The 964 RS America is an enigmatic part of Porsche’s history. Americans weren’t exactly suffering from an over abundance of money in the early 1990s, and Porsche Cars North America was suffering as a result. Prices of Porsche cars increased dramatically as the US Dollar weakened, and Porsche needed a way to get lower-priced cars into dealer showrooms to draw folks back in. The bargain basement Porsche of the day was the 964 RS America, which stripped a bunch of expensive standard features from the Carrera 2, and dropped the price nearly $10,000.
These days RS America models regularly trade hands for around twice what a standard Carrera 2 can fetch. What is it about this car, what was once the least expensive 911 on the market, that calls out the big buyers? Well, for starters, only 701 examples were sold. The car came from the factory without leather seating, power steering, rear seats, or a speed-activated rear wing. It was a little bit lighter than a Carrera 2, but less than 100 pounds differentiated the two. The manual steering rack provided slightly more feedback to the driver, but I’ve never known a Carrera 2 to be a particularly numb experience to begin with. But it doesn’t have any more power or higher revving engine or any of that. So it pretty much boils down to rarity.
This video below gives us a look at what the contemporary Motorweek program thought of the RS America in-period. They stuck Brian Redman behind the wheel and let him loose at Roebling Road in Savannah, Georgia, which is always good for a few laughs. Brian seemed to have liked the experience, and the review team decided that the loss of standard equipment was a fair trade for the low down price. Back in 1993 the less-than-Carrera-2 price made a lot of sense. Today, the double-a-Carrera-2 price seems absurd.
What do you think? Does the RS name on this car inspire envy in your heart, or are you fine with a bog standard Carrera 2?