Ferry Porsche's '73RS

[speeder]

Just reading the new issue of 911 & Porsche World, which is quite good BTW, it is dedicated to the RS on its 30th B.day. There is a story about a British guy, car collector, who owns Ferry Porsche's personal '73 RS. Or should I say, former personal RS, he drove it briefly in 1973.

It's fascinating; if that car was on ebay w/o the interesting history revealed, people on this board would rip it a new pie-hole. And rightly so; among the "one of a kind" modifications it contained: 1) 1974 style seats, 2) a one of a kind color not ever offered by Porsche, and not great looking, IMO, and best of all, 3) the newest K-jetronic, (CIS), fuel injection(!!)

Also, no ducktail and what appear to be narrow rear tires in RS flares. It looks like a POS to me, but of course it is one of the most valuable RSes in existence!

I laugh when people say, "Old man Porsche would spin in his grave if he saw the modifications on that car, etc...." The mods that Porsche family members did to their cars give me the spins, and I'm still alive! (As of this writing).

I guess that he just didn't know how sacred a stock, original 911 is!

[dd74]

Originally posted by speeder
I guess that he just didn't know how sacred a stock, original 911 is!

I guess that goes for a lot of us on this board.

[Paul Thomas]

The guy that owns those cars is a Rennlister. He was discussing the cars the other day when someone basically implied that he was full of it. He posted wuite a few pics too.

Paul

[speeder]

If the guy on Rennlist is the same guy in the magazine article, (entirely plausible, but don't remember his name or have the mag in front of me), he owns 4 '73 RSes, and several other rare cars.

[82SC]

i've seen pics of a 4 door 928 or a 928 stationwagon too...it was a Dr. Porsche Bday...all I know it was horrendous...

then again I heard of some special 8cyl 914's made and sold to clost friends of the family....

[andyjboy]

The guy that owns the metallic green ex-Ferry RS is Brian Burrows - a fanatical early VW & Porsche enthusiast. To meet him you would never guess that he has one of the (if not the) most desirable collections of Porsche in the UK. His 'stable' includes:

356 speedster
356B Cabriolet
'68 912
1-owner '72T
'70 2.2S
'72 2.4S
'73 RS LWT (White with red)
'73 RS Touring (Gemini Blue)
Carrera 4 RS LWT (as new)
964 Carrera Cup car
993

+ a 1949 Beetle, highly modified Kharmann Ghia drag racer, VW Notchback, 'New' Beetle....


Over here in the UK, he doesn't conform to most people's image of of a Porsche collector - he's a down-to-earth, straight-talking, football-mad Liverpudlian who, no matter what the weather, is usually found wearing shorts - & all of his cars are totally immaculate & used regularly (except the as-new Carrera 4 RS LWT).

Andy
'69 911E--------->R

[Bones]

Thanks for setting the record straight Andy , I think the most hideous 'production' Porsche however is the Cayenne , I was mortified when I saw it in the flesh , obviously I appreciate it's technical prowess but what a design automare .

[cegerer]

Just checked 'Carrera RS' on this one. Not sure if it's the same car, but they list Ferry's RS as having an "experimetal KA engine" with 2.8 liters. Also, cast alloy rims (6" & 7"), no ducktail, 'metallic silver-green diamond' paint for body, headlight rims, grill, wheels and mirrors. Blue-black interior in pigskin-look leathette! RS #1281. -- Curt

[speeder]

It also has blacked-out trim, which of course looks unusual on a '73 RS. The CIS motor was changed out by the factory in '74 when the car was released, (sold), and a 1974 carrera motor installed, (2.7 MFI).

[KS Carrera]

It was me who wrote the feature on the Ferry Porsche RS (and the Ferdinand Piech RS that Brian Burrows owns, too). It really IS a strange car and, if it wasn't for the history, not one I'd have given a second glance.

Everything about it screams "early car made to look a bit like a late one" which, of course, is exactly what it is. Ferry and his crew were basically trying out some ideas ahead of the ’74s, like the 'tombstone' seats and weird paint.

Shame the car has lost its original Cookie Cutters (even though they don't look as good as regular Fuchs) and engine. However, there is no disputing, this is one unique piece of RS history.

