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“They were fire-breathing monsters spitting fumes in their wake. The MFI system produced by Bosch had been developed by the race teams to provide ample fuel flow with smooth and quick throttle response . . . and remarkably quick throttle response was what you got. Floor it in an MFI engine and OPEC cheers.”

This lament by a Porsche owner explains why the subject of this book, the cars with the 2.7L motor with mechanical fuel injection, have “historically been overlooked by the general public and remained unknown to all but the most astute Porschephiles." And now there’s a book to right that wrong; and not just a book but the book. Truly, Carrera fans never had it so good!

Sports Car Market's review from the March 2016:

One hot topic in the auction world is the astounding growth of values of the Porsche 911. And of the 911 production cars, the RS is considered by many to be the quintessential 911. All of which led to a ’74 911 Carrera 2.7 RS MFI hammering at RM Sotheby’s Monterey this year for $374,000.

For those of you unfamiliar with the intricacies of the 911 world, you now have a source as detailed and informative as you can imagine in Ryan Snodgrass’ deep dive into the history of one of the rarer examples: the Carrera 2.7 MFI.

The Carrera 2.7 RS was introduced in 1973, as Porsche focused more energy on racing production cars (the RS is for Rennsport, or racesport).

Many of the original RS orders were part of a sleight-of-hand trick the factory used to get to the 500 cars needed for Group 4 homologation, with buyers lining out an order form for the race version, then amending it at the dealer for a con- version to the touring setup.

By 1970, the end of the “long-hood” era for the 911 was at hand, with the body redesigned to incorporate safety bumpers, and bringing in the famous whale tail spoilers on some models (not allowed in Germany thanks to the safety bureaucrats).

The Bosch mechanical-injected 1974 MFI was not sold in the U.S., with 2.7s coming here using CIS (Continuous Injection System) to meet federal smog laws and mileage standards, thanks to the first Arab oil embargo.

Bravely, Porsche continued to make high-performance cars in a world mad for economy.

Not being a domestic offering, the Carrera 911 RS 2.7 MFI has been a quiet outlier, though the auction world is catching up. For Snodgrass, the MFI was the perfect story, a way to tell the entire RS tale using a deep focus on one particular model.

It’s a massively researched and illustrated history — and as good as the car.

Provenance: There is amazing detail that can only come from factory records, and Snodgrass had great access to them, as well as to Porsche fanatics from around the world.

Fit and finish: Beautifully printed, with more than 700 color photos, all packed into a quality slipcover; the book is hefty, smart and well designed.

Drivability: There is no shortage of superficial motoring books, collections of images with the odd fact or two. These are the kinds of books that give you 10 minutes of pleasure and are never considered again. At the other extreme, there are the arcane, detailed single-marque or model collections of obscure facts and serial numbers — of little value except to the other guy with the car. But in Carrera 2.7, Snodgrass has created the middle ground, a readable look at a special time at Porsche, built around one special model. There is plenty of detail for the potential owner or restorer as well, but first and foremost, it’s a good read.

Motor Klassik magazine review from the March 2016 issue:

Der Carrera 2.7 RS von 1972/73 ist die Porsche-911-Ikone, manche liegen preislich über einer Million Euro. Dabei haben wenige Sammler auf dem Radar, dass es auch das G-Modell von 1974 bis 1976 mit dem legendären 210-PS-Motor des RS gab. Im Preis liegen diese bei einem Viertel bis einem Drittel dessen, was ein RS kostet.

Wer sich dazu einlesen möchte, dem sei das Buch "Carrera 2.7" von Ryan Snodgrass wärmstens ans Herz gelegt: Auf 406 Seiten mit mehr als 800 Abbildungen behandelt der Amerikaner in englischer Sprache wirklich alle Aspekte des Autos, von der Entwicklung über Ausstattung und Farben bis zum Rennsport.

English translation of the German magazine Oldtimer Markt's review of the Carrera 2.7 book from their February 2016 issue:

Carrera 2.7 - most non-Porsche Aficionados shrug at this particular 911. These are (at least in the embodiment discussed herein with mechanical fuel injection) to the successor to the now highly traded Carrera RS Touring, in whose shadow he always slightly went down. The combination of Heckbürzel and safety bumpers was one and a half years the top model in the Porsche company, before the turbo came. Since it was only a matter of time before a car even this special version of Zuffenhauseners accepted. Here the result is a truly magnificent book - and not just because of the loving presentation with linen cover and a sturdy slipcase. No, the real pounds of this new standard work is the unconditional reproduction of even the smallest details of knowledge about Carrera 2.7. Tasting complacent? Did you know that the holes in the roof lining pattern in the original hexagonal and are arranged in a square? Or how the equipment card by Huschke von Hanstein personal Carrera looked? That tool kit was 1975 and 1976 fitted differently? In here it is, and much more. Since no questions remain unanswered.

Carrera 2.7 book highlights since the last December update:

• Total 911 lists the Carrera 2.7 book #1 on its 2016 "MUST READ" book list;
• GT Porsche, Classic Porsche, Total 911 and Speedster magazine reviews appear in their February issues;
• The special run of 300 red Carrera 2.7: Publisher's Edition books are now SOLD OUT worldwide;
• The blue Carrera 2.7: Limited Edition books for North America are inbound on Lufthansa air freight from Germany and should arrive late this week. Existing orders will ship by the end of January.

