Paul Walker raved about his Porsche 911 Carrera RS 2.7 at Jay Leno - now the car is in an auction.
Porsche actually only wanted to build 500 of the 911 Carrera RS 2.7 in 1972 - but the demand was so great that by 1973 1,580 sports cars had left the factory in Zuffenhausen. At the time, the model was the fastest German production sports car, the most powerful 911 with a naturally aspirated engine and the first 911 to bear the Carrera suffix. The Spanish word Carrera means race in German and in this case refers to the Carrera Panamericana held in Mexico, where Porsche clinched its first class win in 1953 with the 550 Spyder. Hollywood actor Paul Walker, who died in an accident in 2013, wasn't just a car enthusiast on screen - the star of the first seven Fast & Furious films also drove privately and owned a well-stocked car collection. Part of this collection is a very well maintained Porsche 911 Carrera RS 2.7 (chassis number: 9113600901) from 1973 - which is now for sale at auction.
Walker Fan of German sports cars
Walker's collection included over 30 cars, including many German models . For example, he owned an Audi S4 from the B5 series, a BMW M1 , a BMW 2002 tii Touring Alpina, two BMW M3 from the E30 series , three BMW M3 Lightweight from the E36 series, a Mercedes 560 SL, three again Porsche 911 997 GT3 RS, two Porsche 930 Turbo and one Porsche Carrera GT. Some of the cars were in the assets of Always Evolving - a high performance vehicle tuning shop owned by Paul Walker. The company was headed by company co-founder and Walker's friend, pro-am racer Roger Rodas. On Saturday, November 30, 2013 at around 3:30 p.m. local time, co-drivers Walker and Rodas were killed in a car accident with their 2005 Carrera GT - the cause was apparently a combination of excessive speed and overaged and therefore hardened tires. At the accident site on Hercules Street in Valencia, a district of the Californian city of Santa Clarita, fans are honoring Paul Walker with a memorial . Since then, the famous actor's exquisite cars have repeatedly found their way to auctions. He even raved about his 911 Carrera RS 2.7 to Jay Leno.
RS 2.7 mentioned by Jay Leno
Jay Leno, himself one of the world's most famous car enthusiasts, was still presenting "The Tonight Show" back then. When Walker was a guest there in 2011, he talked enthusiastically about his 911 Carrera RS 2.7. He enthused that the car was from the golden age of Porsche and also from the year he was born. When asked by Leno, Walker is unconcernedly pleased that he bought the Porsche online – without having seen or tested it beforehand.
Being the first under six seconds
The Porsche for sale currently has 93.774 kilometers on the clock - its first owner bought it in 1973 in the Touring version (Equipment M472). 1,308 of the 1,580 units built rolled off the assembly line with this equipment. The 2.7-litre six-cylinder boxer engine in the 911 Carrera RS 2.7 delivers 210 hp at 6,300 rpm and maximum torque is 255 Newton meters at 5,100 rpm. In the sports version not for sale here (200 copies, equipment package M471), the 911 managed to sprint to 100 km/h in 5.8 seconds (Touring: 6.3 seconds) and was thus the first at auto motor und sport Production car that needed less than six seconds in this discipline. The sports variant has a top speed of 245 km/h, the 1,075 kg touring version is not much slower at 240 km/h.
Thorough rework
Jerry Woods Enterprises of Campbell, California restored the drive train and suspension on Paul Walker's 911 Carrera RS 2.7. The interior looks new - no wonder: the specialists from Autobahn Interiors from San Diego have thoroughly worked it up. The sports seats have fabric center panels with a chic houndstooth pattern.
First Porsche spoiler
At the rear of the light yellow RS (color code 62) is its famous spoiler - it is made of fiberglass for weight reasons and was quickly called ducktail and ducktail in English. The component was Porsche's first spoiler, developed by engineers Hermann Burst and Tilman Brodbeck and designer Rolf Wiener. The spoiler provides improved downforce on the rear axle and helped supply cooling air to the rear engine. The concern that the spoiler would increase air resistance was not met in tests - the opposite was the case: thanks to a now lower air resistance, the top speed increased by 4.5 km/h. The engineers pulled the spoiler's trailing edge upwards, millimeter by millimeter, until the air resistance had risen again compared to the original state - at this turning point they had achieved the optimum balance of downforce and air resistance. The three Porsche employees registered their development in Patent Application No. 2238704 with the German Patent Office.
With FIA papers
The RS 2.7 is also striking because of its large Carrera lettering, the flared wheel arches at the rear and its Fuchs rims, which Walker's model has Avon tires on. And since Walker was an avid racing driver, his RS 2.7 also comes with FIA papers, plus a certificate of authenticity from Porsche.
Always expensive
In 1973, the Porsche 911 Carrera RS 2.7 was in the price list for 34,000 marks, the touring package cost an additional 2,500 marks. 36,500 marks would be 61,752 euros today, including inflation. For comparison: A BMW 2002 turbo cost 20,780 marks at the time, Ferrari wanted a hefty 77,533 marks for its 365 GTB 4.There is no minimum bid or estimate for Paul Walker's example - a bargain is impossible with one of the most famous sports cars of the early 1970s, even without a prominent previous owner. Mecum is auctioning off the 911 Carrera RS 2.7 (Lot R290) as part of Monterey Car Week from August 18th to 22nd in Monterey, California.
Conclusion
The Porsche 911 Carrera RS 2.7 is one of the most legendary Porsches that have ever come from Zuffenhausen. Derived from real racing vehicles, the racer with its five-speed manual transmission and its air-cooled 210 hp boxer engine in the rear provided pure driving pleasure for those who could afford it at the time.
Paul Walker's example seems to be in very good condition after an overhaul of the powertrain, chassis and interior - and it has clocked under 100,000 kilometers so far. Prominent previous ownership with an actor who is particularly well-known for his car action films (Fast & Furious) and a top sports car legend: Even today, not many fans can afford this RS 2.7.
