Porsche 993 Carrera RS

The vehicle in detail

The “Carrera RS” term clearly originates from 1972 and the launch of the Iconic 2.7 RS, the success of which would later go on to form the starting point for a number of driver-focussed ultimate 911 models. Despite the success of the original, Porsche was not to introduce another RS to the market for another 18 years until, in 1991, it created Type 964 RS of which 2,282 examples were produced. Later in 1995 the 993 RS (the last air-cooled RS) was released of which 1,014 were sold worldwide, plus 227 that were built to the highly sought-after Clubsport specification. All RS models are highly sought after but arguably after the original Carrera RS, the 993 RS being the last air-cooled RS and more recently the 997 RS 4.0 (the last manual RS with a manual gearbox) are in the highest demand.

The 993 RS like all RS models featured a significant change from the Carrera and Carrera S models and was the street version of the 993 Cup car. The RS utilised an enlarged 3.8 Litre motor which in the RS produced an impressive 300 BHP. The 993 RS was the first Porsche to have a variable intake manifold system called Varioram. At low rpm, the longer induction tract is good for the torque and at 5100 rpm the vacuum-operated sliding sleeves in the induction manifold shorten the intake-runner length for better high rpm output. The Varioram was added in order to make the car more enjoyable for everyday driving, so the driver wouldn’t have to keep revs up all the time. The bodywork featured a weight-saving aluminium front bonnet, and the drive train featured a limited-slip differential with 40% locking value under load and 65% under deceleration. The shock absorbers are fully adjustable, as is the suspension ride height.