Car of the Week: This Rare 1973 Porsche 911 Carrera Is a Collectible That Checks Every Box
While the 1973 Porsche 911 Carrera RS 2.7 steals the limelight in the early 911 pageant, its immediate successor is a car to be coveted as well. The year 1974 introduced the new G-series body, which included revised “impact” bumpers, a shorter hood, and other upgrades. Conspicuously, the original front and rear ends, with which the 911 was born, were replaced by a bulkier design that continued through 1989, when the 964 series took over. Enter the exceptionally rare Carrera 2.7 MFI (mechanical fuel injection) specification.
The Carrera model was noticeable because of fenders widened to accommodate larger Fuchs wheels. Yet what mattered most, perhaps, was going on under the ducktail engine lid. There, the 2.4-liter flat-six used in the T, E, and S models was enlarged to 2.7 liters, seen for the first time in the competition-based RS of the previous year.
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Developed with 210 hp and equipped with Bosch mechanical fuel injection, it was also machina non grata in the U.S. market, whose draconian emissions regulations conspired to strangle many European performance models—especially cars like the Carrera MFI. The fact is, the Carrera was an uncommon sight in its home market as well. With only 1,633 examples produced, it was nearly as rare as the 1973 RS 2.7, of which 1,508 units were built.
On December 8, RM Sotheby’s will present a particularly desirable Carrera 2.7 MFI variant in an auction hosted at Sotheby’s global New York headquarters during its December Luxury Week sale series. Chassis No. 9114600478 is one of just a handful of examples originally finished in the factory’s Gulf livery, with an interior featuring Midnight Leatherette sport seats with Shetland-tweed inlays.
Importantly for the Porsche faithful, this example retains its original 2.7-liter mechanically fuel-injected flat-six engine, no. 6640673. An Italian-market example, the car was sold new in Verona, Italy, and equipped from the factory with the optional limited-slip differential and Dunlop Sport tires. The accompanying Italian libretto registration book shows the car going to Luxembourg in 2014. It subsequently went to a Belgian collector, and finally to the consignor in 2021.
Extensive documentation includes the original vehicle order form, the Porsche Certificate of Authenticity, the Porsche Production Specification report, an assortment of tools, reproduction manuals, and literature. This Gulf Blue, ducktail dream is offered without reserve, but is expected to fetch up to $400,000.
Click here for more photos of this 1974 Porsche 911 Carrera 2.7 MFI.
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