In October 1973, twelve of the top drivers in the world were invited to compete in IROC, the International Race of Champions, an event penned by the legendary Roger Penske. The drivers were selected from the four major racing series at the time, Formula One, NASCAR, SCCA, and USAC, and included names such as Mark Donohue, George Follmer, A.J. Foyt, Richard Petty, and Bobby Unser. All were to drive the same car, as the goal of the event was to reduce variables such as the vehicle and its modifications and to put emphasis on the skill and race strategies for the drivers. Penske’s vehicle of choice was the Porsche 911 RSR.
Based on the RS 3.0 road car, the RSR had a wide body that allowed for Fuchs wheels shod in fat tires and a large, fiberglass whaletail instead of the ducktail seen on the stock models. The 3.0-liter engine was tweaked to deliver 315 horsepower instead of 231, but the standard five-speed transmission was preferred to the close-ratio units used on the racing versions. Only 15 were built and unleashed in a series of four races held at Riverside Raceway and Daytona Speedway in 1973 and 1974. The championship was won by Mark Donohue, who scored a $54,000 prize, the equivalent of nearly $300,000 today.
Most IROC-spec Porsches were sold following their service in the IROC series, including this bright yellow example that has spent its recent years in Jerry Seinfeld’s collection. A fervent collector of Porsche-badged vehicles, the actor has decided to part with this rare IROC racer, which will be auctioned at the Amelia Island Auction by Gooding & Company on March 11th, 2016.
The race car once driven by Peter Revson and George Follmer is part of a lot that also includes a 1955 550 Spyder and a 1958 356A GS/GT Carrera Speedster, also owned by Seinfeld. The RSR is estimated to fetch in excess of $1 million, but we’ll be back with the actual figure as soon as the hammer drops.
Note: All images copyright and courtesy of Gooding & Company
Continue reading to learn more about the 1974 Porsche 911 Carrera 3.0 IROC RSR.
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