Genius or aberration? The super-rare 911 Carrera RS is one of the greatest Porsches ever made. On that motoring aficionados are convinced and united. The 1973 homologation special with its signature ducktail spoiler and bulging wheel arches is one of the most sought-after 911s. So you wouldn’t want to mess with it. Would you? Sean Wotherspoon, renowned as one of the planet’s greatest sneakerheads, has taken the great RS and given it the art car treatment.
There will be those who will argue that the 911 Carrera RS is already quite loud enough, thank you. Super-lightweight construction and a 2.7-litre version of Porsche’s snarling flat six engine meant a top speed of 152 mph, with 60 mph coming up in less than six seconds.
© Hagop Kalaidjian (@hagop) for Type 7 (@type7)
The speed is still there. But gone are signature RS side stripes. Instead Paul Wotherspoon has taken inspiration from VW’s so-called harlequin versions of the Polo and Golf in the 1990s. Each body panel was painted a different colour, as here. While Sean Wotherspoon has a long track record in limited edition sneakers for Nike and Adidas, a hallowed classic like this one is a whole different level of responsibility. You might say a recent Porsche Taycan harlequin was a practice run.
Sean Wotherspoon 911 Carrera RS: Beautiful Inside and out
Take a look inside for the jaw-dropping moment. Wotherspoon works a lot with fabrics in his sneaker collections and a collaboration with GAP, among others. Out goes the subtle 1970s Porsche interior, and in comes vintage Levi’s denim - you can see jeans pockets to door panel trim - as well as flannel shirts and corduroy from the 1970s - 1990s. Denim was chosen for its wear pattern so this was more than just a trip to the charity shop. End result speaks of recycling and of the past made new, which after all is what this project is ultimately all about. Cork to the dashboard was left over from the Taycan project.
This art Porsche Carrera RS was commissioned by venture capitalist Philip Sarofim whose eclectic collection includes the one-off Aston Martin Bulldog and the equally unique Lancia Stratos Zero by Bertone. The Porsche may well join others from what’s known as the Trousdale collection - there are McLaren SLRs and Bugatti Veyrons too - in appearances at, among others, the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance. Sarofim is said to see his cars as a living archive. The unique Sean Wotherspoon Porsche will fit right in.
Naturally there is only one of these so we can’t quote you an exact price should you want to commission your own. That interior! We’re still open mouthed. Basic 911 Carrera RS is your starting point and values are still going up, so perhaps snag yours now while you can. We’d advise putting aside £1m to get a good one, before Mr Wotherspoon begins his work. Will a million and a half be enough? Perhaps give him a call. We’ll bring our sunglasses to view the results.
Model: Porsche 911 Carrera 2.7RS
Designer: Sean Wotherspoon | @sean_wotherspoon
Original publisher: Type 7 | @type7
Photographer: © Hagop Kalaidjian | @hagop
Next up: Is this 911 the perfect Porsche?
