30 Days of Porsche- 1973 Porsche 911 Carrera RS

Our third Porsche the 1973 911 Carrera RS

HISTORY
The 1973 Porsche 911 Carrera RS is considered by collectors and Porsche enthusiasts alike as one of the greatest 911's of all time.

The RS, which stands for Rennsport in German, (translated to English means 'race sport') was built for one reason and one reason only, so that Porsche could take the 911 racing.

FIA Group 4 (the class of racing the 911 qualified for) racing rules at the time required 500 road going models to be built before a car could compete. In typical Porsche fashion 1500 of the cars were made and 49 of which were Carrera RSR's, which would compete at the pinnacle of motorsport, the 24 Hours of Le Mans.

While the car was not fast enough to compete with the fast prototypes like the Porsche 917 (a car that shared the same brakes as the Carrera) the 911 still finished a brilliant 2nd overall at the 1975 24 Hours of Le Mans and took home several class wins over its racing carrier.

The RS truly started something special at Porsche, gaining them great traction in international GT racing that is still seen today at most circuits around the world.



True racing pedigree

 FORZA STATS
Cost: 200,000 cr
Class: C/403
Engine placement/Drivetrain: Rear-engined/RWD
Power: 207 HP
Weight: 2,105 lbs

Speed: 5.0
Handling: 4.4
Acceleration: 7.0
Launch: 7.7
Braking: 4.4

RS in action

ROAD TEST
I think whoever decided to give this car an 'RS' logo had spent too much time in the bar rather than actually driving the car on a track.

You would expect a car that was built to be a race car for the road would drive with laser guided precision.

Or perhaps you would expect a race car for the road to handle like a raging bull, but go just as fast as one.

The 911 Carrera RS is neither, and that's a shame.


The Carrera just doesn't live up to its RS name in the bends

 The suspension is wobbly and if anything, such as a bump or rumble strip, upset it then it quickly finds the nearest wall and crashes.

This car just does not feel like a 911 should.

It understeers like a pig, 911's shouldn't understeer. I don't like understeer.

A 911 should be an oversteering monster, that's why they put the engine in the back!

I know I am probably walking on eggshells here but its true! The 911 Carrera RS just isn't good.

There is hope still for our 911, because this is Forza what is wrong can be righted in the upgrades shop.



Paint by: SnippetyOggy86

 UPGRADED ROAD TEST
Before I begin I would just like to thank Turn 10 for somthing they got so right with the Porsche Expansion Pack.

Many of the Porsches, including our RS, have two or three body kits that turn the car into a brand new Porsche. An example I gave my car a much more classic looking 911 bodykit and a rally front bumper and it looks great! So major props again to Turn 10 for that.

Now back to our Carrera.

I first went for the suspension, as I had learned with our last two cars power upgrades and tires would raise it at least to the B-Class and I wanted the car in C. I also upgraded the brakes, roll bars, diff, and gave the car slightly wider front tires to try and kill the understeer.

I took the new-look Carrera to the Burnese Alps Club Circuit to see what I could do on the leaderboards.

I was very pleased to find out that the understeer had been cured by my upgrades!

The 911 was now cornering flat and even hanging the tail out in some corners! My Carrera was really now feeling like a proper Porsche.

At the end of the session I had clocked a 1:33.708, which only put me in the top 6% but with only 20 PI points to work with I felt good.

In conclusion, if you do buy the Carrera RS, don't expect it to live up to its Rennsport name until you have taken it to the upgrades shop. I think this car could really be competitive in B or A Class, it just needs a little more power.

Rennsport achieved

Thanks as always for reading! Check back tomorrow for the Porsche 944!