STUTTGART: When Porsche presented the 911 Carrera RS 2.7 at the Paris Motor Show in October 1972, the sporty coupe struck a chord.
Dubbed "the ducktail" because of its spectacular rear spoiler, it quickly became a bestseller.
The planned 500 units were sold in less than six weeks and by the end of the year, the second 500 series was also out of stock.
When production ended just under a year later 1,580 units had been sold and a legend was born.
"No other of the many model variants of the 911 is as famous as the 911 Carrera RS 2.7," says Constantin Bergander, co-author of a book about the RS.
There were plenty of reasons for its popularity. For one thing, the 154 kW/210hp coupe had a top speed of 245kph, making it Germany's fastest sports car at the time.
In addition, the RS 2.7 was the first 911 to have Carrera lettering emblazoned on the side.
That was used to commemorate the success of the 550 Spyder in the Carrera Panamericana endurance race in South America in the 1950s.
But above all, the RS was the first 911 made for the road and the racetrack.
"Of course, there were 911s for the circuit before that," says Bergander. "But here, for the first time in the 911 family, Porsche built a road-legal race car that was expressed not least by the abbreviation. Because RS, that stands for racing."
That's also where the distinctive rear spoiler had its origins. But the ducktail was just one ingredient in the high-flyer's recipe for success.
For the first time on a production model, Porsche also used mixed tyres, fitting wider ones at the rear than at the front for better traction.
The car was also designed to be lightweight with thin sheet metal, thin window panes, plastic parts, and no insulation. That was because the vehicle weight had to be reduced to less than 1,000kg to comply with racing regulations.
Anyone driving one of these cars today experiences pure Porsche. Once warmed up, the boxer engine revs up so greedily that the needle of the rev counter quickly flies over the 6,000 rev mark and the driver’s right hand can hardly keep up with the gear shifting required.
Meanwhile the left hand easily keeps the coupe, which is tiny compared to today's 911s, on track, and the driver’s gaze oscillates between the speedometer and the road, while the dramatic sound of the 2.7 litre, six-cylinder boxer engine floods the sparsely insulated cabin.
From 0 to 100kph in 5.8 seconds, only lifting the foot very briefly in the curves, and 245kph still beckons on the straight. Although the RS 2.7 has less power than many current cars, it still drives as if it’s from another planet.
No less astonishing: Those who manage to avoid the lure of performance driving can travel long journeys in a surprisingly leisurely and comfortable way.
