Wanderlust

Tag: 911 Carrera RS 3.8

  • Speed Yellow Porsche 964 Carrera RS 3.8 Hits RM’s Private Sales Department

    Speed Yellow Porsche 964 Carrera RS 3.8 Hits RM’s Private Sales Department

    What: 1993 Porsche 911 Carrera RS 3.8
    Color: Porsche Speed Yellow (speedgelb; non-metallic uni; L12G / X4 / 12H / 12G; Porsche)
    VIN: WP0ZZZ96ZPS497084
    Mileage: 77,600 km, 48,218 miles
    Asking Price: $950,000
    CarFax: N/A
    Window Sticker: N/A
    Location: Paris, France
    Link: RM Sotheby’s

    Unlike the much more common Porsche 911 Carrera RS of the 964 era, the 911 Carrera RS 3.8 is an actual homologation special. Okay, technically the “plain” Carrera RS boasted a lot of changes consistent with the then-current Carrera Cup series, but the 911 Carrera RS 3.8 was built literally to homologate the car for international GT racing requirements.

    Beginning the with shell of a Porsche 911 Turbo used for its wider track, each car was transported to Weissach’s racing department so that it could be hand built. Lightweighting ensued, limited not just to deletion of unnecessary equipment but also introducing aluminum equivalents of doors and front trunk lid from the RS 3.6. The car’s RS front spoiler got an extra lip for improved downforce, while other changes included replacement of the foglights with air ducts for the oil cooler, a larger adjustable rear wing, plus 3mm gauge glass for side and rear windows.

    Those are just the visual changes. This was a Porsche homologation special after all, which means the chassis got its share of changes too. A larger diameter adjustable anti-roll bar, strut brace, Bilstein suspension, Turbo brakes, reprogrammed ABS, and deletion of power steering all added to the car’s capabilities. Beyond that, it rolled on three-piece 18-inch Speedline Cup wheels in 9-inch width at the front and 11-inches at the rear.

    Under the fiberglass engine cover was the M64/04 3.8-liter flat six. That motor was derived form the same 3.6 as the Carrera RS, though it was bored out to 102mm while stroke was retained. Lightweight pistons with shorter wrist pins and reduced head height were also part of the design, as were six individual throttle bodies positioned close to the inlet ports. There was a custom inlet manifold and larger valves with lightweight rockers, not to mention a twin-pipe exhaust system.

    Only 55 examples of the 911 Carrera RS 3.8 were built, plus another 49 Carrera RSRs, which was enough satisfy the FIA’s homologation requirement of 100 cars. Interestingly, only one road car was required by the rule, though Porsche shrewdly built quite a few more in order to net some additional income. This was, by the way, the 964 era where Porsche was struggling to stay afloat financially.

    This specific car was built in 1993 and is one of twelve examples to be built in Speed Yellow. The seatbacks of the car’s Recaro Pole Position seats were color matched to the body, while the rest of the interior was trimmed in black leather along with contrasting grey seat inserts just as we tend to see in the Carrera RS.

    The car was first delivered to Porsche Zentrum Bielefeld in Germany in October 1993, then was exported to Japan before again returning to Europe in 2007. It’s currently located in Paris, France, though its age would make it an easy import into North America.

  • Riviera Blue Porsche 911 / 993 Carrera RS 3.8 Headed to RM Miami Sale

    Riviera Blue Porsche 911 / 993 Carrera RS 3.8 Headed to RM Miami Sale

    What: 1996 Porsche 911 Carrera RS 3.8
    Color: Porsche Paint to Sample Riviera Blue (rivierablau; non-metallic Uni; S8 / L39E; Porsche)
    VIN: WP0ZZZ99ZTS390261
    Mileage: 8,725 miles
    Price Estimate: $750,000 to $950,000
    CarFax: N/A
    Window Sticker: N/A
    Location: RM Sotheby’s 2025 Miami Auction, Coral Gables, FL
    Listing: Link

    Another from the Todd Blue LAPIS collection is this über rare 1996 Porsche 911 Carrera 3.8 RS, #261 of 1,104 examples ever produced. It was delivered new in Germany. Of those, it’s the only example produced in Riviera Blue with Clubsport aerodynamics and black leatherette interior with Grey seat centers and Riviera Blue accents from Porsche Exclusive Manufaktur.

    Other options include the Clubsport front spoiler, Clubsport rear wing, Clubsport strut tie bar, power steering, motorsports steering wheel in leather, air conditioning, German market equipment group, radio, locking differential and special-order heated and power adjustable Clubsport sport seats with Riviera Blue color-matched fiberglass shells. RM shares that they also have an accompanying build shit confirming further Porsche Exclusive Manufaktur options such as door pulls and seat belts in matching Riviera Blue.

    For those who don’t know, a 993-generation Carrera RS 3.8 is effectively a homologation special. These cars were built to qualify the visually similar Porsche 911 3.8 RS for BPR GT3 and GT4 classes of racing. Like many homologation specials, this effectively makes the car a bit of a racing car for the road. It’s widebody stance is also believed to be an inspiration to the RWB Porsche movement and the Idlers racing series from which it spawned.

    Of the 1,104 911 Carrera RS 3.8s built between 1994 and 1996, 227 were spartan Clubsport versions. It’s not known how many were standard RS versions utilizing the lightweight Clubsport options as did #261 that RM will be selling as part of their Miami sale this year.

    The 993 Carrera RS 3.8 is powered by a 3.8-liter version of Porsche’s normally-aspirated M64/20 engine. It produces 296 horsepower at 6,500 rpm and 262 lb-ft of torque at 5,400 rpm. As with the previous 964 3.8 RS, the 993 3.8 RS also makes use of 18-inch modular 3-piece alloy wheels from Speedline, though their magnesium centers were updated to match the 993 era “Cup 2” design.

    As for the Riviera Blue paint color itself, it is a hue that seems to harken earlier decades like the 1970s, but was actually introduced as a 993 launch color. Like many colors over the years, Riviera Blue was a bold color Porsche introduced with their new models that suffered in period from being polarizing enough that the take rate was very low. However, it aged gracefully and today is highly sought after by collectors both for its unique hue and its rarity.

    The car was delivered new to Porsche Center Dusseldorf in June of 1995. It remained in Dusseldorf until 2007 when it next spent its time in several significant Porsche collections in England, Holland and France before being imported into the U.S.A. prior to being 25 years old via NHTSA’s “Show and Display” exemption. Today, it is titled in the USA.