Flares....

[Darren65]

When I finished my last restoration I decided I'd had enough, five and a half years and two full blown projects had taken their toll, I was mentally exhausted and financially drained; I'd never do another....

.....or so I thought!

As the following months passed I admit I felt a bit of a void and it wasn't long before I started day dreaming of what would make my wish list if the opportunity ever came along........having now lived, breathed and driven 911's for a few years I felt prettly clear on what works for me.......first wish was a simple, plain, tastefully optioned SWB with a 2.2S in the back, an R-Inspired sleeper, wrong in so many ways but something that could have potentially been done in period and damned right for me; I think this would be my ultimate early 911 and probably one I'd keep to the very end after everything else was sold. Although I have tentatively looked out for a project on occassions the price point is such that I'd have to sell a car to take this on and that's not something I'm prepared to do, for now.

Second on my wish list was something with flares and who doesn't love a wide car .....but then which one?.......the 2.8 RSR is the most widely copied and for good reason as it's certainly the prettiest early wide car and then of course there's the ST, but that would be too close to what I have and although I have considered taking the Mongrel wide (and probably will if I ever decide to sell it) it's not a build I'd really want to change........eventually with a big dollop of wide body inspiration from Gib Bosworth on the E911SR I started dreaming of a 3.0RS with the same wonderful hips as the 2.8 RSR and Porsche's last incarnation of a naturally aspirated 911 race car. But this was just a dream, not something I ever really expected to pursue and I wasn't even looking out for a project.....

...and then a friend asked my advice on how best to obtain a Certificate of Authenticity!

[Darren65]

My friend was considering selling his 1977 Carrera 3.0 restoration project he'd owner for a number of years and was discussing this with an interested party, at a price point I thought was very sensible, although he wasn't sure if the deal would happen?.....that night my mind went into overdrive as I started to dream about another project!

Without saying anything I took advice on the suitability of the car being the basis for a 3.0RS build and was told to stop wasting my time on the phone and to go and buy it!....I looked around at my wife and even she said go for it!.....I finally took soundings on here before eventually throwing my hat into the ring......only two obstacles had to be overcome, the first was the other interested party had first refusal and the second, as it transpired, was that I had to convince my friend to allow the project to be transformed into a Carrera 3.0RS inspired modified car.....

......suffice to say all went well and this was delivered today ......



This will be a slow burn project and I won't be posting an update anytime soon but eventually I hope to turn the car into an identical reflection of a Carrera 3.0RS with wonderful fat arches fitted with a 3.0RSR spec engine with slide injection

My apologies to the purists who may feel that this rare car should be saved however if any C3 deserves to be modified it's this one.....off the road for nearly three decades with engine issues, vandalized, with no history and no interior having passed through a number of owners with good intentions albeit no action and ultimately in a ghastly colour scheme.....I think I'm doing the right thing!

Ha, Ha for sure.....but hopefully the car will have the last laugh!.....



Cheers,

[redrobin911]

Good Man Darren - Forget the purists, don't listen to anyone but yourself. Looking forwards to the build - slow burn - aren't they all........

[Bootsy]

Will watch with interest. Love a 3.0RS

What’s in the running colour wise?

Black and Gold?
Blue and Gold?

[inaglasshouse]

Gold and gold. With gold plated wheels. Brompton Road Lambo spec.
Looking forward to it!
Cheers, Richard.

[yoda]

Good work Darren - your projects are always superb so look forward to seeing this take shape.

[KAS.750]

Lovely

[Darren65]

Good work Darren - your projects are always superb so look forward to seeing this take shape.

.....thank you, I'm hoping I can make this one a little more special than the last

[Darren65]

What’s in the running colour wise?

.....I haven't checked which colours the six RHD cars were painted although I'm very much feeling Mexico Blue .....

[Darren65]

Good Man Darren - Forget the purists, don't listen to anyone but yourself. Looking forwards to the build - slow burn - aren't they all........

Thanks Robin....car tentatively booked in with Barry for late Spring/early summer, just have to satisfy the wife in the meantime!.....for now I can dream, plan and hopefully source a few items.

One slight reservation I did have was the thought of building a 'clone' which kinda goes against the grain for me.......but when you read up on these cars there was a number of options that could be specified from new and it's suggested they were all subtlety different in some way.......not only that but a number of these cars were modified in period, many of the standard 3.0RS's gained twin spark ignition and even John Starkey in his book 'The Racing Porsches R to RSR' mentions his 2.7RS that went back to the factory to be 'uprated' to G-series 3.0RS specification whilst gaining a modified 3.2 slide valve RSR engine with a 935 nose!.....I think it's a modern phenomenon that these cars need to be as they were when they first left the factory where as the reality in period was quite different.....

....gives me a little scope to put my own stamp on the project!

Cheers,

[anglophone1]

All good Darren- although initially I thought this thread was about trousers.
C

[brembo]

Excellent news Darren,looking forward to this resto.Fairly sure you'll put your unique stamp on it.
Slide injection will be quite brutal

[Tp81]

Love it, no doubt you will finish yours before mine.

[Guy]

What’s in the running colour wise?

.....I haven't checked which colours the six RHD cars were painted although I'm very much feeling Mexico Blue .....

Mexico Blue, Guards Red, Black, Light Yellow and two Grand Prix White (one for Australia)

The real Mexico Blue one is being restored at the moment.

[Boydyrs]

Darren. if you want a 3.0/2.8 RS or RSR then you should go buy one but I think that would be difficult to obtain or use. However, your project should be yours so build it how you want it to be for you.
I love the vision, look, style of the RSR and i will build one either from current race car when retired or from another shell but building/modifying cars, as i do and not to original spec but to drive, has taught me to be flexible while sympathetic.
I can only think of having a period car, RSR/ST Narrow bodied car that looks either sedate or fast but is so sacrilege i know but if i could afford an original then original it would be but better to have a fast looking rep that can surprise the modern cars than not at all.
I have a pal with an RSR rep, 2.8 rs engine on a '72 S shell that various famous specialists have asked him to return to S Spec and he flatly refuses due to cost and he says an S wont make him happy.
So build the best car you can to your spec, wishes and style and rest in the knowledge that the doner will end up in a much better place than current pal.
looking forward to build.
Boydy