Story of the 964 RS America

At the end of the 1960s when California’s new anti-smog legislation became operative, it was apparent that highly tuned cars such as the Porsche 911 would be affected. Breathing through carburettors and running on premium fuel, the 911 was soon in hot water with traffic authorities. The S was even withdrawn for a year in 1969 so that Porsche could reduce its emissions by replacing the Webers with mechanical injection.

Yet as the law became tighter this proved to be only a temporary fix and by 1974 the now 2.7 flat six had been converted to K Jetronic injection. This was a second-generation system developed by Bosch for Porsche, which metered out fuel far more carefully and worked with now-mandatory catalytic converters.

The timing of American laws meant that Porsche’s largest market wouldn’t have access to the final mechanical injection 911: the celebrated Carrera 2.7 RS. Naturally, this caused dismay, but it would prove to be simply the first of a series of disappointments for US buyers, who would be deprived not just of the 930 Turbo for most of the 1980s, but also the 959. This was a disaster for Porsche because America would have taken