'73 R&T RSR vs 911S Track Test ...

[724doorE]

I suspect the person riding in the passenger seat of the RSR may have slowed it down (150-200lbs of extra weight) some. And maybe they had 2 people in the S as well.

Nothing is as great as a RSR!


Dennis H.

72 911E by the way that same R&T volume had the 72 E road test as well. Very nice.

[jwetering]

In 20 years, which will be worth more? The RSR? Or the 996?

But then the GT2 issue comes up again.

Which will be worth more in 20 years...the RSR or the GT2? Only time will tell, but the GT2 will go down in history just as surely as the RSR has.

Furthermore, you can buy a GT2 today, and genuinely enjoy it with relatively little maintenance cost over the next 20 years. You'd have to buy a dirty great bell jar to store the RSR under, and only drive it on special occasions.

ANother article was posted on the forum just recently comparing the RSR against a replica.

http://www.pelicanparts.com/cgi-bin/vb/showthread.php?s=&threadid=58377

$1600 for a distributor cap!!!...and that's IF you can find one.

Now I know that money's no object for us pcar owners...but gee whiz..who could relax while driving that kind of liability around?

That's it...I'm going out on a limb and saying I would DEFINITELY take a GT2 over a RSR...HAH! I've said it!

[ssinparadise]

THANK YOU!!
I THINK I LOVE YOU WARREN!!

[Bill Verburg]

I thought I was the only one that saved those old issues. That issue was the impetus for the RS conversion that I did to my 72S way back when. RSRs were no more readily available to mere mortals in N.A. then than they are now.

[Early_S_Man]

Jeez, Curt ... it's only been 3-1/2 months!

[cegerer]

oops! I just tried to save those scans and found that I had already saved them. 3 months ago! It's hell gettin' old. -- Curt

[Charley Dog]

FWIW, financially, passing on both the S and the RSR in 1973 was a good move. Inflation is not the right measure by which to judge the value of the investment. Rather, the appropriate risk adjusted discount rate for classic automibiles is. I'm not sure of exactly what the appropriate RADR is, but it's pretty high (e.g., 11%-33%, I'd think -- corresponding to a beta of 1-3), as the value of classic cars is quite cyclical and certainly linked to the performance of the macro economy.

On the other hand, the pleasure one gets from owning and driving such a car is immeasureable. This is the true reason why we invest the time and effort that we do into our cars. Financially -- forgettaboutit!

[cegerer]

" ...financially, passing on both the S and the RSR in 1973 was a good move...."

I have no idea what you just said, but investing $20K in 1973 and selling that investment for, say, $250K+ in 2002 is not a good move? -- Curt

[Charley Dog]

Not really. Had you invested the $22K in the S&P 500, it would be worth about $500K today. The RSR is probably a riskier investment (assuming away any unique risk, i.e., that you own several classic cars), and therefore you should expect to have to sell for a ways over $500K for it to be a good investment on a risk adjusted basis.

OTH, you can't drive stock certificates. If you factor in use and enjoyment over the years, it would be a pretty awesome investment.

[GIBSON]

Warren, what color is the 73S in that comparison? Just wondering as I have a 73S sold by Bozzani late in the model year. It has the front driving lights, it once had air conditioning which was removed some time ago, it has the same seats with
cloth inserts like those in the photo.... I doubt it's the same car but is an interesting coincidence.

[Early_S_Man]

Dredging up old posts ... of great magazine articles from the past ...

Bruce ... the 911S was a dark metallic purple ... but even though magazine pic colors can be way off, I'm not sure if it was a factory shade or a custom paint-to-order job! Awful close to your color, and an amazing coincidence if it isn't your car!

[Jerry S]

Nice articles,

Does any one have a road and track or car and driver for the early 3.3 l Turbo ( 1978 - 1985 ). I would really appreciate seeing it.

Thanks

[Jerry S]

Does any one have an article for a 1978-1985 3.3 L 930

Thanks Jerry S

[Jerry S]

bump

[BURN-BROS]

What about the 1984 SC-RS or the 3.0 carrera rs ? Warren, Curt please post if you have an article running around. Thanks in advance, Aaron

[Wayne 962]

As exciting as it would have been to owned one at the time, if you had invested that $$$ in the stock market, it would be worth a heck of a lot more nowadays...

-Wayne

[Porschekid962]

oh to own an RSR would be something else. for most of us mere mortals any porsche that we have done anything to performance wise is still a hoot and we can afford it. if money was no problem i would be driving around in my dauer 962 thank you very much, or screw it why not a 917 or 908 for that matter. great article!!!

[Jack Olsen]

The increase in value would be fine, I guess. But if the investment meant leaving a RSR in a garage, well... I just couldn't do it. No return would be adequate compensation for not driving an RSR.

[Paul491]

Although extremely pricey for their day (When $1.15/hr was minimum wage!), early RSRs weren’t available to the public. As limited-production offerings, these special Carreras were strictly reserved for favored racing teams. As full-on racecars, they were not DOT approved and couldn’t be registered for use on public roads. After testing an early example in Europe, Paul Fierre's (sp?) observed that its exceptional speed and handling were tempered by harsh suspension that would make it quite brutal for everyday driving.

A close cousin to the 1974 RS/IROC 3.0 is a normally aspirated factory "Turbo-Look" 3.2. Most of these special-order Carreras were built from 1984-89 on the very same M491 platform as original RSRs. They may not be as light or powerful but are equipped with the same brakes and more compliant suspension. As street cars, they have the same muscular "look" and pedigree as an earlier RSR. Although not the "real thing", it's definitely close enough for me. Moreover, after six years of using mine as a daily driver, I'm still a real happy camper!

[930fan]

Hmmm...... I must say I wouldn't want to drive an RSR even if I was a gazillionaire. I would probably fall into the the type of owner that would keep the car in concours condition an store it in a garage. Then I would buy JO's car and upgrade the engine to a full house six throttle motec 3.8 with a 6sp g50 and enjoy something that looks better (imo), is way faster and could actually be parked on a street without worrying to death if someone's going to steal it or vandalize it.