A 1973 Porsche Carrera RS 2.7 Owned by Paul Walker Is Up for Auction

Walker was unlike many Hollywood celebrities who were made to look as great drivers on the silver screen. He was actually well known for his abilities behind the wheel and had a spectacular car collection, showing his love for the automobile. In a dreadful manner, Walker’s life ended too soon, at only the age of 40, while he was a passenger in his Porsche Carrera GT. However, he left us with a lot of fond memories to remember him by and this car is one of the best representations of his passion for cars.

Among his collection, this marvel of German engineering, held a very special place. This Porsche wears the RS badge, which stands for Rennsport (or racing sport) and it represents a very special place among the Porsche lineup. The 911 RS 2.7 was intended a homologation special. It was a very light, nimble and fast sports car, which was designed and homologated for Group 3 Grand Touring series, directed by the FIA, with 60 vehicles built specifically for the FIA Group 4 series.

At the heart of the development sat Norbert Singer, at the push of Ernst Fuhrmann, who felt that Porsche’s racing success at the 1970 and 1971 24 Hours of Le Mans with the iconic Porsche 917, should find its way into the 911. Following a widespread “Win on Sunday, sell on Monday” mentality in the auto industry of that era, Porsche built special, street legal, interpretations of the cars that was winning on track. All of this means that a lot of resources and attention to detail went into the production of this car.

These are some of the reasons why this is the kind of car that evoked strong feelings in the late star. The high regard in which Paul Walker held this car can be seen on an episode of “The Tonight Show”, aired back in 2011, where Walker told Jay Leno the story of how he got to purchase this 911 with obvious enthusiasm in his voice.

The 1973 911 Carrera RS 2.7 became in instant hit with Porsche enthusiasts, meaning the original 500 homologated examples that Porsche built, flew off the showroom floors almost immediately. This high demand, convinced the Stuttgart manufacturer to increase production to 1580 units, over 3 times amount they originally planned to release. This overwhelming success turned this model into a very hot collector property. Today, the 1973 model is one of the most sought-after performance vehicles ever produced by Porsche.

The car we’re talking about today is part of that 1973 run, has 93,774 kilometers on the clock and comes equipped with the Touring package. It is powered by a 2.7L flat six, coupled to a 5-speed manual, pushing out 210 HP. This 911 Carrera RS 2.7 has had some good work done to it.

The drivetrain and suspension were expertly restored by Jerry Woods Enterprises of Campbell, California and the black interior was restored by Autobahn Interiors of San Diego. Apart from the very iconic Carrera livery, only the chrome trim and the Pepita Houndstooth bucket seats seem to be the design highlights of this car, with the rest of the interior being very practical and performance oriented.

Weight-reduction is one of the main themes of the 911 Carrera RS 2.7 and it’s showcased through body panels and windows that are thinner than what was common in sports cars of that period. Moreover, this very Colin Chapman approach of “simplify then add lightness” is carried over to the rear deck and ducktail spoiler, which are made out of fiberglass. Flared wheel arches for a wider track, along with a limited-slip differential and forged Fuchs wheel take this track focused package to the next level.

Coming with not only the FIA paperwork, but also Walker’s celebrity ownership provenance, this specific 911 Carrera RS 2.7 is certainly one of the most exciting collector cars to have come up for auction in the recent years.