1973 Porsche 911 Carrera RS Lightweight with 30K Miles Hits the Market

A rare 1973 Porsche 911 Carrera RS in M471 Lightweight specification has surfaced for sale with just 30,000 miles on the clock. Out of roughly 1,590 Carrera RS units built for the 1973-74 model run, only 200 were delivered in this stripped-down, race-ready form. The listing appeared on August 13, 2026, drawing attention from air-cooled collectors due to the combination of rarity and genuinely low mileage for a 53-year-old vehicle.

The M471 Lightweight differed from the standard RS by using thinner-gauge steel, fiberglass bumpers, thinner glass, and no sound insulation. Inside, Porsche removed the glovebox door, clock, coat hooks, armrests, and standard seats, replacing them with fixed lightweight shell seats and door pull straps.

7-liter air-cooled flat-six producing about 210 horsepower, paired with a five-speed manual transaxle and limited-slip differential. The car also featured a widened rear track, stiffened chassis, four-wheel ventilated disc brakes, and the functional ducktail spoiler.

The RS was a homologation special for FIA Group 4, and demand far exceeded expectations, over 50 orders came in on the first day of its October 1972 Paris Salon debut. Porsche ultimately produced more than three times the projected 500 units, but the Lightweight remained a small slice at just 200 cars.

7: the highest recorded sale hit $2,425,000 in August 2022, while the lowest, for a standard RS, not a Lightweight, was $238,000 in December 2024. The average sits at $698,764. A low-mileage, numbers-matching M471 would command a premium well above that average, though the specific asking price for this listing could not be confirmed from available sources.

The listing's timing during Monterey Car Week, a peak period for collector-car activity, is unlikely to be coincidental. Whether this car sells quickly or lingers will signal where the air-cooled market stands heading into autumn. With only 200 Lightweights in existence and most having more complex histories, this example stands out as a rare opportunity, and its eventual sale price will become a reference point for the segment.