31.10.2025Porsche 911 SC: Achieving legendary status with only one launch

As reigning World Rally Champion, Walter Röhrl had signed a contract with Mercedes-Benz for 1981. However, this collaboration didn't happen shortly before the start of the season, and his contract was terminated. Röhrl temporarily joined Porsche for the year and competed in several rounds of the German Rally Championship in a Porsche 924 Carrera GTS.

As a season highlight, in October 1981 he participated in a single round of the World Rally Championship in Sanremo – in a Porsche 911 SC, which was also only used at this one event. The Porsche traditionally featured a six-cylinder boxer engine with a three-liter displacement and an output of 280 hp, reaching a top speed of 240 kph.

The Sanremo Rally was the tenth round of the World Championship season and lasted four days. After the first day, which was held on asphalt, Walter Röhrl and his co-driver Christian Geistdörfer led the standings. This was followed by two days on gravel, where the all-wheel-drive Audis were clearly superior to the rear-wheel-drive Porsche. Thus, Röhrl started the final day with a three-minute deficit, with the special stages again taking place on asphalt. After a magnificent comeback, he was back on course for victory shortly before the end. However, on one of the last special stages, the driveshaft broke, and Röhrl was out. Even today, he still describes this retirement as the "bitterest failure of his career."

After this guest appearance in the World Rally Championship, the Porsche 911 SC disappeared for 25 years before reappearing and being completely restored. Exactly 30 years after the Sanremo Rally, in 2011, the Röhrl/Geistdörfer duo competed again in the original 1981 rally car in the classic category at the Australian Targa Tasmania. And just like in Sanremo, a broken driveshaft sidelined Röhrl on the second day in Australia as well. Despite this setback, he ultimately finished tenth in the classic car category of the five-day event.

The model of Walter Röhrl's Porsche from the 1981 Sanremo Rally has been released by the manufacturer WERK83 in scale 1:18, in their usual high quality, and reflects the original as accurately as possible.

Porsche 911 SC Gr.4 #1 Rallye San Remo 1981 Röhrl, Geistdörfer 1:18 WERK83, RRP €79.95, item-no.: W1805801

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Porsche 911 SC Gr.4 #1 Rallye San Remo 1981 Röhrl, Geistdörfer 1:18 WERK83

57,56 €