The 320 bhp Rennsport Porsche 911 ST

(soft music) - The air-cooled 911 is a revered piece of industrial design. It is the most adored sports car on the planet. But when it comes to restorations, Porsche fans tend to divide into two camps. On one side are the purists who believe that 911s should remain perfect time capsules. And then there are the others, like Rennsport, who prefer to choose from Porsche's greatest hits to build you the car you really want. (car engine roar) - Rennsport, of course, is best known for its RS and RSR tribute cars, that 1973 homologation special, with its ducktail rear spoiler and deep-chinned front air intake.

But for the latest version, Paul Cockell and his team have decided to celebrate a much rarer and lesser known racing special, the 1971 2.3-liter 911 ST. After experiencing the Rennsport 911 ST in some of these glorious Cotswolds roads. I wanted to talk to Paul Cockell a little more about the build. Why the ST then? Why have you gone back a couple of years? - We have built many RS and RSR cars over the years. We are approaching our 100th car. And there are quite a few that we have done. And the ST, I feel like it has a more organic shape.

And I think it's smoother, cleaner. There is a fashion that is also transmitted to cars. One moment everyone wants ducktails and the next they want flat trunk lids. It maintains the beautiful appearance of the first 911, but has then been strengthened a little more. - So this started out as an '88 car, right? - Yes, it's an 88, 3.2 Carrera G50. So it is the last of the suitable torsion bar cars. - I guess it's not 3.2 now. - So, high compression 3.4 engine with different cams, different valves and also runs a full throttle body system. so it is completely programmable.

It has up to 320 horsepower. - Wow. - And the standard 230. - And as for the suspension, it is not the same. It seems to ride a lot longer, like a race car on the shorter side. - I've set it up for predominantly track use, although it's a bit rough on the road, but we do have some big hollow torsion bars. We have rose joints. We have phosphor bronze bushings instead of rubber bushings. - You managed to put bigger brakes behind those Fuchs. - We now have large six-part front and four-part rear aluminum calipers, which barely fit under the 16-inch wheels. - So the characteristic of an ST, of course, is the widest track allowed by the FIA ​​in 1970, so I think some manufacturers went a little crazy with widened arch racing cars. - Large bubble arches. - Large bubble arches on Fords and Beemers.

So they could get to an eight-inch wheel under the rear. - We can get up to nine inches in the rear, the tires were high profile and large. Although they resorted to low profiles, there was still a big, beefy profile. So you could fit a nine-inch wheel under the rear. Whereas today we managed to fit a 10-inch wheel under the rear with a lower profile tire. And then the nines in front would have had sevens or eights in front. -What I've seen, some original STs that had mismatched wheels, Fuch didn't make a big enough wheel for the rear when they first produced the race car, is that correct? - No, that's correct.

Minilite did it, you'll see a lot of the old rally cars and a lot of replicas of them will have the Minilites in the back and the Fuch in the front. - Didn't you feel like not combining it? - I personally don't like it. And I'm not really that worried about it being as authentic as an ST. - No. - It's my own version. - You have carefully chosen the parts that you really like. There are things like the '69 taillights. - 911 R. - Yes. Yes, I didn't want to build a car that was an exact replica of an old race car or an old rally car.

It is not just another recreational car. I know many of them are my favorite parts of the 911, which I think suit the car. Not in the period before, right for that exact year, you know, but that's how I wanted it. - It's all the little characteristic touches, I mean, this is a Rennsport. Touches I always associated with your builds and these perforated handles. That's what they did that time, right? When they were preparing cars for racing, I mean, there was one extremely light car that I think they drilled everything into. So that's in line, really with an ST. - It is in line, there is a lot of work making them because all the holes are tapered.

