The R7 is one of the most iconic Porsche 911 racers ever built.
The stunning Porsche above is a silver 1973 Porsche Carrera RSR, one of the best race cars of the era, and might be the world’s most expensive 911 ever sold. Unfortunately, it was listed as a private sale, so the going price was not publicly disclosed, but Bonhams Auction House has confirmed the car has been sold. If rumors are to be believed, it could have fetched between $4.7 and $7.2 million, based on current exchange rates. If the latter is true, the RSR could now hold the crown of the world’s most expensive 911, effectively beating the 1998 Porsche 911 GT1 Strassenversion that sold for $5 million in 2017.
Dubbed the R7, it is believed to be one of three surviving RSRs today, the same 911 that earned fourth place at the 1973 24-Hour Le Mans, just behind three dedicated open-cockpit prototypes: Mantra-Simca (1st & 3rd), and Ferrari (2nd). Not to mention that literal legends have sat in its cockpit, including Herbie Mueller and Gijs van Lennep – impressive track sheet, indeed.
The R7 later participated in the 621-mile-long Osterreichring race and the Watkins Glen Six-Hour Race in New York the same year. In 1974, it also participated in the endurance race at the Circuit de la Sarthe but never finished due to ignition problems. It was then sold to Hector Rebaque in Mexico, who’d eventually sell it to an Italian car collector, where the 911 collected dust for about 30 years.
In 2009, the 911 Carrera RSR was sent to Paris to be restored and sold again to an American collector, where it battled in court over its identity (someone else was claiming to be the owner of the “real” R7). It took a few years but Porsche engineer/team manager Norbert Singer finally helped confirm it was the real deal.
Needless to say, whoever managed to seal the sale is one happy purist, now owning one of the most iconic 911s of all time, and in all likelihood, probably the most expensive one too.
Gallery: 1973 Porsche 911 Carrera RSR
