PORSCHE 993 RS/R
The PORSCHE 993 RS/R
It would be easy - from a distance, anyway - to dismiss this 993-bodied Carerra as just another highly modified 911 with a set of after-market wheels and a rather ostentatious rear wing.
But what if you subsequently discovered that most of these modifications had, in fact, been carried out at the Porsche factory (and in the world famous Motorsport department at that)? Might you not cease to see it as an expensive prop for the owner’s vanity and begin to take it rather more seriously?
Given its origins, it's safe to assume that everything added to this car in the course of turning it into what we've termed an RS/R has a purpose - to make it faster round a circuit. It's also safe to assume that everything deleted from its specification would only have hindered such progress.
On the other hand, you might also be thinking that the standard 993-bodied Carrera 3.8RS upon which it was based (and produced during Porsche's 1995 and 1996 model years) must have incorporated the majority of these additions and deletions already. What, then, can the addition of one more initial do for that most vital part of the package - you, the driver?
Only seven right-hand-drive 993-bodied RS/Rs came to the UK, all (like the 959) as what amounted to personal imports, and all at a price of around £71,500 (£6250 more than the contemporary RS). This particular example belongs to Kent businessman Jez Gilman who, trusting soul that he is, kindly agreed to let us drive it at the county's Brands Hatch circuit in order to discover the answer to the above question.
Occasional ticks from the exhaust, and the waves of heat emanating from the rear wheelarches, tell us that the car has already seen action this morning. Indeed, the massive Pirelli P-Zero Corsas are still warm and even a little sticky to touch.
The wheels themselves are three-piece racing items by BBS - 18 inches in diameter, and fully 11 inches wide at the rear with centre-lock fixings, and behind each is a 322mm diameter, ventilated, crossdrilled disc, gripped by a four-piston Brembo caliper. This is essentially the same set-up as that fitted to the 450bhp 993-bodied 911 Turbo 4 'S', but in this case with around 400kg less to stop.
At the sharp end the car is given added purpose by a spoiler incorporating corner deflectors to smooth the airflow around the front wheels, and a pair of removable, body-colour headlamp covers. The biplane rear wing, with its top element adjustable through up to 12 degrees, means serious down force, and the black sill extensions curl up the leading edges of the rear wheel arches to smooth airflow around the wheels
Inside, the racing bucket seats gain full six-point harnesses by Schroth, and the stripped-out cabin is now home to a full roll-cage, with beautifully made spotwelded fillets joining the cage to the 'B'pillars for additional strength. Beneath the aluminium front lid there's a strut brace and a battery cut-out switch, alongside a standard 92-litre (20-gallon) fuel tank and an enlarged brake-fluid reservoir.
Back at the blunt end, by way of contrast, there's an engine bay packed with classic 3.8-litre flat-six and its impressive looking Varioram inlet manifold. The latter allows the engine to punch way above its weight, particularly as far as low- and mid-range torque are concerned.
As in most cars equipped with a roll cage and/or racing seats, considerable agility is needed to get in and out of the thing. And there's scant clearance between the top of your correspondent's crash helmet and the underside of the of the painted metal roof skin.
'But adjustment of the Recaro seat is by it seems, so we're going off the kerbs and any other bumps that could lead to helmet-to-roof contact. Can’t imagine Mr Gilman would be impressed if we leave such a lasting reminder of our drive in his car.
Having oriented myself, as it were, I roll out of the pit lane and begin to warm everything up again - me included. First impressions are of a lusty, almost solid exhaust note, together with a lightening-fast throttle response, a light and progressive clutch (remarkably so for a a predominantly track-based car), and a notchy but undeniably quick six-speed gear-shift mechanism.
Within a lap I begin to lift the pace, using more and more of the available revs. There are four red LEDs to warn when maximum revs are imminent, but for me these are obscured by the upper portion of the steering wheel. And it's no use waiting for a drop-off in power to prompt up-shifts, either, because there simply isn't one!
Indeed, that ultra-smooth 3.8-litre engine behind me feels just about unburstable, and almost linear in its delivery right up to 7200rpm, where the rev-limiter finally intervenes. It might not be quite as dramatic as a turbocharged or supercharged unit of similar output, but its response to even the smallest movement of my right foot is almost telepathic in its suddenness.
Steering response is in much the same category, too, but although I'm always aware of just how much grip is available from the 245-section front tyres - themselves as wide as many seriously quick Porsches have on their rear wheels - I can't help thinking that a little more feel wouldn't go amiss.
