The 964 RS 3.8 was developed in 1992 as the homologation base for the 3.8 RSR for international competitions. Many of its features were borrowed from the 964 Carrera Cup cars. Only 55 were constructed, enough to meet the FIA requirement. Echoing the earlier model, extra attention was paid to weight reduction; the front trunk lid and doors were stamped from aluminum rather than steel as on the production 964. The door glass and rear quarter windows were thinner and lighter as well, just as on many of the RS 2.7s. Following that scheme, the 964's standard plush carpeting was replaced with thinner and lighter materials, the rear seats were removed, and items such as the power door locks, electric window lifts, and electric multi-adjustable seats were replaced with less weighty components. There was no sound insulation or undercoating, no armrests for the doors, and utilized simple strap pulls. Transmission gearing was changed from the standard 964, the synchronizer sleeves were made with more durable steel, the shift lever was shorter, and a limited-slip differential was standard. The result was a barely street-legal weapon. It weighed in at 1.210 kgs with the 3.8 Flat Six now developing 300 hp.
This specific car, Chassis 401064, was a 1993 964 Carrera 2 model, ordered by the motorsport department to be turned into a prototype. This chassis was delivered in September 1992 with the RS reinforcements and the wide body (Option M491), fitted with 17 inch Cup wheels and finished in Speed Yellow (L12G) over black/gray leather interior. In Spring 1993, the famous rally driver, also at the time the Porsche Factory driver, Walter Röhrl, tested this very car for a few weeks on his favorite roads in the Bavarian forests. The beautiful photos taken on this occasion were featured in a complete article in the official Porsche Magazine Christophorus and became the official photos for the promotion/press materials. In June 1993, the head of Porsche’s Customer Sport Department, Jürgen Barth, took this specific car to the first edition of the famous gathering “Paradis Porsche de Saint Tropez,” in Cote d'Azur. After a few years as a development car, it was then sold in 1995 to a collector, who was also a driving instructor that used the car for demonstration runs. In the mid-2000's it was then sold to another German Collector and the current owner bought it 5 years ago. Despite being one of the highest mileage RS 3.8, with a little more than 100,000 kms on the clock, this car is the most important 964 RS 3.8 chassis in existence. In April 2022, ISSIMI gathered Walter Rohrl and Chassis 401064 to replicate the photos taken 29 years ago, on the same amazing roads in eastern Germany. Walter’s conclusion after the test drive, can be resumed with these words: “I remember it was good, but not this good.” The car is complete with books, tools and the last service was done in May 2022.
