Footnotes

• The 911 SC RS was born out of the need to provide Porsche Group C race sponsor Rothmans with a relatively instant rally car for them to enter in their distinctive blue and white livery in various markets – the four-wheel drive 959 project had been intended to fill this role, but was running behind schedule. Because having a larger engine would have meant being in a capacity class with a higher weight limit, the SC RS was based on the earlier 3-litre SC rather than the newer 3.2-litre Carrera. Whilst Rothmans picked up most of the tab with some support from Shell and Michelin, both development and running the new rally car were entrusted to David Richards’ then Silverstone-based Prodrive Team under the Rothmans Porsche rally Team banner for the 1984 European Rally Championship and the inaugural Middle Eastern rally Championship. To satisfy FIA homologation requirements, 20 cars had to be produced, five being assigned to Prodrive and the rest sold on as ‘Special Edition’ road cars.
  
  Based mainly on the 911 Turbo chassis, though with normally aspirated motor, the SC RS inherited the Turbo’s wide-arch bodywork, suspension (homologated with helicoidal springs from 1985) and brakes with front calipers all round and adjustable balance control. Whilst engine capacity remained the same at 2994cc, new forged pistons increased compression from 9.8 to 10.3:1, fuel injection was by Kugelfisher rather than Bosch K-Jetronic and different cylinder heads and camshafts were fitted. The transmission consisted of beefed up clutch, Type 915 5-speed gearbox with different ratios, oil cooler and LSD. Most bodywork was in steel with wings, doors and bonnet in aluminium and bumpers, sills, engine lid and rear spoiler in glass-fibre, thinner glass and lightweight door trims were employed. Weighing in at 960kg and with Type 908/18 engine achieving 255bhp at 7000rpm in ‘standard’ tune, the street version of the SC RS would reach 60mph in 4.9s, 100mph in 11.5s and had 153mph potential.
  
  The Prodrive rally cars were even more special, though, gaining heavy-duty shock absorbers, reinforced strut-brace and larger torsion bars, 22m at the front and 27.5mm at the rear, whilst in place of the usual 8.31 final drive and depending on the terrain, 8:35 or 7:37 could be specified. Panels were quick-release and interior much more minimalist, the crew in their bucket seats protected by full harnesses and aluminium roll-over bar. Soon, Rothmans Rally Porsche engine power output had risen to 290 very useable bhp, sufficient for Team cars to win seven major rallies in 1984. For thus equipped, Henri Toivonen won the Ypres 24 Hours, Mille Pistes, Costa Smeralda and Madeira events to finish second in the 1984 European Championship and, with three victories, Saeed Al Hajri became Middle Eastern Champion.
  
  With such rear-wheel drive only and production-based cars being at a considerable disadvantage when competing against the latest Group B 4WD Supercars, the SC RS programme was scaled down for the 1985 season. Even so, with chassis and transmission reinforced, coil-springs introduced and oil ducting improved, and with Billy Coleman and Bernard Beguin joining Al Hajri in the driver line-up, Rothmans Porsches still won five rallies in 1985 to take both the Middle Eastern and Irish crowns as well as 2nd places on the Tour de France and in Alsace, and a 3rd on the Tour de Corse. Statistically, however, by clinching two Middle Eastern titles in consecutive years, as well as 17th place on the 1984 RAC and 4th and 5th overall on the 1985 and 1986 Acropolis, it is the Quatari who has been by far the most successful SC RS driver – and, more than twenty years on, he is still driving Porsches on rallies, competing in this year’s 6000k Moscow to Mongolia in a Cayenne S.
  
  Offered here is one of those Rothmans Rally Porsches, a 1984 left-hand drive Coupe, still in the famous livery of the tobacco firm. A copy of a period Shippers Declaration signed by Charles Reynolds of Rothmans Porsche Silverstone indicates 2 August 1985 despatch as air-freight from Heathrow to Bahrain, where it was registered 18 September 1985 for Al Hajri to drive it on events in the region. A further Bill of Lading dated 28 November 1987 then consigns chassis no. 101854 fitted with engine no. 63D301Z to the NYK Line for shipping from Bahrain to Tobacco Exporters International of Dubai. In October 1988, the car was shipped back to the UK where it was acquired by the vendor in 2000 since when it has been little used. A UK V5 confirms the JBW 508Y registration, a freshly passed MOT is valid until June 2008 and it is taxed until November.