Porsche 911 Carrera RS 2.7
1972–1973 · Porsche 911 Carrera RS 2.7 — Sports Car, Flat-6, designed by Ferdinand “Butzi” Porsche.
The Story
Porsche needed to go racing in Group 4, and the rules demanded a run of road cars to homologate. What it built instead became the most coveted 911 of all. The 1972–73 Carrera RS 2.7 revived the ‘Carrera’ name (earned in the 1950s Carrera Panamericana road races), bored the air-cooled flat-six out to 2.7 litres (210 PS on Bosch mechanical injection), shaved weight with thinner steel and glass, flared the rear arches over wider rubber, and crowned it with the ‘ducktail’ — the first rear spoiler on a series-production car. Demand was so fierce that Porsche blew past its homologation target: 1,580 were built. It is, by near-universal acclaim, the definitive air-cooled 911 grail.
The Numbers
Benchmarked against its class
Each dial ranks this car within its Sports Car class — fuller means higher, and the tick marks the class midpoint.
Signature Colors
The Designer
Ferdinand “Butzi” Porsche
Grandson of Ferdinand Porsche and son of Ferry, ‘Butzi’ gave the 911 its enduring silhouette and the 904 its purist racing form. In 1972 he founded Porsche Design, extending the design language into watches, eyewear and industrial products.
Studio Motors POV
The car every other RS chases. If you only ever own one air-cooled 911, the 2.7 RS is the one — provenance is the whole ballgame, so buy the history first and the car second.
The Engine
Air-cooled flat-six
Lineage
Where it sits in the bloodline
Market & Value
Values on cars like this move monthly. Our brokers price from real transactions.
What Reviewers Said About 911 Carrera RS 2.7
Worth Knowing About the 911 Carrera RS 2.7
3 Things You Didn’t Know
- 1) The 'ducktail' wasn't styling — it was the first production-car rear spoiler, developed in the wind tunnel to cut rear lift and add stability at speed. 2) Two flavours: the stripped M471 Sport/Lightweight (~200 built, thin everything, no rear seats) and the better-equipped M472 Touring (~1,308, with the 911 S cabin) — the Touring is the usable one. 3) It outgrew its own rulebook — built to clear the homologation minimum, the 1,580-car run over-delivered and spawned the 2.8 RSR race cars.
5 Fast Facts
- • 1,580 built (~200 M471 Sport, ~1,308 M472 Touring, ~17 base, ~55 RSR race). • 2.7L flat-six, 210 PS (207 hp); Sport ~2,116 lb. • The first series-production car with a rear spoiler (the 'ducktail'). • ~49–55 Carrera RSR 2.8 race cars; an RSR Turbo took 2nd at Le Mans 1974. • A top-tier grail today: Sport (M471) ~$800k–$1.5M+, Touring ~$500k–$900k.
Provenance
Owners & what to look for
Famous Owners
Jerry Seinfeld — owned a 1973 Carrera RS 2.7, consigned in his landmark 16-/17-car Porsche sale at Gooding & Company’s Amelia Island auction, March 2016 (the world’s most celebrated Porsche collector). [Gooding & Company / CNN]
Studio Buyer’s Brief
At this level, matching-numbers engine/gearbox and documented provenance are everything — a genuine RS with paperwork versus a tribute is a seven-figure gap. M471 Sport/Lightweight commands the premium (rarer, lighter, raw); M472 Touring is the more usable and more numerous. Check for rust/accident history under the thin steel, correct original colour (the ‘Grand Prix White with coloured script’ look is iconic), and FIA papers if it has race history. Buy the best-documented car, not the cheapest.
Full Specifications
- Make / Model
- Porsche 911 Carrera RS 2.7
- Class
- Sports Car
- Production years
- 1972–1973
- Units built
- ~1,580 (M471 Sport ~200, M472 Touring ~1,308, ~17 base, ~55 RSR race)
- Variants
- M471 Sport/Lightweight, M472 Touring; Coupe (ducktail)
- Engine layout
- Rear
- Engine
- Flat-6
- Engine family
- Air-cooled flat-six
- Displacement
- 2.7L / 2687 cc
- Power
- 210 hp
- Torque
- 188 lb-ft
- 0–60 mph
- 5.8 s
- Top speed
- 152 mph
- Power-to-weight
- 219 hp/tonne · 10.1 lb/hp
- Transmission
- 5-speed manual
- Drivetrain
- RWD (rear-engine) · Petrol
- Curb weight
- 2116 lb
Questions
911 Carrera RS 2.7 FAQ
What engine does the Porsche 911 Carrera RS 2.7 use?
The 911 Carrera RS 2.7 uses a 2.7-litre air-cooled flat-six producing 210 PS (~207 hp) via Bosch mechanical fuel injection — the same injection system used on the 2.4 S it succeeded, with a larger displacement and revised specification for the RS.
Why is the 911 Carrera RS 2.7 the defining classic 911?
The Carrera RS 2.7 (1972-1973) was a homologation special built to qualify for FIA Group 4 racing, requiring Porsche to produce at least 500 road cars. Demand was so strong that approximately 1,580 were built. Its ducktail rear spoiler, Carrera graphics, and performance credentials established the template for every performance 911 that followed. It is universally regarded as the most important 911 of the air-cooled era.
What is a Porsche 911 Carrera RS 2.7 worth today?
The M471 Sport (Lightweight) variant trades in the $800,000-$1,500,000-plus range, while the M472 Touring trades from approximately $500,000 to $900,000. Both have appreciated sharply over the past decade. RM Sotheby’s and Gooding handle the majority of RS 2.7 consignments and publish realised results for all recent transactions.
What is the difference between the M471 and M472 Carrera RS 2.7?
The M471 Sport (Lightweight) was stripped of rear seats, sound deadening, and some interior trim to save approximately 100 kg over the standard car, maximising performance. The M472 Touring retained a more complete interior including rear seats and carpets for everyday usability at a slight weight penalty. Both share the same 210 hp engine and mechanical specification. The M471 is rarer, more valuable, and the more sought-after of the two.
Can Studio Motors source a Porsche 911 Carrera RS 2.7?
Yes.
The Porsche Lineup
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911 Turbo (996) ’00911 GT2 (996) ’01Cayenne (955) ’02911 (997) ’04Boxster / Cayman (987) ’04Carrera GT ’04911 Turbo (997) ’06911 GT3 (997) ’06911 GT3 RS (997) ’06911 GT2 (997) ’07911 Sport Classic (997) ’09Panamera (970) ’09
911 GT2 RS (997) ’10911 Speedster (997) ’10Cayenne (958) ’10911 (991.1) ’11Boxster / Cayman (981) ’12911 Turbo (991) ’13911 GT3 (991) ’13918 Spyder ’13Macan (95B) ’14911 GT3 RS (991) ’15Cayman GT4 / Boxster Spyder (981) ’15911 (991.2) ’16911 R (991) ’16718 Cayman / Boxster (982) ’16911 GT2 RS (991) ’17Panamera (971) ’17Cayenne (9Y0) ’17911 Speedster (991) ’19911 (992.1) ’19718 Cayman GT4 / Spyder (982) ’19Taycan ’19
911 Turbo (992) ’20911 GT3 (992) ’21Cayenne Turbo GT (9Y0) ’21911 Dakar (992) ’22911 GT3 RS (992) ’22911 Sport Classic (992) ’22718 Cayman GT4 RS / Spyder RS (982) ’22911 S/T (992) ’23911 (992.2) ’24911 Carrera GTS T-Hybrid (992.2) ’24Panamera (972) ’24Macan Electric ’24
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