Porsche 911 Carrera RS (964 Model)

It’s been about three and a half years since the air-cooled Porsche 911 (964 model) Carrera 2 came to our home.

Captivated by the analog feel that modern Porsches no longer have, and the handling that directly reflects driving skill, I still find the 964 endlessly fresh and enjoyable to drive.

It’s a car that’s fun even without pushing it hard, enjoyable at any speed or situation—from city streets to winding roads and highways.

This time, I had the opportunity to test drive the high-performance 964 Carrera RS.

The 964 RS is the road version produced to homologate the Carrera CUP model as an official FISA GT category race car.

It’s a model similar to today’s GT3, designed with circuit driving in mind. According to period documents, only 250 units were sold domestically, with a total production of 2,398 cars.

This RS, however, is a very rare “Touring” model equipped with comfort features like air conditioning and power windows, unlike the standard RS base model. The base RS omits rear seats, air conditioning, power steering, audio, and simplifies trims, while also fitting lightweight magnesium alloy wheels and flywheel.

As a result, the base RS is about 120 kg lighter.

Since it’s Touring, it has an air conditioning compressor like a regular Carrera

The engine is the very same M64/03 from the Cup car. While power is about 5 ps lower than the Cup car due to exhaust and air filter differences, it produces 260 ps, 10 ps more than the standard Carrera 2.

Though the numbers seem modest, the engine also benefits from unseen tuning like balancing.

Ride Comfort and Suspension Impressions

I immediately got in the driver’s seat and started the engine. The startup feel is not much different from the standard Carrera 2.

Normally, the RS Touring clutch flywheel is a dual-mass type, unlike the single-mass in the base RS. However, this particular car has been fitted with a single-mass flywheel, boasting incredible engine response.

A light blip of the throttle makes the tach needle jump wildly. Yet, despite such an engine, the car smoothly moves off even when engaging the clutch almost at idle—a testament to Porsche’s engine finesse.

Once moving, the ride comfort is better than expected.

I had heard two opinions about the 964 RS: one that it’s a very harsh car to ride in, and another that it’s fairly firm but still comfortable enough to drive normally, with better ride comfort than typical RS models.

From my experience, I agree with the latter.

The RS originally comes with magnesium wheels, but the owner keeps those stored and uses Fuchs wheels instead.

Though this is an RS Touring, it shares the same suspension as the base RS, and recently this car underwent a full suspension refresh with genuine parts, so the ride is close to brand-new condition.

I suspect the harsh ride opinions come from experiences with modified cars or those with some suspension wear.

Handling and Power Feel

Entering corners, the front end naturally feels sharper and grip and stability are clearly improved over the Carrera 2. However, there’s hardly any harshness or difficulty in handling the suspension. The car leans just slightly, making it easy to feel the load and very reassuring.

Compared to the ’73 Carrera RS or modern GT3s I’ve driven, this one feels milder in character.

Interestingly, the shift lever is about 28 mm longer than the standard Carrera’s, using the same components as the Cup car. The shifting feel is more positive and very satisfying.

However, the engine’s razor-sharp response makes rev-matching on downshifts a bit tricky until you get used to it. If you blip the throttle as usual, the revs shoot up quickly and don’t match.

After a few tries, I got the hang of rev-matching, and when flooring the throttle on straights, the power is clearly stronger than the Carrera.

To me, the 10 ps difference doesn’t feel accurate. Of course, weight plays a role, but it feels more like an engine with 30 ps more than the standard Carrera.

With a thrilling air-cooled soundtrack, it powers through uphill corners and remains stable on straights. Even on rough, undulating roads, the steering isn’t overly affected, which is impressive for a suspension lowered by 40 mm compared to stock.

Close to the Positioning of GTS or Spider?

The 964 Carrera RS is a very versatile car. Given the RS badge, I expected a race-car-like harshness, but it’s not that extreme.

Still, it’s clearly more athletic than the Carrera 2. It feels somewhat like today’s GTS, Spider, or GT4 models.

The fact that this RS is the “Touring” version is a big reason for that impression.

Nowadays, prices have soared, and it’s no longer a car you can easily take on a casual touring trip. Still, I’d love to spend a weekend driving this car on the Autobahn and carving through the finest winding roads.