For me, driving Ferry Porsche's RS and Ferdinand Piech's RS back-to-back on the same day was a unique experience. Piech's car is awesome – by far the best RS I've ever driven.

[jluetjen]

Is it really accurate to say that this is "Ferry Porsche's RS" rather then to say that it was an engineering prototype that Ferry Porsche drove for a short time?

Porsche was and is an Engineering company, and like most engineering companies that I've seen, they always have hacked up test mules with various ideas and configurations to try things out. Some make it to production and others don't. To describe the car as an RS might be a stretch since many of the parts that define an RS (excepting the serial number) were removed or modified. I know that the head line wouldn't be as good, but it sounds like the car is really a 2.7S or a US 2.7 Carrera prototype.

[AFJuvat]

THe emerald green diamond (fiebergrün Diamant) was also used on the 75 Euro Carrera (Carrera with the RS motor)

Wolfturbo has one.

AFJuvat

[speeder]

Originally posted by AFJuvat
THe emerald green diamond (fiebergrün Diamant) was also used on the 75 Euro Carrera (Carrera with the RS motor)

Wolfturbo has one.

AFJuvat

And it is definitely not the same color as the car that we are discussing, which is a good thing for Rob, (Wolfturbo), IMO. The '73 is a unique, non-production color, I believe.

And jluetjen has a good point, if not for this car's unique history, it would simply be one of the least desirable '73 RSes in existence. And it was essentially a 1974 911S. I do not get the impression that Ferry was a big performance guy or ever drove a 911 for very long.

[KS Carrera]

Originally posted by jluetjen
Is it really accurate to say that this is "Ferry Porsche's RS" rather then to say that it was an engineering prototype that Ferry Porsche drove for a short time?

You could say the same about virtually every car that's had more than one owner, especially race cars. The car was originally assigned to Ferry Porsche by name – that has to be enough, or the car would be regarded as Ferry Porsche's, the guy's who drove it after him, the guy's who bought it next etc etc....

Originally posted by jluetjen
To describe the car as an RS might be a stretch since many of the parts that define an RS (excepting the serial number) were removed or modified.

But, when it comes to any historic car's provenance, the factory serial number is everything! The car has an RS serial number, was built alongside other RSs and was listed in factory records as an RS. Who are we to argue with Porsche? Just because it doesn't meet one's normal expectation of an RS, doesn't mean to say it isn't one. Or does being an RS simply mean a car with a ducktail, a 2.7 MFI motor and fancy graphics? Of course it doesn't! No, an RS is defined by its serial number – that's what separates the genuine article from even a so-called "perfect" replica.

[nick-moss]

Well said Keith. The history of the Porsche race and rally cars is an excellent example. Many of them were upgraded with later parts as the factory developed them. The 1970 911St started with a narrow body and ended up with RSR type flares. What is correct for that car?

[aseem]

Originally posted by speeder
The mods that Porsche family members did to their cars give me the spins, and I'm still alive! (As of this writing).

This is also from a RS owned by Ferdinand Piech. The interior was sown by his mom. Exterior color was OrangeGlow. I believe this perticular RS sits in a museum in Germany og Austria today.

[island911]

YEEAH BABY, Yeah!
Shagadelic!

Hey aseem, how do we know that isn't just another RS Clone?

[johncj8989]

I have a favorite pair of pajamas like that.

[speeder]

Aseem, That is hilarious, and totally believable as a Porsche family member's car! The cars that we worship were, let's just say, a little too familiar to them.

It's like if you were the guy who did Claudia Schiffer's bikini wax once a week; ie. sure that thing is beautiful, but after you've seen it enough times you would want to shave it into a swan or something, just for variety's sake!

[rst73]

Keith,

We missed you again at Rally De Monterey. Live in person 9 real
73 RS's and 1 73 RSR thrown in for good measure. Along with a great 15 911 caravan up from So. Cal. Your reservation is already booked at Casa Del Grago for next years event. Hope to see you and Gwen in June.

All the best!

Roger Grago
R Gruppe #27
73 RS-T
70 2.4MFI VW Bus

P.S. Is his Karmann Ghia anything like my old car?