Who fathered the RSA? |
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There seem to be numerous differing theories regarding the origins of the RS America and why Porsche brought it over to the USA. Some claim it was purely a plan to import a lower price 911 to boost car sales that were flagging in the early nineties. I have even heard those who don't know what the car is, describe it as an entry-level “stripper” car, devoid of options to reduce factory costs [NOTE: the 964 C2 had 48 options whereas the RSA had only four]. While the reduced number of options did mean lower manufacturing expenses - which dovetailed nicely with the cost reduction efforts at the Porsche factory - in this article you will see that this was far from the primary rationale for its inception. |
Rumors & gossip. |
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Several years ago I attended a Porsche Club of America - San Diego Region Tech Session at Hoehn Porsche in Carlsbad CA in my RSA - I believe it was for the introduction of the 996 GT3. At the beginning of the evening we were introduced to some special guests from Porsche Cars North America, and I recall speaking to a senior marketing manager from PCNA (who shall remain nameless) who asked if the RSA parked by the entrance was mine. When I told him it was we talked for several minutes, during which time he told me that he was a significant part of the team at PCNA responsible for the RS America coming into being. He told me that the team which consisted of him, Vic Elford, and a German guy working at Porsche Cars North America, gave the pitch to Porsche AG in Germany and as a direct result, the car was introduced here in the USA. He said the rationale that he and the PCNA team used with Porsche AG was that the rest of the world got the performance based 964 Carrera RS with thinner glass, less interior frills, wind up windows, an additional 10 bhp etc. and that there was definitely a demand for such a car in the US market. |
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A few years later I was reading the first edition of Vic Elford's Porsche High Performance Driving handbook when I noticed that on Page 61 there was a seemingly out of context factory publicity shot of the RS America at speed, with a caption by Vic which read as follows |
PORSCHE High Performance driving handbook - (referred to by many driving Instructors as “The Gospel according to Saint Vic.”). |
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1968 - Daytona - Porsche clean sweep! After 24 hours of racing, three factory 907's cross the finish line side-by-side. The race winner was the number 54 car of Vic Elford and Jochen Neerspach. Car number 52 driven by Jo Siffert and Hans Herrmann finished second with car number 51 of Jo Schlesser & Joe Buzzetta third. |
2004 - Rennsport Reunion II event poster. |
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I contacted Vic and we decided that as we were both going to be at PCA's 50th Parade in Hershey PA, we would try and set aside some time to discuss his involvement in the creation of the RSA. We did indeed meet in Hershey, but when we did it was all too brief because due to him being the guest speaker his schedule was very busy there wasn't really time to sit and do an interview. I was beginning to wonder if my interview with Vic was not meant to happen!! |
So who exactly is this Elford guy? |
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The majority of true Porsche fans know the company's racing history and are fully aware of exactly who this man is ...... what with us all being “chronologically gifted” (i.e. wrinklies), the following then is for the few neophyte Porsche fans who are either too young to know much about this great man, or may have been living in a cave for the past few decades, or people with no interest in true sports cars (people like Corvette owners). |
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“A man whose racing career reads like a Hollywood script” |
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The above quote has been used to describe Vic Elford ........ and rightly so. |
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Vic was one of the fastest drivers of the Sixties and Seventies... and without doubt a Porsche hero. Nicknamed “QUICK VIC” by his peers, this legendary driver could arguably have been nicknamed “VERSATILE VIC” when you consider the variety of cars and driving events in which he successfully competed. To this day he is heralded by many as one of the most versatile drivers of all time. |
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For example, Vic's 1968 season began with his win in the prestigious Monte Carlo Rally - a feat which for many competitive drivers would be a lifetime achievement in and of itself, Vic followed it with a win the next weekend in the legendary Daytona 24 Hours. A month later he was second at Sebring, then in May scored an epic victory at the Targa Florio. This particular victory came after he lost 18 minutes on the first lap due to wheel trouble and is considered to be the greatest win in Targa history. Two weeks later Vic won the Nürburgring 1000 Kilometers. Then in his first F1 race in July, Vic took a badly out-classed Cooper T86B to a stunning fourth-place finish in the soaking-wet French Grand Prix. |
available from www.VicElford.com |
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Seated in the Gulf Porsche 908/3 he raced
at the Nürburgring 1000 kms in 1971. |
“Recognized for his courage & heroism”During the 24 hours of Le Mans, when a Ferrari crashed in front of him, Vic stopped in mid-race to extricate the driver from his burning car.......... TV cameras caught the action and Vic was named Chevalier de l'Ordre National du Mérite by French President Georges Pompidou for his act of courage and heroism. |
So what's the REAL “Origin of the RS America” story? |
The first thing that strikes you about Vic Elford is how relaxed and open he is. He seems comfortable in pretty much any situation and happy to talk to anyone about almost anything. We were drinking a beer in the Barefoot Bar on Paradise Point resort in San Diego's Mission Bay in January '09, it was 70 degrees outside with clear blue skies and a few white fluffy clouds but Vic wore a sport coat. He smiled and told me that after living in Florida as long as he has, anything below 80 degrees starts to feel “a bit nippy”. |
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Vic E: On returning to work, I sent a memo to Brian Bowler then President of PCNA explaining the grass-roots feedback I had received from the driving school. The response was to ask me to put together a proposal for this “no-frills” US market 911. So, starting with a clean sheet, I drew up a specification for the new car. I decided to eliminate many of the then standard options such as electric sunroof, electric windows, electric mirrors, electrically deployed rear spoiler, air conditioning/climate control, leather trim covering everything, top of the line stereo system etc. and focus more on performance enhancements. |
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I included the larger 17” diameter wheels earmarked for the new 965 Turbo, along with the stiffer springs and swaybars that made up the M030 performance package including the fixed whaletail, plus I deleted the power steering system to significantly improve feedback to the driver. |
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To reduce weight I eliminated the heavy motors required to power the deleted electrical items, and also removed the unnecessary rear seats. I worked in conjunction with Hartmut Kristen who although he was director of Marketing at the time was actually much more of an engineer than a marketing guy and in fact is now Director of Racing for Porsche in Germany, and we fine tuned the details of my proposal. Once the initial specification was complete I sent it back to Brian Bowler who in turn forwarded the proposal to Porsche AG in Germany. |
Book signing at PCA Parade 2006 - Portland OR. |
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During the general meeting held in an amphitheater in the Hyatt hotel in Miami, after Porsche CEO Wendelin Wiedeking had given his “State of the Union” address, Brian Bowler presented the proposal for the new car as a US market version of the performance oriented 964 Carrera RS. The proposal generated a lot of interest and received a lot of support. As a result it was decided to go ahead with the introduction of the model which was to be named the RS America.
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KeithV and the Legendary Vic Elford -Honored guest and featured speaker at PCA San Diego Region Charity Banquet Jan 2009 |