We're over the crest of Paddock Hill bend now, and the track drops sharply away to the right. Then comes the compression. As the road rises up to Druids huge g-forces push me down into the seat, but the RS/R takes them in its eager stride. Approaching the hairpin bend at nearly l00mph, all I can see are trees, with the narrow ribbon of asphalt snaking right between them. Time to lose momentum in a hurry. I gently squeeze the drilled-alloy middle pedal, and something surreal takes place.
Imagine that you are watching this on film, but the editor has for some reason best known to himself cut out all the frames in the middle of the braking sequence. You brush the pedal and BANG! Instantly you seem to be crawling along, struggling to come off the brakes too much, too early. Every fast car, whether intended for circuit or the road, should have brakes as good as these - indeed, I would even go as far as to suggest that it should be a basic human right.
I circulate at ever-increasing speeds now, and instead of being passed by Caterham Sevens and Lotus Elises I start to pass them instead. And while they all seem to be nearing their limit, drivers hard at work through the turns, I somehow seem to be using the minimum effort. How much faster I could have driven will have to remain a mystery, I'm afraid, but we are still well within the RS/R's towering capabilities.
Its stability through fast, unsettling corners - where other cars might be displaying massive understeer or oversteer - is nothing less than a revelation. In fact, I'd suggest it's the best 911 derivative I've ever experienced in this respect. Certainly, the car tends towards oversteer through fast bends like Clearways at, or near, full throttle. Druids, on the other hand, elicits a trace of understeer, but unlike that you’ll experience in some other 911 s this isn't the half-turn-of-steering-lock variety, merely a feeling that the nose is drifting ever-so-slightly wide.
Make no mistake about it: the RS/R is near-perfect in its dynamic abilities. It might even represent the crowning achievement of Porsche’s chassis engineers as far as handling is concerned.
All too soon I'm back in the pits, session over, photographer Peter Robain happy with the snaps he has in the can, and me with that drained but somehow satisfied feeling you get after a long, hard session in front of your Sony PlayStation. Shame there's no replay button, though.…
I came to Brands Hatch expecting to drive a machine that was unforgiving, uncompromising - uncomfortable, even and certainly razor-sharp. And I leave having experienced not only a tantalisingly tiny glimpse of what has made - and still makes - Porsche so successful in endurance racing, but also a machine that, given a few relatively minor sacrifices, could still be driven reasonably comfortably on the public road.
This practically race-ready 911 is indeed as sharp and responsive as they come, but by far its greatest asset is that you could drive it - quickly - for long periods at a stretch without having to be lifted bodily from the seat when your stint was over. And that is one of the qualities that makes a truly successful competition car.
Far from being a cynical attempt to cash in on the kudos of the 993-bodied RS, then, the RS/R is indeed a worthy extension of the breed. And the fact that here in the UK it cost only around £6000 more than the RS means that, at the time and if it fitted your needs perfectly, you could - almost - have convinced your accountant it was good value.
And since it appears to be suffering negligible depreciation, you could still present a good case today. Now there's a thought for your next company car.
What’s in a name?
In order to understand precisely where Jez Gilman’s RS/R sits in the Porsche canon, as it were, (and why throughout this feature, we’ve called it an RS/R), a brief history lesson is called for.
Porsche's famous 'RS' nomenclature (an abbreviation for Rennsport, the German word for motorsport) grew out of the factory racers of the late 1950s and early 1960s, reaching cult status in the form of the 1973 911 Carrera 2.7RS.
Fast forward now to March 1991, and the launch at the Geneva Motor Show of the 964-bodied Carrera 2 RS. For all its sophistication this was still in the mould of the original 2.7RS: a sports model with few concessions to comfort and, with its 3.6-litre engine reprogrammed to a claimed 260bhp at 61OOrpm, the performance to match its pedigree. Porsche quoted a maximum speed of 162mph, and a 0-62mph time of 5.4 seconds.
In addition to this standard Sport (or Lightweight) model, the 911 Carrera 2 RS was available as a so-called Touring model; in Carrera Cup form (for the racing series of the same name); and, finally, as a Competition model, another racing version with a number of minor differences compared to the Carrera Cup car.
