1984 Porsche 911 SC/RS #6 Pilots: H. Toivonen / I. Grindrod Team: Rothmans Porsche Rally Team Race: 1st overall at the Ypres 24 Hours Rally in 1984 Ixo - RAC335 (diecast)
Published 10/13/23
Ypres (or Ieper, in Dutch) is a small Belgian city located in the West Flanders province. The first Ypres Rally (officially called Belgium Ypres Westhoek Rally) happened in 1965. It is part of both the Belgium and European Rally Championships, organized by the A. C. Targa Florio until 2008. Interestingly, it is also part of the British Rally Championship and the Intercontinental Rally Challenge. The race takes place in and around Ypres, running mostly on asphalt streets but also over some gravel. The 1984 edition was from June 29th to July 1st, with 24 hours of racing and covering over 570 km. A total of 147 cars started the race, though only 68 finished. Most of the cars consisted of privateers, yet there were some big teams and even a works team. It was an important race because it delivered a lot of points for the European Rally Championship (ERC).
The only factory team present at Ypres that year was the Rothmans Porsche Rally Team. And they came loaded for bear: a host of mechanics, parts, support vehicles and a brand new 911 SC/RS. For 1984, Porsche produced 21 chassis of the RS/SC (or Typ 954), specifically for rally racing. Rothmans wanted to expand their racing program into rallying, yet the new 959 project was late. For Porsche, the 911 SC/RS was easy to develop, and would suit Rothmans needs. Therefore, the 911 SC/RS was kind of a stop-gap until the 959 became available. Of the 21 made, five became works cars and went to the Rothmans team. These five were then sent to Prodrive, recently formed in England, for further preparations. Porsche sold the remaining 16 to their clients (for around £49,600), with one staying in the Porsche Museum.
As expected, the 911 SC/RS was heavily based on the 911 SC, using the same 3-liters flat-6. Though Porsche already had a 3.2-liters engine available, they opted for the older 2993 cm³ flat-6. With that, the car could compete in the Group B up to 3000 cm³ class. That class carried a lower weight limit of 960 kg, instead of 1100 kg for the next class. The improved engine used forged pistons and 935 cylinder heads, fed by a Bosch-Kugelfischer fuel injection pump. In race tune the engine delivered 209 kW (280 hp), allowing an impressive 0-60 km/h in 5.3 seconds. It also had a 5-speed manual gearbox, with an integrated oil cooler. Though the SC/RS’ body resembled the 70’s Carrera RS 2.7, it was 300 kg lighter than the standard 911 Turbo. Brakes came from the 917, and Bilstein supplied the adjustable suspension.
Porsche decided to not use the car in the World Rally Championship. That’s because, if they hoped to win, they would need a full works effort, and that required a huge investment. Therefore, the 911 SC/RS only raced in the ERC. So in June, at Ypres, the Rothmans team arrived en force. Piloted by Henri Toivonen and Ian Grindrod, 911 SC/RS #6 finished in first place. With only 21 cars produced, the 911 SC/RS is quite rare. Far from being a “flagship” race car, like the 953 or 959, it had a brief yet meaningful career. And in scale Ixo delivers a VERY nice model. All right, despite those painful-to-see deadeye headlights… Other than that, the model looks very faithful to the 1:1. And if you factor in the price, this is a great acquisition. Well, if you’re a Porsche fan boy.
And oh yes, I’m a Porsche fan boy. Big one, in fact 😁.