1973 Porsche 911 Carrera RS

• One of the original 500 first series runs RSs
• Full cosmetic and mechanical restoration
• Full engine and transmission rebuild during restoration
• Matching numbers
• 57,278 original kilometers = 35,591 original miles
• Italian delivery

Porsche released the two-letter moniker in 1973 that would become an iconic brand, the “RS” line, short for Rennsport, and was given to cars that were the pinnacle of track-bred street cars. The long hood Porsche 911 in 1973 would become the first car to receive the now famous two letters from Stuttgart, and would be the beginning of the Rennsport line.

Shipped from Germany and delivered in Italy, #488 is a one of the original 500 cars that were slated to be made for race homologation purposes. The car was then sold to an owner in Japan in 1974 and would remain on the island for more than three decades before coming to America in the hands of a Southern California collector.

Once acquiring the car in 2006, the new owner set to work to restore the car back to its former glory. The car was then carefully disassembled, with all of the original windows removed and interior taken out for restoration. The scratched original paint was stripped off the car down to bare metal, noting that the car had no dents whatsoever with no previous damage. The car was refinished in its correct single stage black paint as per the original color code from Porsche. The entire interior was completely retrimmed back to OEM standards. Genuine Porsche parts were sourced, including a new roof liner, carpet, vinyl and dash were used, with the original sports seats stripped, powder coated and then reupholstered.

Mechanically the Carrera is just as stunning as it is cosmetically. It’s 2.7 liter flat six and type 915 transmission were rebuilt from the ground up to the fullest extent, with no damage to either components besides normal wear. Front and rear suspension systems were completely rebuilt, with new bushings, shocks, new front A arms and new Lobro CV axles. The brakes were also serviced, with new hoses and hard lines. The finishing touch was new front to rear oil lines that replaced the original aging lines. With the restoration completed, the owner would drive the car sparingly before selling it to Canepa in October of 2013.

Shortly after arriving at Canepa in 2013, the car would then be sold to a collector in Pebble Beach. He would end up driving the car sparingly as the previous owner did, and the RS would return to Canepa in February of 2018.

Since arriving back at Canepa, the Carrera RS has gone through the entire “Canepa Difference” process. All of the mechanicals were addressed so that the car now performs perfectly. The interior, exterior and underside were cleaned by hand, with no spot or crevice was left untouched. The single stage black paint was polished with only foam pads and polish, where now the paint has a lustrous shine that rivals any concours car. Now this fully restored, original series Carrera RS is ready for its next owner. Whether that being taking home awards on the lawn or even taking a spirited drive down the twisties, this Porsche 911 Carrera RS was originally made to please and still does the job in spades.