GT Spirit 1974 Porsche 911 Carrera Rs 3.0

Zuffenhausen’s Radical Homologation Special

No sports-car maker has a more prestigious racing pedigree than does Porsche, but ironically, the car that would become the single most successful sports racer in history—the 911—was not initially earmarked for competition when it was released in 1963. But the success of numerous privateer racers was noted by the factory, so Porsche engineers went to work helping hone the 911 for the track.

The first major development came in 1966 in the form of the 911S, which received sharper handling and a 30hp-engine upgrade. But Zuffenhausen was also secretly working on a purebred racer called the “911R,” an effort which focused on shaving the already svelte 911 down to featherweight by employing fiberglass body panels, adding Plexiglas windows, and drilling holes in every piece of metal not structurally essential. All the insulation and amenities were stripped out, resulting in a 911 that weighed less than 1,800 pounds—nearly 500 less than stock! And for good measure, they bolted in the engine from the 906 sports racer, which made 210hp—30 more than the 911S. Ultimately, just 19 911Rs were built, so it never met the production requirement of 500 units to homologate it for GT competition, but the exercise would serve Porsche well in just a few short years.