Porsche RSR

The Carrera RS is one of the most famous Porsche models ever built, and has come over the years to be regarded as one of the top sports cars to emerge from the 1970s. It was designed and built with ambivalence very much in mind: Porsche’s engineers wanted a car that could be successfully used on the race track, yet which at a moment’s notice and with no modifications could equally be used for shopping or long distance travel. Few people could ever argue that they did not succeed in this aim. The RS is an eminently usable car, just as at home trickling through traffic as it is ploughing down the fast lane of the Autobahn, yet in competitions such as Le Mans, Daytona and the Targa Florio it was almost invincible, often winning outright against pure racing prototypes.

The RS (or Rennsport, to give it its German name) was based on the 911S, but used lightened bodywork and a revised 2.7-liter fuel-injected six, the largest engine yet used in a roadgoing...