Equipped with a larger engine – 2.7-litre instead of 2.4-litre on the classic 911s – and with almost all elements of comfort removed, it remained nevertheless a very capable machine that found success on and off tracks… and in sales room too, with prices easily reaching now over half a million euros. It was the first road car to be equipped with a spoiler both front and back – the latter being known as the ducktail – and the conception was that of a road car that could be raced… In short, one of the very first “trackday” cars in history. Light, fast, chiselled by the wind, its name immediately evoked motorsport, RS standing for Rennsport, or racing in German. Still based on the emblematic design and conception, this car was meant for performance on tracks and roads, being the first truly motorsport oriented of the 9-11.īack in the day, the 911 Carrera RS 2.7, which was the last evolution of the 1st-generation 911 (codename 901), was the fastest and most powerful 911 available to the public. In 1972, to be precise on 5 October 1972 (indeed, exactly 50 years ago), Porsche will present in Paris its most extreme 911 to date, the Carrera RS 2.7. The model spends almost a decade in its classic form, with its legendary flat-6 engine and a mostly road-car approach. Born in 1963, it quickly gained fame thanks to its no-nonsense approach, as a performing yet reliable, compact and user-friendly sports machine.
The other side of the story concerns what’s probably the most enduring and most famous sports car ever built, the Porsche 911. Then I knew that my new chronograph was the perfect tribute to that legend: CARRERA.” The name itself sounded elegant, dynamic, easy to pronounce in all languages, and charged with emotion. In Jack Heuer’s words: “ Hearing them talk about La Carrera with Juan Manuel Fangio, an old friend of the brand who won the competition in 1953, I let my imagination run wild.
#Tag heuer carrera calibre 18 automatic chronograph drivers#
There he met Pedro and Ricardo Rodríguez, two talented Mexican drivers who described the hardships and dangers of the perilous Mexican Carrera Panamericana. Jack Heuer got wind of the race in 1962 while attending the 12 Hours of Sebring. Later on, the name Carrera will become associated with some top-performance versions of the 356 and, of course, the fastest versions of the 911s, including the mythical Carrera RS 2.7L. In honour of the race and the high-profile exposure obtained by the brand, Ferry Porsche reserved the name ‘Carrera’ for all his top-performing sports cars with the winning DOHC engine. Fitted with a high-performance DOHC, 1,498 cc four-cylinder boxer engine, the model proved its mettle on the tough Mexican highway. In the 1954 edition of La Carrera Panamericana, a Porsche 550 Spyder finished third with Hans Herrmann at the wheel. Attracting international recognition and famous drivers from around the globe, by the third edition in 1952 the race was opened to the category of sports cars, and Porsche sent two 356 GTs to compete. The gruelling rally covered over 3,000kms of the Pan-American highway and was held between 19 before being suspended for safety reasons. The longest race in the world, La Carrera Panamericana traversed Mexico from Ciudad Juárez on the border with the United States to Tuxtla Gutiérrez in the south. La Carrera Panamericana was Mexico’s answer to the Mille Miglia, the Targa Florio or the 24 Hours of Le Mans. Not only does it capture the thrill of a race, but it also references the mileage that both brands have enjoyed, and continue to enjoy, with their respective Carreras. A far-away endurance race staged in Mexico, it would end up inspiring the name of Jack Heuer’s chronograph and the top-performing sports cars produced by Ferry and later his son, Butzi Porsche. Carrera, which is the Spanish word for ‘race’ but also for ‘career’, worked perfectly for Heuer and Porsche.
Both brands now come back with a watch that evokes the 1970s and celebrates the 50th anniversary of the car that has made the 911 a true racer… Meet the TAG Heuer Carrera x Porsche RS 2.7.īoth Jack Heuer and Ferry Porsche were fascinated by La Carrera Panamericana. There’s hardly a more natural connection than this, and it was first sealed in 2021, with a partnership between TAG Heuer and Porsche, resulting in the Carrera Porsche Edition. And the two pay tribute to an emblematic race of the 1950s, the Carrera Panamericana. On the other is the cult watch of TAG Heuer, the Carrera Chronograph. On one side is the legendary car of Porsche, the 911 Carrera. Indeed, the name has long been associated with two of the most prominent names of both the car and the watch industry. If there is one name that could best define the connection between cars and watches, it has to be Carrera.
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