Rare 1973 Porsche 911 IROC RSR Has a Star-studded Ownership History
Porsche 911 IROC RSR was owned by everyone from Roger Penske to Pablo Escobar and raced by F1 star Emerson Fittipaldi.
Back when the International Race of Champions was created in 1973, the series aimed to place 12 different drivers from different racing disciplines in identical cars to see which was the best. The first car used in that series was the one you’re looking at right now – the 1973 Porsche 911 IROC RSR. A mere 15 of these cars were made – 12 for the drivers and three spares – and this special example of that small handful is currently up for sale in the Rennlist Marketplace.
The 911 IROC RSR racers were originally owned and brought into the U.S. by Roger Penske. This one was campaigned in the 1973 IROC season by F1 racer Emerson Fittipaldi, but that was only the start of its star-studded life. This particular 1973 Porsche 911 IROC RSR was also once owned and raced (with 935 bodywork) by the infamous Pablo Escobar, and is the only one of its kind to also compete in the IMSA series when it was owned by John Tunstall.
Chassis 911 460 0100, also known as the “Sahara Beige Car” or simply the “Fittipaldi Car,” landed its driver, who was fresh off becoming the youngest F1 champion ever at the time, a pole position for the very first IROC race at Riverside. However, Fittipaldi was late for the driver’s meeting and was penalized, pushing him back to an 11th place starting position. Regardless, he fought his way back before a fuel leak forced him to retire from the first heat.
Fittipaldi wound up racing one of the reserve cars for the rest of the weekend, so this 911 IROC RSR was no longer needed. For the finale in Daytona, Penske didn’t need 15 cars, as there were only six drivers competing for the title in one singular race. So just four days after its racing debut, this particular car was sold to North Lake Porsche Audi.
The Porsche racer was subsequently sold to Tunstall, a privateer racer who ran a reduced IMSA schedule but competed in events including the Sebring 12 Hours and the Daytona 24. Charlie Kemp also earned top-ten finishes at Lime Rock and Mid-Ohio behind the wheel of the 911. Its last such race was believed to be the 1978 Daytona 24, and at some point after that, it wound up in the possession of Escobar, the drug kingpin.
The IROC RSR was eventually placed in storage for many years before it was fully restored and returned to its original livery. Today, it’s up for sale once again, giving one lucky person with the means a rare opportunity. These cars rarely become available, and when they do, they trade hands for big money, unsurprisingly. Given this car’s amazing history, we certainly expect that to be the case here as well.
Photos: Rennlist Marketplace
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