To buy a car and not use it is one thing; to buy perhaps one of the best driver’s cars ever conceived and barely turn a wheel is a crime. Needless to say, in one of the more significant Porsches to come up for bid in recent memory, this 1993 Porsche 911 RSR has a scant six miles on the odometer and an options list that is as fascinating as its mysterious history. Find it here on Road & Track’s website, or plan to see it in person at an upcoming RM Sotheby’s auction.
The 911 RSR was a fitting swan song for the 964-series 911. It was a race car, through and through, conceived to get privateers into international GT racing. It was wildly successful, right out of the box, notching impressive performances at major racing venues like the 24 Hours of Daytona, and 12 Hours at Sebring. The RSR was superbly light-weight and featured numerous upgrades ranging from the Turbo-look body with its trademark wide fenders to accommodate the bored-out M64/04 engine, to track ready suspension and brakes that yielded impressive performance.
The 964 RSR is one of the rarest 911s ever built, with just 51 made. This example is rarer still not only by its outrageously low mileage but also its customer-ordered features: purple Speedline wheels with gold brake calipers and a full red leather interior. Not only is the interior unusual for the extent to which it is coated in red hides but also because the RSR was built for the track – and who orders red leather, carpeting and even a steering wheel in a track car? In this case, it didn’t matter since the RSR effectively is new with just delivery miles under its tires.
The dusty paint and remnants of factory-applied Cosmoline further highlight this RSR’s limited use. The full leather interior makes it rarer still, believed to be one of just two outfitted that way. The opportunity to buy an as-new RSR is simply unheard of, but what a challenge it will be not to drive it: the 3.8L flat-six puts out a conservative 350 b.h.p., a figure many experts hypothesize is closer to 375 b.h.p. due its sub-4 second sprint to 60. The RSR will sell for an impressive sum, no doubt, and is likely a car we’ll still be talking about 50 years from now.
Awesome car!
But I don’t have enough self control to not drive the snot out of it.
My race car has Red Leather? Okay!
This beauty is going to go for outrageous BIG money. Any way you can find out what it sells for?
The auction web site is estimating 2 million to 2.2 million Euros, $2-1/4 to $2-1/2 million dollars. On Sunday the 28th of May, the final price plus buyer’s commission will show at this site:
http://www.rmsothebys.com/ve17/villa-erba/lots/1993-porsche-911-carrera-rsr-38/1702736
Great car, incredible that somebody could just sit on this beautiful driving machine without getting it to the nearest track. Though I’d have to wear sunglasses to drive it, that’s a bright one!!
I’d think the engine seals would be leaking after 24 years of non use.
The engine seals or any other perishable rubber components will not be an issue when it is on display at some museum or even worse a private collection. The wrong way to store a car I know but isn’t only 6 miles on this crazy beast is wrong too. Drive it! And buy one of those pans to slide underneath.
A fool & his money……
I could think of a LOT of (better) ways to
spend over TWO MILLION DOLLARS on cars.
In the car business we’re always told to stop thinking about money like its coming out of our wallet. The buyer of this car will most likely live in a house 4 or 5 times the auction estimate. It’s a different perspective for a buyer like this.
Once after working on a very wealthy car dealership owner’s 4 million dollar motor coach ( I won’t mention the Hendrick name) he handed me a hundred dollar bill and told me to get myself some ice cream. I’m not sure he knew what ice cream costs or a gallon of milk or a candy bar for that matter. It was what I needed to make the mortgage payment that month. At least it’s still relatively free to looks the pictures.
I can’t think of another car I’d substitute for this one. 2.5 million? Who cares? I want it.
May I ask what is the deal with the paint? Was this beautiful car parked outside or covered with a tarp?
