One to Buy: ex-Pierre Lelong 1973 Porsche 911 2.7 Carrera RS
When it comes to the ultimate F body 911 road car, nothing beats the 2.7-litre Carrera RS produced between late 1972 and mid 1973.
The bean counters at Porsche originally thought it would be difficult to sell the 500 production examples required to go Group 4 racing, but this seminal long hood 911 ultimately proved so popular that over 1500 were eventually completed.
A happy by product of the car’s unexpected commercial success was that it also qualified for the 1000-car Group 3 class where vehicles had to compete in more-or-less standard trim bar a few safety modifications here and there.
Like the 2.8-litre 911 Carrera RSR in Group 4, in Group 3 the 2.7-litre Carrera RS swept all before it and remained a competitive mount for racing, rallying and hillclimbing throughout the 1970s.
One event that famously combined aspects of all three of these disciplines was the gruelling Tour de France which typically took place over an entire week with each timed event linked by regularity sections on public roads.
Currently on offer at the Thiesen Automobile showroom in Hamburg is a veteran of no less than 14 editions of the Tour de France between 1973 and 1986.
Supplied new to enthusiastic amateur Pierre Lelong in Touring-spec., Lelong drove the car to 15th overall and 8th in the Group 3 category during its maiden 1973 event and went on to do a further 13 editions.
Today, this most historic matching numbers Blood Orange RS is offered in superb condition throughout. It comes with a fully documented history back to day one and has covered a little over 58,000km from new.
Reprinted below is Thiesen Automobile’s description:
Fully documented
58,330km from new
14 period Tour de France entries
Verification report by Mark Warring
Exceptional over all condition and history
Original sales invoice and service booklet
Matching numbers
The world premiere of the Porsche Carrera RS took place at the Salon Paris in October 1972. Originally it was planned to produce only a limited quantity of 500 examples, but even before the Porsche RS was presented to the press, the whole edition was completely sold out.
This Porsche 911 2.7 RS was delivered to the gentlemen racer Pierre Lelong by the Porsche dealer Sonauto in France in January 1973.
From 1973 to 1986, the first owner took part in the Tour de France a total of 14 times with this car.
The owner history, racing history and total mileage are sensationally documented.
The original purchase order with the new car invoice and the maintenance passport are still available.
This unique Porsche RS also impresses with its largely untouched bodywork condition with a total mileage of just 58,330km. The transmission (engine and gearbox) was completely overhauled in the course of a careful partial restoration by engine specialist Manfred Rugen. A dyno sheet, Porsche certificate and a German historic registration are available. The vehicle was inspected by a renowned Porsche RS specialist, including a number check.