The object of the exercise was to begin production during the summer of 1991 (in the event, the first cars came to Britain toward the end of that year) and, in order to homologate the car for the Group 'N' GT class, to build at least 1000. In the event, a total of 2051 of all types were assembled in the period to the end of the 1992 model year. It was from the 911 Carrera 2 RS that Porsche evolved the so-called 3.8RS, a limited-edition model intended to qualify the car for GT racing during the 1993 season.-Around l00 were built at Weissach, all with the wide, Turbo-look body shell and an adjustable biplane rear wing, and not least a 3746cc engine developing a claimed 300bhp at 6500rpm.
The car's 18-inch wheels, manufactured by Speedline, were nine inches wide at the front, 11 at the rear, and fitted with 235/40ZR and 285/35ZR Dunlop tyres. The car's weight was pared down to a remarkable 1140kg (albeit without fuel), offering 0-62mph in a claimed 4.9 seconds, and a top speed of 170mph.
Introduced at the beginning of 1995, the 993-bodied 3.8RS was a considerably improved machine compared to its 964-bodied predecessor. The two cars shared nearly identical power and torque figures (300bhp at 6500rpm, and 262lb/ft at 5400rpm), but the latter's delivery over the entire rev range was much improved by the first use of Porsche's Varioram variable-length intake system.
As with the older 3.8RS, the capacity increase to 3746cc was achieved by enlarging the cylinder bore of the 3.6-litre engine by 2.0mm to 102.0mm (the stroke remained as before, at 76.4mm). The valvegear was strengthened too and both the inlet and exhaust valves were increased in diameter.
Transmission was the new six-speed unit from the mainstream 993-bodied cars, but with stronger synchromesh, and higher ratios for the first three gears. And unlike the earlier, 964-bodied cars, the 993 version also featured a dual-mass flywheel to reduce drivetrain vibration.
While the ride of the earlier RSs had been unquestionably harsh for everyday use, the new 993-bodied car was altogether more refined, thanks in no small measure to the multi-link rear suspension. But the 18-inch wheels (eight inches wide at the front, 10 inches at the rear) led to a somewhat rougher ride than the standard 993's 16-inch rims.
Because some customers were expected to use their cars for track work or competition, the body shell was seamwelded for additional strength, and the wheel arches rolled to provide clearance for the large tyres. There was also a brace between the two front suspension-strut towers, themselves incorporating spherical mountings for the spring/damper units.
Stiffer track rods were fitted (the steering itself was power-assisted as standard), and the ride height was lowered by 30mm and 40mm at the front and rear, respectively. The front anti-roll bar was adjustable through five settings, and that at the rear by three.
The RS combined Porsche's Automatic Brake Differential (ABD) for traction control, and a limited-slip differential. The latter offered 40 per cent locking under acceleration, 65 per cent under deceleration. Brakes were the 322mm cross-drilled and ventilated discs with four-piston calipers from the Turbo, and ABS was standard.
Externally, the new RS featured a low-slung horizontal splitter on the front valance, shaped sill covers, and a non-adjustable whaletail rear wing in body colour.
Overall, the RS weighed in at 1279kg, which was around 100kg less than a standard 993 of the period. The saving came from the deletion of the usual accessories such as electric windows and mirrors, together with central-locking, headlamp washers, intermitent wiper control and the standard door trims and loudspeakers. Interior lighting consisted of a single lamp as used in the earlier 911 Speedster, and even the windscreen washer bottle was reduced in size, from 6.5 litres to just 1.2 litres. There were no driver or passenger airbags (unless the car was ordered with electric windows), and the only sound insulation was in the engine compartment.
Further measures included the use of thinner glass and the deletion of the heated rear window. An aluminium luggage compartment lid saved 7.Skg, and replacement of the electric seats by lightweight Recaros a further 30kg. The fuel tank was the standard 92-litre affair. Top speed for the 1995 RS was claimed to be 172mph, with acceleration from standstill to 62mph in just five seconds.
More exotic still was the so-called Club Sport (of which the car shown here is effectively one), immediately recognisable from the outside by its more aggressive front spoiler and, from the rear, by its characteristic biplane rear wing (although the latter was an option on the standard' RS, too).
The CS could be registered for road use, but with a stripped-out interior, a roll cage, and a 'selected' engine fitted with a lightweight flywheel, it was aimed primarily at GT2 endurance racing. Some cars (although not the one shown here) even had four air-jacks fitted at the factory.