It's not just a straight cut hole. So it hasn't been done just to save weight. It is also done for aesthetics. - It has some luxuries and toys that make it much more usable. As a daily driver, you get a sunroof. Now, some people might say that doesn't quite fit a motorsports special, but I think there is at least one example that has a sunroof. - I think there were some built for private owners, who did not compete with them. - No. - And they're the ones who are probably worth a lot of money. Now, you know, as many as those that have raced in history, because they have never crashed or broken down.

Sunroofs there, because the donor car had a sunroof, and it's nice to have. It's a small car inside. - By the way, I love the color. I think it suits a 70s car perfectly, absolutely. I would have chosen this exact color but I know this was supposed to be a track focused car but I think the spotlights are still my favorite feature, I think they really highlight it, not that I need them of course. Of course, because it has LED lights, but you don't see headlights on cars anymore, right? - It's that kind of MkI Escort from the 70s, right?

With a great Cibies rally in front. It's just that little running boy. - As men of a certain age, I think we appreciate that. - I think my favorite part of the car is the actual shape, you know, its rounded shape. And I think that's why what we're doing with these right now will be quite successful. We already have four under construction at the moment. Because customers have seen this, but it's obviously not their favorite color choice. So they are building similar ones. We make them all in a vintage Porsche color. If it's not a vintage Porsche color, it'll be a color they probably would have made back then. (upbeat music) (car engine roar) - Just two years after its launch, the 911 was already dominating the European Rally Championship, winning the title in '66, '67 and '68.

But on the track, Porsche was struggling to find a setup that was consistently competitive in the GT sports car class, against BMW and Alfa Romeo. That's why, before the 1970 season, Porsche motorsports experts came up with the T package. Now, this was a performance kit for the most popular model in its line. 180 brake horsepower, 911 S. So, to bring the car up to ST specifications, the ashtray, stereos and carpets were all removed to reduce the weight of the car to the lowest possible weight for homologation of the FIA. Aluminum bumpers, even aluminum doors, plexiglass and thinner gauge steel were used in a relentless pursuit of lightness.

In fact, one of the cars prepared for the Tour De France automobile race in 1970. The scale weighs just 789 kilos. Although Porsche had set its sights on circuit racing, at least three factory STs were prepared for rallying. In fact, they won the Monte Carlo Rally in 1970, taking first, second and fourth place. But perhaps the best moment came in June 1970, when Ecurie Luxembourg's 911 ST won its class and came seventh overall, just behind the camera car, the Porsche 908, which was being used by Steve McQueen to film his movie. Records are a bit sketchy, but Porsche themselves estimate that about 24 racing STs were produced in 1970 and 1971.

In 1972, the ST had thicker rear tires and a chin spoiler. And finally that 2.5 liter engine. And that, of course, paved the way for the legendary RS of 1973, but it's the 1971 car with its clean lines and rounded rear end. May this Rennsport car also pay tribute to him. It was never an official production model, but was adapted to customer specifications. So there's a 911 outlaw smell to this ST that I quite like. (Car's engine roars) I already drove the previous demo of this, which was an RSR tribute car, but it was a touring version and an interpretation of a road version, if Porsche had ever built one.

But this thing is Paul's toy and he built it with the track in mind, so it drives completely different. It's a completely different animal. It is wonderfully balanced, responds very well and sounds incredible. The gearbox is wonderfully precise. They've managed to capture the essence of the ST, especially with the exterior styling cues, but have made it drivable. They have made it a pleasure. You don't have to hang around like you would have in 1969. What can I say? I think that soundtrack says it all. (Car's engine roars) So, if you're in the market for a restored air-cooled 911 and aren't sure which side to join with the reverent 911 purists or restorers like Rennsport, it's worth remembering that more than 70 years ago , Dr.

Ferdinand Porsche himself famously said: I couldn't find the sports car of my dreams, so I decided to build it myself. Commissioning Rennsport to build a bespoke classic that benefits from 50 years of hindsight and technical innovation means you can now own a 1970s 911. It's as wonderful to drive as it is to look at. (soft music)