1973 Porsche 911 RS ST Gamroth Turbo 340hp Magazine Feature R Gruppe GT Award

1973 Porsche 911 RS Turbo Coupe

Featured in Excellence Magazine

340 HP / 2,250 lbs.

Fresh Drivetrain by Gamroth/Rothsport R Gruppe GT Award WinnerStock #0765

VIN# 9113101958

ENG# 6870560 63,700 Miles on Odometer

Less than 35k miles on Full Engine Rebuild

Less than 3k miles on Top End Engine Rebuild

5k miles on Cosmetic Restoration

Light Yellow (117) on Black Leatherette 5-Speed Manual (915)

Clean and Clear Washington Title

Building a sports-purpose or “outlaw” Porsche 911 has grown into it’s own special niche over the past decade. Now, whole companies are dedicated to “recreating” the original hotrod. However, every once in a while, one of these examples becomes available whose roots started from humble beginnings and took a path far less traveled. Like many great things in life, this 911’s existence was a result of chance happenings.

Although not much is known about this Porsche’s early life, we do know that it was originally ordered in light yellow and lived most of its life in the Northwest (Oregon and Washington area). The vision of this car was born by longtime R Gruppe member Barrett Smith. In the early 2000’s, he had built a wicked blue 930 with a Gamroth/Rothsport 3.8 engine. It was featured in Excellence magazine as well. Shortly after the article, life took a turn and Barrett had to sell it. After selling the car, the new owner let a friend borrow it and it ended up in a ditch. Barrett suggested to the new owner that he just find another 930 and drop the 3.8 engine into the new body. The owner found a black 1977 930. Barrett ended up buying the 3.0 turbo motor from it as well as the wrecked blue 930 and all its parts. Finally, this same owner had a light yellow 1973 911 body that he had bought to build a hotrod. Although Barrett was in no position to start a project, he purchased the whole lot.

As it turns out, the ’77 930 motor had been completely rebuilt years earlier by Gordon Ledbetter and Jeff Gamroth. Both of these gentleman are held in the highest regard in the Porsche 911 community. They are known for building some of the best and fastest air-cooled 911 motors around. Everything from the crank to pistons and Mahle cylinders were replaced on this motor. SC cams and a K27 turbo were also installed. The end result was a fast and reliable 930 motor.

For the next several years, Barrett started to put together this special sport purpose 911. He didn’t want it to be a run of the mill RS or ST clone but rather something a bit different. He wanted it to look period-correct….something that maybe Porsche could have built themselves.

Highlights of this build include:

Fresh top end engine rebuild by Rothsport

Straight and dry original body

Factory steel RS flares butt welded by Jeff Smith

Custom exhaust system for maximum flow (3.3 Turbo system with straight pipe)

Correct RS radius roll bar

Boost gauge in clock location

Harvey Weidman restored 7’s and 8’s x 15” (’76 930s) Fuchs in an RSR frosted finish

930 Turbo brakes

Custom 23mm master cylinder

18mm through-the-body ’76 930 factory sway bar

18mm rear sway bar

21mm front/26mm rear Sanders hollow torsion bars

Bilstein shocks with custom valved inserts

915 gearbox with LSD freshly rebuilt by Rothsport

1972 right rear panel with factory side fill oil tank complete including door release (see pic)

Dual front fender Carrera oil coolers

Rebuilt/restore gauges

Barrett debuted the build at the 2006 R Gruppe Annual Treffen. It was well received by all. In fact over the next several Treffens (gatherings), R Gruppe officers awarded it the best sounding 911 (twice) as well the coveted GT award. This award is given to only one or two cars each year. It is based on the most outstanding 911 that best embraces the R Gruppe spirit.

In 2007, the car was featured in Excellence magazine. The write up and pictures were done by the talented Randy Wells (see attached pics). A copy of the article will be included with the car.

In 2013, Barrett brought the car back to Rothsport to have some items addressed. While in the shop, the current owner found out about the car from Jeff Gamroth and a deal was struck. The current owner had Gamroth complete the work which included rebuilding the gearbox, limited slip diff, and a top end engine rebuild. Also, he had the extra Carrera oil cooler added. Further items recently done under the current owner’s care include:

Wevo short shift kit

New clutch kit

Fresh brake pads and refinished rotors

Custom gearing for fresh gearbox

Modify exhaust with additional hidden muffler (control sound volume)

Modify waste gate with stainless tip

Repack front wheel bearings and replace seals

Refinish rear bumper

Finally, the car spent 2 days of Gamroth tuning the Bosch injection as well as dyno testing. The end result was 340 horsepower and 312 pound feet of torque. This Porsche 911 looks fantastic. Although it is not perfect because it has been driven and enjoyed, it presents very well with minimal signs of wear. It was never raced and mostly used for vintage touring events/drives. There are a few nicks here and there as to be expected. The RSR frosted wheels by Harvey look great on the car. There are some stains on the finish from brake dust. The stance is just right. Most of the glass is original as well as the chrome trim. It shows some slight age. The windscreen has been replaced some time ago. There are a few small chips. The minimalist interior looks great and is fresh. The GTS seats are extremely comfortable and supportive. They show minimal wear. The headliner, carpet and door panels are equally as nice. The dash looks great with no warping and retains the correct speaker cover. There is a small crack between the speaker cover and defrost vent (see pic).

We just had one of Orange County’s top Porsche specialists do an extensive inspection and the results were outstanding. Highlights/notes from the inspection include:

No rust or metal repair evident/very straight

Custom front dual oil coolers installed correctly

Very nice shifting

Over 80% of tire life left

Very light blemishes – overall very good – No Rust!!

Leakdown test: cyl#1: 4% cyl#2: 3% cyl#3: 4% cyl#4: 3% cyl#5: 3% cyl#6: 2%

I saved the best for last: driving impressions. This is one of the most exciting, interesting, and pure fun early 911s I’ve driven in a very long time. The car is incredibly docile around town with gobs of torque. However, when you apply the power, it pulls like a freight train. The suspension and brakes are perfectly suited for the task and easily keep the power in check. This car would be pure driving nirvana on some twisty roads or a long vintage event tour. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact Paul at 714-335-4911 or paul@autokennel.com For tons of pictures, either cut and paste the following URL into your browser, or click here: http://www.AutoKennel.com

*Thank you Randy Wells for the use of your protected photographs.*

This vehicle is sold “as-is” with no warranty, written or implied. In some cases, the vehicle does have the remaining factory warranty still in place and will be described above if that is the case. All taxes and fees are the responsibility of the buyer and are not included in the listed price. All vehicle sales will require a $65 document fee. The vehicle listed is described to the best of our ability. The information is based on our own research and statements made to us by the previous owner(s). To the best of our knowledge, the above information is accurate. We are not responsible for errors in our description of options or any other details. The above-mentioned vehicle is used and can be expected to show some wear and tear. It is not a brand new vehicle. We do welcome all local pre-purchase inspections on vehicles in order to verify condition.