Special all by itself, this 1974 Porsche 911 Carrera 3.0 RSR IROC has traded hands with one of the most notorious drug lords in history, Pablo Escobar, and is now up for auction.
But before Escobar sat behind the wheel, this Porsche, one of just 15 IROC RSRs produced, lived a fast and furious racing life.
The Porsche was sold new to Roger Penske and Penske Productions, which enlisted Formula 1 World Champion Emerson Fittipaldi to race it in the first-ever IROC season.
Wearing the number 1, Fittipaldi qualified on the pole position with this 911 for the first IROC race held at the Riverside International Raceway on October 27, 1974. Unfortunately, Fittipaldi ran off the track during the race, causing a fuel leak that forced the Porsche to retire.
After the event, Penske sent the car to North Lake Porsche-Audi in Tucker, Georgia, who then sold it to T&C Racing in Sarasota, Florida, for just $26,482, according to RM Sotheby’s who listed this Porsche in August 2021.
Drivers John Tunstall and Charlie Kemp raced the Porsche throughout the late 1970s at such events as Lime Rock, Talladega, Sebring 12 Hours and the 1978 Daytona 24 Hours, which was the car’s last domestic competition.
A year after the Porsche’s race at Daytona, T&C Racing sold the car. It was then sent to Colombia and delivered to the infamous Pablo Escobar.
According to Collecting Cars, the auction house currently listing the vehicle, the Porsche was then fitted with 935-style bodywork and raced by Escobar in local events.
Sergio Garcia, also from Colombia, later took the car from Escobar and raced it in the Esso 300 Miles at Autódromo de Tocancipá in June 1992.
RM Sotheby’s notes that the car was tracked down by a marque expert in May 1993 and sent back to the United States, where in 2007 it was restored to its original 1974 IROC specifications.
Since its return, the Porsche has won numerous concours awards, including the 2013 Amelia Award at the Amelia Island Concours d’Elegance and second in class at the 2018 Amelia Island Werks Reunion.
The Porsche currently wears its original share of Sahara Beige paint accented with the appropriate manufacturer and sponsor decals, including Fittipaldi’s name found on the doors and windshield.
It’s powered by the correct 911/75 3.0-liter “high-butterfly” flat-six racing engine that’s mated to a 5-speed manual transmission.
The auction for this piece of racing and drug cartel history ends October 7.
For more information, visit Collecting Car’s website.
