The Porsche 911 ‘Carrera 3' has a very special place in the history of the Porsche 911, as it brought together elements from two of Porsche’s most legendary cars. It represented the latest incarnation of the Porsche Carrera, originally introduced to the 911 series as the classic 2.7-liter RS in late 1972, and the Carrera 3's 2993-cc engine used the same die-cast aluminum crankcase as its awesome cousin, the newly introduced Porsche 911 or ’930 Turbo.'

It was sold in 1976 and 1977 – built between two other models in the 911 lineup, the standard 911 and the 911 Turbo. During its short two year life span, only 3,687 cars were built – a tiny amount compared to nearly 58,000 911SCs and 76,500 3.2 Carreras produced. Of these 2,564 were coupes and only 1,123 produced in Targa format.

The Carrera 3.0 engine was essentially the phenomenal 911 Turbo’s 2,994-cc engine minus the turbocharger. Built before the ’911SC’ it has everything the SC has, and more. It’s a different drive with more power at 200-hp; more torque with188-ft/lb running 4,200-rpm and it was 10 percent lighter too. It has the six-bolt flywheel and a crank from the legendary 73 Carrera RS. The 3.0 Carrera would go on to be the basis for all future developed 911’s up to 1989 including the 911SC and 3.2 Carrera. Performance numbers for the Carrera 3.0 are astonishingly similar to those of the famed Carrera RS of the early ‘70s and it’s the last time Porsche would use the Carrera name until the mid-‘80s.

Despite a reputation for being a ‘tamed-down’ version of the original 2.7RS and 2.7 Carreras, The Carrera 3 had almost identical 0- to 60-mph and 0- to 100-mph performance figures, but was endowed with so much extra torque that it could pull from 25- to 100-mph in top gear over three seconds faster than either of its production predecessors. The Carrera 3.0 is arguably a better car than the 2.7, even though the latter has the cache of sharing an engine with the RS 2.7 and the older “revvy” unit made the car more fun to drive

Featured in special order Z5 Sienna Metallic with its original 38 Cork leatherette interior with pinstripe velour inserts; this is one of only 365 Carrera 3.0 Targas produced in 1977, plus it is reported to run with its correct drivetrain that includes a five-speed manual transmission. The owner believes the approximate 54,000 miles on the odometer are reflective of this primarily original car’s condition, but the title does state exempt.

The black Carrera script on the side flanks let all know of the cars intentions, as does the rare Carrera 3.0 whale tail rear spoiler. Very few of these remain untouched and unrestored, as many were raced making this one repaint example all the more rarer as a virtually untouched specimen. The owner feels that it is a top RS Carrera for the market and “one of the best RS Carreras ever made.” The original toolkit and air pump are also onboard, along with its Porsche Certificate of Authenticity.