This Porsche 2.7-liter Carrera RS, a left-hand "Touring" model delivered in Light Ivory, was supplied new to private owner Bernard Dulcy, who had previously raced Renault Dauphines and Alpines from 1961 to 1966. With his regular co-driver Jean-Francois Bagarry, the French privateers drove their new Porsche in a number of road events, including the 1975 and 1977 Monte Carlo Rallies (3rd in group in 1975), the Acropolis four times from 1975 to '79 (1st in group in 1975), the 1975-76 Polish Rallies (1st in group both 1975 and 1976), the 1976 Rally of Portugal, the East African Safari of 1978, the 1978 Rumanian and Tour of the Mediterranean events (1st in group for both events), and the 1979 Ivory Coast Rally.
In the days when privateers like Dulcy and Bagarry conducted much of their own servicing without a fleet of service vehicles and mechanics in tow, crew and car impressively collected six class awards on 14 World Championship and major European events in four seasons.
In completing the long 35.5-kilometer St. Barthélémy to St. Michel les Portes special stage in 3 minutes 53 seconds during the 1975 Monte Carlo Rally, this Carrera RS Touring achieved the fifth fastest time overall behind such legends as eventual winner Sandro Munari (Lancia), Jean-Pierre Nicholas (Alpine) and the Fiats of Marku Alen and Hannu Mikkola (the latter co-driven by the now-famous executive director of the Ferrari F1 team, Jean Todt).
Among the many press clippings on file, one records a most dramatic arrival for the 1978 East African Safari after the Telfair Pioneer freighter transporting their Porsche had been held up for several days at Mogadishu by the Ogaden war. With the ship unable to dock at Mombasa until the night before the rally and their car not offloaded by crane until 2 am, the intrepid crew was faced with a frantic dash during the early hours to reach Nairobi just in time to make the start.
Following retirement from competition in 1979 and a period of careful preservation at Dulcy's Avignon home, in 1992 a sensitive restoration was completed by the body shop of Frank Alesi, father of former F1 driver Jean Alesi. As photographs in the history file record, much of the original body shell was retained, although the bonnet panel was renewed and lightweight-type bumpers were fitted prior to the car being repainted as currently presented in Grand Prix White with Signal Red Carrera RS graphics.
The interior is also currently to factory "lightweight" style, as are the carpets, while a pair of high-back competition seats trimmed in black cloth and an alloy competition steering wheel have also been fitted. The 1973 Carrera RS currently sits on period-correct Fuchs alloy wheels-7˝ x 15˝ in the front and 8˝ x 15˝ in the rear-with polished lips and painted centers. An additional set of four similarly finished alloys of 6˝ x 15˝ and 7˝ x 15˝ are included with the car, as are the original driver's seat, belts, steering wheel, and several period Cibié lamps.
The RS engine first fitted to the car, number 6631092, was subject to a Porsche factory exchange, hence the Stuttgart-supplied "AT" prefix to the 6630900-numbered motor currently in place. According to the vendor, the exchange occurred during the car's rally career, circa 1976/77. Since then, the engine has been rebuilt. Originally numbered 7831060, the 5-speed RS transmission has the benefit of competition ratios and a limited-slip differential, claims the vendor. When cataloged and road tested recently, it started promptly, the oil pressure reading remained good when warm, the gears engaged correctly, the brakes proved to be very effective, and the car performed strongly.
Following the death of the original owner, this still highly original example of what has become one of the most iconic of all collector performance cars passed directly into the hands of his son, Sebastian Dulcy of Cortina, so was thus owned until 2007 by the same family for 34 years. Since 1975, the Porsche has always been maintained by respected marque specialist Michel Baurmet at his Morières les Avignon workshop.
Complete with significant competition history file, which contains event and restoration photos as well as period rally plates, this important Porsche Carrera RS Touring, one of the most successful of all privately entered Carrera RS rally cars from the 1970s, would be both eligible and competitive for major post-historic competition today, whether on special stage or circuit.
SCM Analysis
This Carrera RS Touring sold for $425,575 at the Bonhams Rétromobile sale on February 9, 2008, in Paris, France. To make sense of this significant price, we must first categorize this machine along the single most important axis for any vintage Porsche: street car or race car?
While clearly produced as a standard road car, complete with the “Touring” package (known to Porsche anoraks by its official option number, M472), the car as delivered included no options and was painted in the inoffensive color of Light Ivory. But the use this car was put to changed all that, and today it is correctly priced as a race car, even though it was never factory campaigned and was delivered as a street car.
One of the reasons this Carrera RS Touring makes the grade as a race car is because of its spectacular success in road rallies of the day. It is a testament to the drivers and the intrinsic competitive nature of the Carrera RS that these unheralded privateers could perform so well with so little support.
Motor swap doesn’t matter
As a race car, we don’t care a whit that its engine has been swapped, that it is painted a different color, or that it is being sold in a different configuration; that is, as a “Lightweight” (option M471) rather than as originally delivered.
As to its condition today, it looks to be in great physical and mechanical shape. For some reason, the restorers chose to leave off some of the package of graphics that came with M471 cars when new, including the Signal Red tape stripe that belongs on the front and rear bumpers. The car looks unfinished without these details but it would be simple to rectify. The car retains its original and rare large plastic gas tank, but the space-saver spare is not in place. The original 380-mm steering wheel is included with the package, as are the original non-sport seats. The wheel lips are polished but of course were anodized when new.
All this is nit-picking, and mattered not a single iota to the bidders, who placed this car at a market-correct price. This one is sure to appreciate with the market in general, and with its special pedigree, will be most welcome in fast European rally events all throughout the Continent. For a vintage Porsche to drive and enjoy at the highest levels, this one would seem hard to beat.