Jeff mentions in the write up that this car is still wearing its cosmolene or shipping wax as we used to call it. In that day ,every thing that could possibly be adversely affected by a salty atmosphere boat trip was liberally sprayed with this greasy waxy stuff. We used to spray these “boat shipped” cars with kerosene before pressure washing. The modern equivalent is called wrap guard. You’ll see the white plastic sheets applied to almost every new car on a hauler. US and Mexican manufacturers had huge problems with paint damage caused by railroad shipping iron dust.
What a load of horse excrement, why would anyone put Cosmoline on a newly painted vehicle?
They wouldn’t because it’s for unpainted surfaces. There would have been nothing on the paint other than paint, it’s not like this thing was being delivered by railcar. It went in an enclosed trailer to the buyers home. We should call it “RM Buyers Premium” wax.
In the 70’s I used to inspect toyota Celicas for damage as they rolled off the boat. Every one of them was completely covered in cosmolene. They do put it right on the paint.
The few japanese manufactured honda cars that the US gets still use a spray on paint protection except now it’s all earth friendly and floats off with soap and water. V dubs now come wrapped in a tyvek sack with little cellophane windows to look through. Maybe it’s a fake job but they all came with something on the paint.
You are each explaining coatings methods used on regular production vehicles that have to be transported a great distance in adverse conditions. This is a hand built special order model, it was sold before they built it and that buyer was in Europe (if not Germany) it was pampered in an enclosed trailer to get where it needed to go.
Still buying the Cosmoline story?
Forgive me for saying this but if I could I would buy it and enjoy it a little but keep up on maintenance very closely.
Odd: Buying it for big $$$ and driving 6 miles in almost a quarter century.
Very odd: Red everywhere, except where it’s gray.
Not odd….in fact very smart: Having RM Sotheby’s handle the sale, especially one in Europe.
Will turn out to be a good investment for the original buyer.
Yes, but I couldn’t have resisted the urge to drive is just a little. Just can’t imagine knowing it’s in the garage and looking at the keys and saying “No, can’t touch it.” Just couldn’t do it.
I searched for 1993 Porsche 911 RSR on Wikipidia and they say it doesn’t exist, so obviously this is a fake.
If the owner wants, they can leave it at my house and I won’t tell anybody.
Look under Porsche 964 911 rsr .
I’ve never bought a car with 0 miles on the clock when I first stepped in it.
The 6 miles must have been put on pre-delivery, and then this car must have been trailered from point to point .
Why is it that the better the car, the more likely it won’t be driven. Buy a great car and drive it or, restore it to Pebble Beach winning condition and don’t touch it. Makes no sense. Can you imagine having one hundred million in the bank and worrying about the resale value on your car. If I won the lottery I’d drive this like I stole it.
If I had this car, it’s because I DID steal it! It’s the only way I’d ever be able to get one.
This is a rare piece of history. It’s also art more than just “a car.” Those two things justify the price…and before you get all twisty’d up, Compared to a Picasso or a Warhol, this Porsche is CHEAP
I could never handle that color inside any car of mine. That’s just to much.
It does make your eyes bleed, doesn’t it?
Wow. I wish it were still the good old days when an old race car couldn’t be given away.
This thing is pretty over the top with the red leather. Wouldn’t hurt my eyes. And yes, I’d service it and put miles on it. It’d be a while before it was no longer low mileage.
love the 911, but too pricey for me.
Nick, you have changed your story, you first said; “they wouldn’t because it’s for unpainted surfaces”. You later state; “you are each explaining coatings methods used on production vehicles, ” etc. This car may not have required Cosmoline, but apparently it was used on painted vehicles.
I stand by that but also choose (out of respect) to believe what commenters say they have experience with first hand.
Some describe other element protection methods during transport. Cosmoline would have been on a WW2 Jeep, though still in use on a Celica in the 1970s? (when it took maybe 10 days to ship over) I’m quite skeptical though apparently there was some kind of goop on the cars.
On a custom built Porsche? No way in Hell. Did that change enough for you?
Wrong again.
I just want to know the history of the guy that bought it new, and what else does he have hiding away?!! That’s the real question.
SOLD $2.2 million