand that would later launch the infamous “Batmobile” CSL, the 2002 Turbo, and of course the M brand. Prior to 1973, the top flight races were run by BMW through their partners Alpina and Schnitzer, and indeed the BMW Motorsport entrants at Monza failed to finish, with Niki Lauda at the hands of an Alpina E9. A few races later, the rear wing was introduced by BMW Motorsport, and in the hands of Dieter Quester the first BMW Motorsport win was recognized at the 24 Hours of Spa on July 22, 1973.
The 3.0 and later 3.5 CSLs would continue to race and win for a few years, establishing the brand as a serious contender to the established Porsche in the sporting market. Because of this, there were not only many in-period conversions to CSL race cars, but many replicas built since. This appears to be one of the latter – originally, a 2800CS which has been converted to look like the Group 2 racers with a period motor:
CLICK FOR DETAILS: 1970 BMW 2800CS CSL Group 2 Replica on eBay
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I wasn’t alive in the early ’70s so I don’t have the context for this, but I can imagine that during those years encountering a car like the 911 RSR on the street (bear with me on that) would be somewhat mind blowing. It has the muscular appearance we might associate with a muscle car itself – perhaps like an early Camaro – but in a much more compact design further drawing our attention to those muscular lines. It appears distilled to its essence. As a race car this all makes sense. Which is perhaps why seeing one built for the street – even if it is a fabrication rather than the real deal – always attracts my attention to such a high degree. Put simply: done right they look wonderful. They’re hard edged in their appearance, but also not. Showcasing beautiful curves and taut lines. For a build like this it is the details that matter and that ultimately will decide whether its asking price is worthwhile, but strictly on appearance the look is fantastic. This build began life as a 1975 Porsche 911 Carrera Coupe. It sounds like it was in an accident in the ’80s and converted to a Slantnose so I’m assuming mostly front end damage. Some time later the current builder got a hold of it to develop what we see here. The engine is a built and turbocharged 3.4 liter flat-six mated to a 4-speed manual from the 930. From there, well, you’ll just have to read through the ad because there’s been a good bit of work. And it all comes together quite well.
CLICK FOR DETAILS: 1975 Porsche 911 RSR Tribute on eBay
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Most automotive enthusiasts are probably familiar with Porsche’s legendary 1973 911 Carrera RS. Produced to meet homologation requirements it set the 911 on the road to being the performance icon that it remains today. What is less well known is that while the ’73 RS would be the only production version based on the long-hood 911 design, the engine from that RS continued to put in work on the new impact-bumper 911s of the mid-70s under the guise of the Carrera 2.7 MFI. For the most part, these were like an RS Touring with a different front fascia. These days it is that shared engine DNA that is of such importance and which has seen values of the 2.7 MFI rise quite high. But they’re still much less expensive than a true ’73 Carrera RS and that makes them an interesting proposition for well-heeled buyers who’d like to shy away from the nearly $1M price tag of the RS. Like the RS the Carrera MFI was never available for sale in the US, but over time examples have made their way to our shores. Such is the case with the one we see here, a Grand Prix White 1975 Porsche 911 Carrera 2.7 MFI Coupe located in California.