1973 Porsche 911 Carrera 2.7 RS Minichamps - 400065520 (diecast)
Published 12/05/17
Porsche 911 Carrera 2.7 RS (07/28/17):
Introduced in 1972, the Carrera RS evolved from the F series 911S. The car specifically came to be to homologate the 911 in Group 4 racing (Special Gran Turismo Cars). That being so, at least 500 were necessary. Though it had the exact same lines as the regular 911S, it was very different . Basically, it was more powerful, lighter (900 kg), stiffer and with better brakes. The 2.4 l air-cooled boxer 6 cylinders of the 911S was expanded to 2687 cm³ (called Type 911/83), allowing 210 hp. With a taller 4th and 5th gear, the top speed increased to almost 240 km/h.But maybe the most striking difference between the regular 911S and the Carrera RS and what gave the car it’s iconic looks were the wider flares to accommodate the (larger) Fuchs alloy wheels and the famous “duck tail” rear spoiler, the first Porsche with that feature. Because of the weight considerations, the car was very spartan. Even so, it was a commercial success, and though Porsche only planned 500, in the end they sold around 1600 units. Of these 1600 units, 1053 were actually “lightweight” models (that could be converted to more comfortable “De Luxe” specifications at Porsche dealers), so Porsche was also able to homologate the car for Group 3 racing (Production Gran Tourism Cars).
The Carrera RS is one of the most iconic Porsche models, and along with the 917K, is the car that made me love the brand. Back in 77 or 78, Revell had a plastic model of this exact car in white and red, that I saw every week at the “The Hobby Shop”, in East Lansing, MI (unfortunately it doesn’t exist anymore, according to Google). While my mom was at the supermarket next door, I was wandering around the store and drooling over the Revell kits they had. And to this day I remember thinking how cool that car looked.
This is an absolute first for me. For the first time since I started collecting, I got two models of the same car but in different colors. This is a very special exception and only happened because my previous one was not in good shape . Since the 911 Carrera RS is a Holy Grails in terms of street cars, I needed a good one.
Speaking of models, my first 911 Carrera was from Ebbro and this one is from Minichamps. Not counting the defective paint job on the Ebbro, they’re almost equivalent models in terms of craftsmanship. Detail-wise, the blue Minichamps is a notch above the red Ebbro. From a distance, not counting the much nicer wheels on the Ebbro, the blue one would come in front.
However, the Minichamps is somewhat wrong. If you look at them from above you’ll notice that the Minichamps is wider. It also has a flatter roof, wider duck tale and with much less pronounced wheel flares. I may be wrong, but it looks like Minichamps used a regular 911S mold. As a result, they neglected the distinctive wheel flares that made the 911 Carrera RS look so unique. The model’s overall shape is too similar to a more modern 911, and that’s not supposed to happen.
So all in all, the red Ebbro is the better model IMO.