1973 Porsche 911 Turbo Prototype

[Raven]

 

found this article and images online and thought I would share it interesting read and some great images .........

 

 

1973 Porsche 911 Turbo Prototype

 

 

 

In the seventies Porsche was serious about turbo charging and this prototype signalled the way for later cars like the 930 and the RSR 3.0. It was also the one of the very first show cars fitted with the wide body, large alloy wheels, whale tail and a turbocharged version of the flat-6 engine. All these details eventually appeared on the 911 RSR 3.0-litre race cars of 1974.

 

At the time, Porsche was no stranger to forced induction. Their 917/10 and 917/30 race cars achieved incredible amounts of horsepower, reaching 1100 bhp and beyond, with exhaust-driven turbochargers. By January of 1973 they had experimented with a turbocharged version of the 2.7-litre engine to signal their upcoming intentions, Chief Engineer Helmuth Bott created the new Turbo at Style Porsche.

 

The show car was built from a standard 911S (VIN 9113300157) fixed with a radical wide body kit that mimicked the upcoming RSR 3.0-litre race car. This was purely functional since the flares wrapped around much larger 11 inch Fuchs alloy wheels and other details like the front apron included an opening for the oil cooler. At the rear was Porsche’s first whale tail that improved cooling and aerodynamics. It also was fitted with a very rare badge on the engine cover from Style Porsche. To promote the upcoming turbo era, large graphics spelled out the cars intended purpose. The interior also had a unique Green/Black tartan trim and one-off paddle head-rest sports seats.

 

Ironically, when the car debuted as the new Turbo at the 1973 Paris Motor Show, it didn’t even have a functioning turbocharged engine. Instead, the top half of the engine was a wooden mock-up, used to show case the turbo engine. The car was subsequently displayed at the 1974 Geneva, Frankfurt, Tokyo and Melbourne motor shows.

 

During the world tour Porsche took orders for the full-blown RSR 3.0 race car, but they didn’t scrap their prototype. Instead, it was later fitted with a real RSR 3.0-litre engine and sold to Alan Hamilton, the Australian Porsche importer in 1975. He raced the car at Oran Park and Hume Weir in 75 before retiring it from competition .Alan had kept it in largely original condition. During that period but wanted to upgrade to the the fearsome 934 ,so like most of last year’s race cars the RSR went onto Hamilton’s used car lot to be sold .

 

Subsequently the car changed hands several times while residing in Australia and was at one stage converted to right hand drive and reconfigured as a road car and club racer for the Victorian Porsche club president Graham Stockley..

 

By 2010, the prototype changed hands again and this time had reached the United States for owner Murray Smith of Washington, Connecticut. It was subsequently displayed at the 2010 Greenwich Concourse d’Elegance. As show in some of these images

 

 

 

 

[gulf908]

Hi

Does anyone have any pics of this car at the Melbourne motor show ?

TIA

Dennis

[OZ930]

Also, the car was originally left hand drive.

[Airhead]

"Subsequently the car changed hands several times while residing in Australia and was at one stage converted to right hand drive and reconfigured as a road car and club racer for the Victorian Porsche club president Graham Stockley.."

Saw Stockley run that car a few times in sprints and it was quick. Also saw him drive it in a bitumen motorkhana and it was ...er... awkward.

[OZ930]

"Subsequently the car changed hands several times while residing in Australia and was at one stage converted to right hand drive and reconfigured as a road car and club racer for the Victorian Porsche club president Graham Stockley.."

Saw Stockley run that car a few times in sprints and it was quick. Also saw him drive it in a bitumen motorkhana and it was ...er... awkward.

sorry, missed that paragraph.

I saw Alan Hamilton racing it, in JAG livery, at Oran Park, lifting the inside front wheel exiting BP corner.

I didn't own a camera then. 

[Coastr]

Meh, a RHD converted import.  Who would want it?  If only it was Australian delivered!

[jnr356]

used to look after this for graham stockley

one of my favourites of all time,the sound inside the car at high rpm was mindblowing