Porsche 911 RSR with 10km on the clock nabs a cool $2.25 million USD

29 May, 2017

Earlier in the month you may have seen reports floating around of an exceptionally rare Porsche 911 that had, for all intents and purposes, never been driven. The 1993 Carrera RSR 3.8 has just 10km on the clock and is exactly how it rolled off the production line — complete with 23 years of dust and grime.

Just one of 51 cars ever made, this particular example has been reported to of grabbed a cool $2.25 million at auction — yep, big boy dollars.

Adding to the rarity, it was one of the two to come with a fully trimmed interior, finished in red leather upholstery. The original owner requested that the car be painted in Polar Silver Metallic, with the wheels’ faces coated in Amethyst Metallic, while the calipers were to be gold for a contrast effect.

Although the body was adapted from the Turbo model, this 964-gen RSR has an RSR-specific naturally-aspirated engine. On paper it was good for 350hp through an upgraded five-speed box, but in reality it would make upwards of 375hp, and even more with a  few tweaks.

Boasting a 0-60mph of just 3.7 seconds back in ‘93, the RSR was officially quicker than the famed Ferrari F40, and while the original owner clearly never enjoyed that performance, we are left with an absolute original gem as a result.

We unsure on whether the new owner intends to drive their $2.25 million investment, although it would be good to see such a car freed from its 23 year prison sentence.


The motor car as an art form

We have certainly come a long way since the exhibition entitled 8 Automobiles, shown at the Museum of Modern Art in New York in the autumn of 1951, the first exhibition concerned with the aesthetics of motor car design.
It was here that the often-used term ‘rolling sculpture’ was coined by curator Philip C Johnson, director of the department of architecture and design, when he said, “An automobile is a familiar 20th century artefact, and is no less worthy of being judged for its visual appeal than a building or a chair. Automobiles are hollow, rolling sculptures, and their design refinements are fascinating. We have selected cars whose details and basic design suggest that automobiles, besides being America’s most useful objects, could be a source of visual experience more enjoyable than they now are.”

More to the point

This Daimler SP252 is so rare, few people know it exists. It’s one of a kind. It’s the only surviving, in fact the only SP252 ever completed; the would-be successor to the SP250 Daimler Dart. It is also the last sports car to have been designed by Jaguar’s legendary founder, Sir William Lyons.
Perhaps one of the original Dart’s biggest problems was it’s somewhat-divisive looks. It certainly went well enough to win fans, although Sir William wasn’t among them. It crushed the opposition in the Bathurst six-hour race, finishing five laps ahead of anyone else, and it was snapped up by police forces in Britain, Australia, and New Zealand, as it was the fastest thing on the road.
So you’d think a stunning new body with the magic Lyons touch would have been a surefire success. Why this car never made it into production is still something of a mystery, as the official explanations barely stack up.