This Ultra-Rare 1991 Carrera RS Is Worth As Much as a Brand-New 911 Turbo S

From Road & Track

The meteoric rise of air-cooled 911 prices brings up interesting questions for would-be Porsche buyers. A rare classic, like this 964 Carrera RS, cost around the same as a new, top-of-the-line Turbo S, but offers a very different 911 experience. So which would you choose?

Photo credit: Silverstone Auctions
Photo credit: Silverstone Auctions

The car featured here is a 1991 911 Carrera RS NGT, which was just about the most race-ready car Porsche sold in the early 1990s. It will be offered at the Silverstone Auctions Porsche Sale, with an estimated value between $175,000-$200,000. That puts it in the same ballpark as the current-gen Turbo S, which starts at $188,000.

Photo credit: Silverstone Auctions
Photo credit: Silverstone Auctions

This 964, finished in an amazing shade of Maritime Blue, is one of just 290 Carrera RSes ordered with the NGT package. The standard Carrera RS was already around 340 lbs lighter than the standard 911of the time; the NGT package cut further weight, deleting sound deadening and carpets, and adding in a roll cage and Nome racing seats.

Photo credit: Silverstone Auctions
Photo credit: Silverstone Auctions

The Carrera RS also got a hotter, 256-hp 3.6-liter flat six, a lighter flywheel, and a limited-slip differential. That's quite down on power compared to the 580 hp you get in a Turbo S, but the 964 RS has something the new car doesn't–a clutch pedal.

Photo credit: Silverstone Auctions
Photo credit: Silverstone Auctions

Really, though, there isn't much comparison between the two. The RS is a lightweight, old-school track car, while the new Turbo S is a lightning quick grand tourer. The only thing the RS and the Turbo S have in common is a name, rear-engine, and a price tag.

Photo credit: Silverstone Auctions
Photo credit: Silverstone Auctions

Me? I'm a luddite, so I'd have the Carrera RS if given the choice. In a perfect world, though, I'd take both.

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