Russo and Steele Collector Automobiles

In 1973, Porsche sought to satisfy homologation rules for the GT class that stated that 500 examples of a street-legal race car, such as the 911 they wanted to enter, needed to be produced and sold to the public. Immediately popular with performance-oriented buyers, the Carrera RS saw 1,636 examples produced. The cars offered public buyers wider Fuchs wheels, Bilstein shocks and modified sway bars that gave the RS extra handling advantages while an integral rear spoiler gave the car extra stability. Under the rear deck, the new 911 engine was a modified version of the earlier 911’s 2.4 engine, now displacing 2.7 litres with a serious bump in output. Shortly thereafter, in 1975, a ‘Carrera 3.0’ debuted another performance enhancement and pointed the way to the upcoming 911 SC.

For almost ten years, the 3 litre engine in both naturally-aspirated and turbocharged variants led the way and kept the 911 competitive. For 1984, naturally-aspirated cars were renamed ‘Carrera’ with a new 3.2 liter engine. Available in ordered in coupe, cabriolet or Targa body styles, the Carrera was superior to its 911 SC predecessor and offered more luxury, another bump in output and better brakes. Body variations were also available on both Carreras and Turbos and in fact had been among the forced-induction cars' major differences; among these was code M491, the turbo-look wide wheel-arch rear 911 that was reminiscient in many ways of Porsche’s winning 935 supercar of the day.

The M491 option was available for the first time in 1984 on the new Carreras; the bodywork, suspension and brakes of the 930 gave the non-turbo car all the benefits of design, aerodynamics and handling with the new Carrera normally-aspirated 3.2 liter engine. For 1988, only 106 Carrera cabriolets were built with the M491 option. What is little-known, even among Porsche enthusiasts is that there was another option code, M470, that deleted the front and rear spoilers and gave the car the appearance of the Speedster that would come in 1989. Out of the 106 Cabriolets with M491 for 1988, just two examples were so ordered. Offered here is one of these two.

Delivered new in California on the 4th of June, 1988, this special 911 was driven regularly until 1993 when it was put into careful storage. It remained there for the next fifteen years at which point the current vendor began a careful and sympathetic recommissioning. The car's fuel tank and both feed and return lines were cleaned, new fuel injectors were installed and all necessary fluids were changed. After checking everything twice and with the final addition of a new battery, the car's original 3.2 Carrera engine started right up and ran like a charm.

Once it was determined that the engine required no further attention, the braking system was overhauled and new factory-correct tires were fitted, allowing this 911 to hit the road for its first time on the open road in over a decade. Cosmetic reconditioning followed with disassembly and repainting of both front and rear bumpers and aprons while the rest of the car was lovingly polished to near-perfection. Topping all of this off, a brand new German Hartz cabriolet roof was hand-fitted just months prior to its arrival in Monterey.

This is a very rare and usable Porsche that is ready to drive without any further expense. It is well dialed-in and represents a true pleasure to own, drive and show in the knowledge that it is one of the most-unique examples of the 1980s Carrera ever built.