Here in the UK, though, the Club Sport was generally (if not entirely correctly, perhaps) known as the RSR, and it was one of the seven official right-hand-drive imports upon which Jez Gilman's car is based. Quite why the car should have undergone this subtle change of identity remains open to question (although it has been suggested that Porsche Cars Great Britain wanted to avoid confusion with the still-popular 968 Club Sport).
The fact remains, though, that Gilman's car was supplied with only an 'RS' badge on the engine cover, and if you look closely you'll see that his 'RSR' badge has, in fact, been created by the addition of the first half of a second 'RS' script. And it's for that reason that, in the quest for clarity, we've used the term 'RS/R'. So now you know!
If you were thinking of looking for one of the other six RS/Rs you could have a tough search on your hands. Even while we were preparing this feature, though, Official Porsche Centre Lancaster Colchester advertised a 1995 example, in Riviera Blue and with 13,000 miles on the clock, for 269,995. Good luck! N
Owner’s View
This RS/R is the third 911 Jez Gilman (right) has owned. He acquired his first - a 1990 Carrera 4 - almost by accident, but since then the marque has got under his skin in a big way
About four years ago I was having a less than happy time with an Alfa Romeo, he recalls. ‘My wife and I were passing Parkwood which was then the local official Porsche Centre in Kent, and they had a white 964 - bodied Carrera 4 for sale. In fact, it was my wife who did most of the persuading!’
After attending a few trackdays to stretch the Carrera 4’s capabilities (and his own) in relative safety, Gilman became hooked on circuit driving.
‘It was obvious I needed something a little sharper for track work, but I was reluctant to modify the C4 too much. Then Stephen Dennis, the Salesman I dealt with, [and now at Lindbrook, another Official Porsche centre in Kent - RT] phoned me to say that he had a 964 bodied Carrera 2RS that I might be interested in, and, what’s more, another customer who was after a Carrera 4.’
Gilman duly bought the Carrera 2 RS and kept it for a year, enjoying it enormously as a trackday car - if not on ‘real’ roads thanks to its firm and rather unyielding ride. Then, completely out of the blue, came another telephone call from Stephen Dennis.
‘He just said, “I’ve got your next car. And there are only seven of them in the country, so you’d better make your mind up about it”, and that was that.
‘Even then the car wasn’t entirely standard, if you can use the word about something as specialized as this, so I looked for someone who new about the RS’s to work on it.’
‘That turned out to be Parr Motorsport down in Godstone, Surrey. They had the car for two months, which was an agonisingly long time to be parted from a new toy, but the result in what you see today. I can’t praise them enough. They did a wonderful job.’
Not altogether surprisingly, Gilman says he plans never to part with his RS/R.’ One of the reasons I bought it was to learn how to drive it properly,’ he argues,’ not to do competitions or that sort of thing. And, no I don’t think I’ll ever part with it, for the simple reason that I really don’t think that I could get anything better.’
‘In fact I’d like to pass it on to my sons when they are old enough - and they can find out what it is like to drive a real car.’
BODY
Two-door coupe; hot-dip galvanised steel monocoque. Front spoiler incorporating horizontal splitter; moulded sill covers; adjustable rear wing with additional engine-cooling intakes.
ENGINE
All-aluminium, water-cooled flat-six. Two valves per cylinder operated by chain-driven single overhead camshaft per cylinder bank. Dry sump lubrication with separate oil tank. Porsche Varioram induction system; twin spark plugs per cylinder. Bosch Motronic fuel injection and ignition control, On-Board Diagnostic system (OBDII)
Capacity - 3746cc
Maximum power - 305bhp at 6250rpm
Maximum torque - 279lb/ft at 4175rpm
Specific power output - 81.42bhp/litre
Power-to-weight ratio - 261.8bhp/tonne
TRANSMISSION
Six-speed manual gearbox; hydraulically operated single-plate clutch. Limited-slip differential
SUSPENSION
Front: McPherson struts and control arms, coil springs, twin-tube gas pressure dampers, five-position adjustable anti-roll bar. Rear: double control-arm axle, coil springs, twin-tube gas-pressure dampers, three position adjustable anti-roll bar
BRAKES
322mm ventilated, cross-drilled discs, four-piston light-alloy calipers, ABS fitted as standard
WHEELS AND TYRES
Front: 9.0J x 18 inches with 245/35 ZR 18 tyres
Rear.- 11.0J x 18 inches with 285/30 ZR 18 tyres
Weight 1165kg
PERFORMANCE
0-62mph 4.Ssecs
0-100mph 9.8secs
Maximum speed 18l mph
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