Leh Keen Thrashes A Screaming 993 RSR Around Daytona

I might be the odd man out here, but until I watched this footage, I always felt the 991 GT3 RS had the most glorious exhaust note in the entire 911 family. I was wrong.

This sonorous 993 RSR is piloted by none other than Leh Keen, whose exploits are well known here. The lanky ace dons his red and white helmet before stuffing himself into this RSR, built and run by Alex Job Racing. At 6’5″, Keen hardly fits inside and keeps hitting the dash with his knees, but still rev-matches with surgical precision and puts just enough energy into his inputs to make the car dance around Daytona.

His typically exuberant style is more measured in this footage, probably because cars like it are going for a pretty penny (or pound). Still, he hurls the car into the fast kink approaching Turn 4 (0:38) with total confidence. However, just as impressive is the way he treats the car with tons of respect; feeding the steering in gently and picking up the throttle at just the right moments. There are few demonstrations of confidence and composure behind the wheel like that high-speed pitch. Any racer worth their salt can’t help but tip their hat to this great display of talent.

Technical Information on the 993 RSR

The RSR was modified to an outrageous extent in the footwork department with two-way adjustable Bilstein shocks, fully ball-jointed suspension, a driver-adjustable front rollbar, and larger 380-mm endurance front brakes. Bodywork included a special front spoiler, an adjustable rear wing, fender flares, full welded Matter roll cage, an alloy bonnet, and a front strut brace.

That incredible noise comes from an M64/75 Type 3.8 RSR engine fitted with a stronger, lighter valvetrain; high-lift cams; and special pistons and barrels. All of this, plus revised inlet plenum and exhaust manifolds, amounted to roughly 350 horsepower. This power was sent to a single-mass flywheel, then onto to a unique six-speed Type G50/34 manual transmission. With every aspect of the powertrain addressed, this engine provided world-class sound and acceleration.