226-Mile 1974 Porsche 911 Carrera RSR IROC Belonged to Pablo Escobar
This Porsche has seen some…stuff. The lovely yellow 1974 Porsche 911 Carrera 3.0 RSR IROC has quite a sordid history with an owner like Pablo Escobar, but it is not its fault! This Sahara Beige beauty has only had a few owners but has raced enough to win many awards.
This 1974 Porsche 911 Carrera 3.0 RSR IROC has lived a good life
Collecting Cars has this infamous 911 listing. During its formative year, this Porsche 911 Carrera was first owned by Roger Penske. Penske is the CEO of Penske Corporation, which holds a ton of companies within that umbrella. After Penske, John Tunstall raced the 911 at various IMSA races like the 24 Hours of Daytona and the 12 Hours of Sebring.
Formula 1 Champion Emerson Fittipaldi also drove the 1974 Porsche 911 Carrera and won a race in it. Fittipaldi came in first at the Riverside IROC race in October 1973.
After Tunstall owned it, he sold it to Pablo Escobar. Escobar took the Porsche 911 down to Colombia with the 935 bodywork. According to a local news source, Atlantis Motor Group in Boca Raton, Florida, owns the vehicle.
“It’s like having an ashtray from Al Capone’s office, something like that. …Somebody who will appreciate it. And hopefully race it. Because the car was made to be driven in anger.”
Ken Gold | Atlantis Motor Group
After Escobar was done with it, the 911 returned to the U.S. and was restored to the original bodywork.
What else makes this 1974 Porsche 911 Carrera special?
Pretty much everything makes this 911 special. The 1974 Porsche 911 Carrera 3.0 might be older, but it is still impressive. According to Collecting Cars, the correct 911/75, 3.0-liter ”high-butterfly” engine is under the hood. It also offers rear-wheel drive and a five-speed manual transmission.
For the 1974 year, Porsche only made 15 IROC RSRs of this variety. It had a new shorter hood and a different trunk lid that set it apart from similar vehicles. The color, Sahara Beige, is also relatively rare for the time. The 1974 IROC came with a few other distinguishing features like the spoiler, matte black headlamps, and fire safety equipment.
The inside looks as expected, with a stripped interior and bucket seats. The included Repa harnesses are period correct. The 911 IROC RSR also has the appropriate five-lug Fuchs wheels. The odometer shows only 226 miles, which is extremely low mileage for an almost 50-year old car.
The 911 is having a moment on the used car market
When it comes to the Porsche 911, there has been a lot of interest in the vehicle in recent years. Based on searches on popular sites like Bring a Trailer and Cars & Bids, the amount of Porsche 911s up for sale is through the roof. Since there are so many people looking for the 911, it makes sense a special vehicle with a history like this would go for a lot of money.
The most expensive options are a 1967 911S Soft Window Targa 5-Speed that sold for $427,000 on Mar. 5, 2021. A 6,000 mile 2016 Porsche 911 R went for $411,000 back in July. And just recently, a 2019 GT2 RS Clubsport sold for $548,991 at the start of September. There doesn’t seem to be any end in sight for the 911, even with new versions like the 2022 Porsche 911 GTS and 911 GT3 hitting the market.
This historically signifigant car has sold a few times in recent years
The 1974 911 was fully restored in 2010 and looked to be in good shape. RennGruppe Motorsports in Lexington, North Carolina, did most of the work. It appeared at the Rennsport Reunion IV at the Laguna Seca track back in 2011 and has won some prestigious awards since then.
Back in May, DuPont Registry shared that the 1974 Porsche 911 was listed for sale again. This time, the going price was $2.2 million. There are a few other options for purchase from the same year, but those are generally under $200,000.
However, the Porsche 911 is having a moment right now. Prices are absolutely astronomical, and the amount of sales is also through the roof. To be fair, it’s the perfect time to sell any 911, let alone one that was driven by so many big names. While this particular auction ended, it doesn’t appear it hit the reserve price. What is the going price for such a sweet, low-mileage 911? Who knows, but it will likely go up for sale again soon. Keep an eye on Collecting Cars for another listing.
