You gotta Röhrl with it

This very early Porsche 911 2-litre might appear relatively ordinary at first glance. And it was, until 30 years into its life when the then-owner had it converted to race specification by top Porsche engineers Oliver Bienert and Manfred Rugen – under the watchful gaze of none other than rallying legend and erstwhile Porsche test driver Walter Röhrl.

Built to perform with an eye on rallying, the car was extensively lightened and its air-cooled flat-six engine duly uprated to produce some 195bhp (which is around the same as the original 3-litre units used in the far heavier Porsche 911 SC).

With Recaro seats and a rollcage fitted, the car was issued with FIA historic competition papers in 1996 – and Röhrl promptly put them to good use with a drive in that year’s Bavaria Rallye Historic.

The car subsequently passed through various owners until, in 2013, its somewhat fiery engine set-up was softened by former Porsche Motorsport engineer Matthias Hoeing who substituted the ‘hot’ cams for standard 911 S components in order to increase its tractability.

Later, between 2020 and 2022, Hoeing fully rebuilt the engine to ‘fast road’ configuration using new pistons, cylinders and CNC-ported heads with fresh guides, seats and springs. The picture was completed with Solex 40 PI carburettors, a performance intake manifold and a Schäfer exhaust, all resulting in a decidedly punchy, free-revving engine that now makes the car suitable for a wider range of uses on both road and track.

Whoever buys this nifty coupé will get an impressive wad of invoices dating to the 1990s, various expired FIA papers, a copy of the factory Kardex sheet – and even an identical scale model to remind them of what their pride and joy looks like while it’s tucked up in the garage.

1965 Porsche 911

On sale with RM Sotheby’s, Shift Online: Europe and Middle East, April 23-28. Estimate: £85,000-£125,000. rmsothebys.com