For Sale: 1973 Sebring 12-Hour Winning Porsche 911 2.8 RSR

Images via William I’Anson Ltd.

Porsche’s 911 2.8 RSR is an icon of sportscar racing. This ex-Brumos 1973 Sebring 12-Hour winner is special even in that company, and it’s up for sale at William I’Anson Ltd.

In the early ’70s Peter Gregg and his Brumos Racing team were at the cutting edge of Porsche motorsport performance. Porsche knew this, so in 1973 they assigned Brumos one of their works prototype 2.8 RSR entries in the season-opening Daydona 24 Hours.

Brumos pulled the car apart and put it back together again the way they liked it, and went to Daytona.

When they got there, the 911 Carrera RS had not yet been approved for the Group 4 GT class by the FIA, so they ended up racing in the Prototype class with some very serious machinery. That didn’t seem to phase them much, because at the end of the race the Brumos car, with Peter Gregg and Hurley Haywood driving, were well out in front and took the overall win.

With that success under their belts Porsche took the car back to their factory in Zuffenhausen for debriefing and further development, leaving Gregg and the Brumos Racing team waiting for a replacement.

They were still waiting when they went to the Sebring 12 Hours a few months later for pre-race testing. When they got there they found this car, 911.360.0705, waiting with Dave Helmick, who had taken delivery a few days earlier. Gregg approached Helmick to talk about himself and Hurley Haywood racing it in the 12 Hours, and struck a deal where they’d provide full support from the Brumos team and a driving stint in the race in exchange for a loan of the car.

They set to work, quickly doing what preparation and modifications they could to the car in the lead-up to the race.

Work done, Greg, Haywood and Helmick put the car in 4th for the start of the race. They ran smoothly, with Haywood and Greg doing most of the driving and Helmick taking his agreed stint. And at the end, they were able to take the outright win.

Helmick would then campaign the car in the IMSA Camel GT series through 1973 and ’74. Later in 1974 he sold it to Albert Naon, who would take it to the season closer at Daytona in a later 3.0 RSR wide body specification.

1976 saw the car sold to American collector Dr. Bill Jackson, who preserved it as it had last raced and kept it all the way through until 1991. It then passed through Heritage Motors of Hollywood before David Mohlman bought it in 2001.

At this point the car had been unused since 1976 and was in a ‘Pink Pig’ livery and 3.0 RSR spec, so Mohlman commissioned Kevin Jeanette of Gunnar Racing to restore it back to its Sebring 12 Hours-winning form.

That restoration process was thoroughly documented and brought the car back to an immaculate state with each part refinished.

In 2004, 0705’s current owner took custody of it and brought it into the United Kingdom. He has since invested a great deal of energy into researching the car and refining details to bring it as close as possible to its period state.

Its period-correct 911/72 engine and gearbox received rebuilds from Neil Bainbridge of BS Motorsport, who uncovered details like its RSR magnesium crankcase, factory polished and lightened con-rods, original solid rockers, RSR cams and central camshaft oil feeds. With the rebuild complete to its original factory specifications the motor puts out 285 horsepower.

0705 then received modifications to its wheel arches by Bruce Cooper of Sportwagen to match the original 2.8 RSR profile.

The car’s since run in the Goodwood Festival of Speed twice, including in the 60th Anniversary of Porsche celebrations in 2008 and 50th Anniversary of the 911 in 2013. It was shown at the Amelia Island Concours d’Elegance as well as the Salon Prive Concours and the Hedingham Classics.

On the 40th anniversary of its win at Sebring it was displayed in the Sebring 12 Hours Hall of Fame and reunited with Hurley Haywood, who took it for a few laps.

Presented in its original Sebring 12-Hour specification with exceptionally original componentry, this historic Porsche is in awesome shape and, most importantly, would be a lot of fun for anyone brave enough to hit the track with it. It’s up for sale at William I’Anson Ltd and you can get more info at their official website here.

Images via William I’Anson Ltd.