Dusting off the iconic RS moniker which had last been seen on a production Porsche in 1973, the 964 very much deserves the designation. Standing for Rennsport, the letters RS have always guaranteed a very exciting Porsche driving experience, and in the case of the Rest of the World 964 RS, Porsche engineers put in plenty of work in to justify the use of the evocative nomenclature.
They used the classic hot-rodding formula: significant weight reduction, an upgraded driveline, and upgraded suspension and brakes and the changes were impressively comprehensive. It started with the bodyshell, which used seam welding and a strut tower bar to markedly improve the rigidity of the chassis. To reduce weight, many features were removed, including power steering, electric windows and seats, back seats, central locking, air conditioning, radio, and even interior lights. One-piece Recaro bucket seats replaced the standard seats, plainer door trims without storage pockets and armrests appeared, and an aluminum front deck lid, aluminum hubs, magnesium wheels, thinner glass, simplified wiring harness, and reduced sound insulation and undercoating further reduced weight. The result was a curb weight reduction by a remarkable 10%, to a total of 2700 pounds. A lighter flywheel and heavy duty clutch, together with revised engine management and stiffer engine mounts changed the character of the powertrain noticeably, while the transaxle itself benefitted from closer gear ratios, stronger synchromesh, and standard limited slip differential. The suspension was lowered and fitted with stiffer springs and dampers as well as revised roll bars, and the brakes were uprated with a front arrangement from the 911 Turbo and the rear setup from a 911 Cup Car racer.
The result of these changes is a massively transformed driving experience. The 911 is rightly revered as one of the best driver’s cars of all time, and the 964 RS, with its combination of old-school character and modern level of braking and grip sits at the perfect intersection of vintage and genuine face melting performance on a twisty road.
This particular example has fascinating history and an unusual specification which shows that it was clearly originally ordered by a very important Porsche customer. In addition to its Midnight blue metallic paintwork with color coded wheel centers, this car has been hit with the sonderwunsch (special wishes) stick inside. Leather trim covers all sorts of unusual places, including the turn signal stalks, gauge rings, dashboard switches, fuel door release knob (!), HVAC panel, sun visors, dashboard, door caps, defroster outlets, HVAC outlets, and even the rheostat twist knob for gauge brightness. Leather also covers the entire center console including the oddments tray, the trim under the handbrake, switch panel surrounds, and even the spoiler switch itself.
For decades, the car was owned by the Chairman of Samsung and for its importation to Korea, the car received partial US homologation equipment including speedometer in miles, fog lamps with bumperettes, airbags, lower dash pad with glovebox, and warning labels in Korean for the airbags and right side convex mirror. During its years in Korea, the car was serviced annually by the owner’s staff mechanic. In 2021, the car was returned to Germany where the dealer Mechatronik commissioned a substantial service by the Porsche Center in Stuttgart before selling it to an American owner who air-freighted the car to California. The car comes with service records describing the Porsche Center Stuttgart work performed in January 2023 just prior to delivery to the current owner. Also included are books, tool roll with tools, jack, and car cover.
