lord alexander hesketh's 911 3.0 rs
Every so often we are privileged to get a car in for some work that is truly special. This is one such example. Please see the bottom of the page for a full up to date project progress.
Following the outstanding success of the 1973 Carrera RS 2.7 and RSR 2.8, Porsche needed to improve their performance in sports car racing, particularly at Le Mans. Their now infamous 1974 Carrera RSR 3.0 was both the solution and the pinnacle of development of the car, complete with more power, 11J and 14J wide wheels and tyres, wider wheel arches, a wider front air dam and air intake and an enormous rear wing.
Alongside this Group 4 racing RSR, Porsche also built a small batch of de-tuned versions for road use, the RS 3.0, with 8J and 9J wheels and more manageable wheel arches and engine spec. Over 100 were made, a mix of RS and RSR, enabling homologation of the 3.0 RS into Group 3, where it was an equally potent weapon.
With just over 50 of the RS road version built, only 6 of these were in right hand drive, one going straight to Australia and remaining there and the other 5 finding well known British owners, non more well known than Lord Alexander Hesketh. Supplied new on the 18th June 1974 to Lord Hesketh, the owner of Hesketh Grand-Prix in Easton-Neston in Northamptonshire, this famous yellow car was used by the team owner on a regular basis and also driven regularly by ex-world-champion the late James Hunt.
Chassis number 99 remains in remarkable condition to this very day retaining its original engine and gearbox and carrying the patina of a 35 year old car that has always been looked after and cared for throughout its life, covering a modest 30,000 miles from new.It is a privilege for us to work on such an outstanding and rare car with such an exciting and exceptional background. It was certainly seen in all the European Formula 1 paddocks around Europe with the Hesketh Grand-Prix team enjoying the rarity and excitement of such an amazing road car.
The aim, now the car is here at Autofarm, is to carry out a detailed strip down and re-paint to restore the original glory of a bright yellow RS.
The car has now been sold to a private buyer.