From the January / February 2016 Speedster magazine issue in French:

Dans la foulée du RS Book que vous avez découvert dans notre dernier numéro, et bien que publié par un tout autre éditeur, le livre que consacre Ryan Snodgrass à la 2.7 Carrera se présente un peu comme la continuité du premier. D’abord parce que, dans la généalogie, la 911 Carrera 2.7 MFI (pour Mecanical Fuel Injection) de 1974 se veut la descendante légitime de la Carrera 2.7 RS Touring 73, mais aussi parce que les deux auteurs ont travaillé sciemment à ce que leurs ouvrages respectifs se présentent sous le même angle, avec la même exigence. Selon le même schéma, ce nouveau livre aborde en profondeur et avec exhaustivité tous les aspects techniques de la Carrera, ses nitions, ses options, ses particularités, ses évolutions, toutes ses versions, même les spéciales, les chiffres, les accessoires, la compétition, etc. Ryan Snodgrass nous explique le fastidieux travail qui a abouti à ce nouvel ouvrage de référence, rien de moins que la bible de la Carrera 2.7.

Quand et comment vous êtes-vous intéressé à la Carrera 2.7?

J’ai commencé à chercher une Carrera 2.7 à injection mécanique en 2009, et j’ai été surpris par le manque d’informations sur ce modèle. Aux USA, comme il n’a pas été importé, il est inconnu. Au bout d’un an, j’ai trouvé une Carrera 2.7 Light Yellow. Peu de temps après, le propriétaire d’une autre Carrera m’a proposé de reprendre son projet de restauration. Ça a été un long chantier, mais c’était essentiel pour comprendre cette voiture. Ensuite, j’ai cherché à apporter ma contribution à la communauté Porsche. Je pensais en savoir assez sur la Carrera, et que la réalisation d’un livre serait facile. Mais en creusant le sujet, je me suis aperçu combien peu j’en savais, même si j’avais beaucoup lu et discuté avec des propriétaires. A partir de là, je me suis engouffré dans la spirale infernale qui a abouti à ce livre.

C’est un travail incroyable! Savez-vous combien de temps il vous a pris?

Des milliers d’heures, réparties entre photographes, graphistes, éditeurs, amis et, bien sûr, mes propres recherches et la rédaction. Le résultat nal n’est pas seulement un livre, mais la création d’une maison d’édition désormais capable de publier et distribuer des ouvrages haut de gamme.

A quelle source êtes-vous allé puiser cette mine d’informations?

Partout ! Au premier abord, les gens de chez Porsche étaient sceptiques face au projet d’un auteur inconnu, mais ils ont commencé à m’ouvrir les portes lorsqu’ils ont compris ma détermination à produire un travail sérieux. A chaque nouvelle visite, on me donnait les “clés” pour accéder à de nouvelles bases de données. A chaque fois je découvrais quelque chose de nouveau et signi catif. Plusieurs collectionneurs m’ont laissé accéder à leurs archives personnelles. Beaucoup ont contribué par leurs photos et nos discussions. Guy White, qui tient le registre du Porsche Club Great Britain Carrera 2.7 a été une source d’idées et a collaboré aux recherches. Sans cette importante communauté de passionnés de Porsche, ce livre n’aurait pas été possible. Georg Konradsheim a été mon mentor, un soutien et un ami. Il m’a incité à pousser plus loin les recherches sur les détails obscurs. J’ai toujours été fan de son Carrera RS book, et mon idéal était de faire aussi bien que sa première édition. Il y a beaucoup de livres consacrés à un modèle unique, mais le sien est vraiment au-dessus du lot. Quelques informations ont été particulièrement complexes à trouver, comme les détails sur les séries spéciales, les photos de course et les résultats ou les données de production châssis par châssis. Collecter plus de 500 images inédites était aussi un vrai challenge. Mais outre les photos d’époque, nous devions réaliser nos propres séances photos aux USA et en Europe.

Pouvez-vous nous donner un exemple de ces informations jusque-là inconnues ou mal comprises?

L’une des plus frappantes, ce sont les intérieurs “Madras”. C’est une extraordinaire combinaison de tissus à carreaux très peu commandée à l’époque. La plupart des gens connaissent le Tartan apparu en 1976. Mais le Madras était unique en ce que le tissu central des sièges conditionnait l’harmonie générale des matériaux intérieurs, jusqu’aux moquettes. Un autre aspect méconnu est la série spéciale de 1976, dernière Porsche de route à injection mécanique. Beaucoup de rumeurs circulaient, mais aucune documentation. J’en ai discuté avec des propriétaires de première main qui avaient encore les bons de commande originaux, révélateurs de détails essentiels. Elles ont été vendues uniquement en Allemagne avec l’option spéciale M405 très similaire au M471/M472 des RS. Une 911 de 1976 avec ce code option sortait avec le moteur de la RS et le différentiel autobloquant à 40 %, les amortisseurs Bilstein et des équipements tournés vers le pilotage. Maintenant que le livre est sorti, il éclaire non seulement les collectionneurs ou amateurs de la Carrera 2.7 MFI, mais aussi les propriétaires des premières 3.0 Turbo qui y trouvent quantité d’infos pertinentes indisponibles auparavant...

Carrera 2.7 is one of those Porsche books you just cannot put down. It is a perfect example of how to write a modern super detailed and beautifully designed text on a specific car. Author Ryan Snodgrass, who looks after the carreramfi.com website in the USA, is a confirmed fan but this work on his favourite model excels in terms of research, writing style, design and the huge amount of contemporary and studio photography. This lavish ($250 USD) slip-cased book details every aspect of the story behind the first full production 911 Carrera.

The 1974 models were the next step in Zuffenhausen's then-established routine of introducing bi-annual major upgrades to the 911 series. The top-of-the-line range model had been planned as a 2.7 911S, with the free-revving engine first used on the previous year's RS. However, the new G-series models were much more than that – adopting the required impact absorbing bumpers and a whole new interior. The use of the revered Carrera name upset many purists, but it was an essential gilding to the top production model at a time when Porsche faced stalling sales and possible bankruptcy caused by the 1973–74 OPEC oil embargo. Although not available in the USA, Porsche treated its customers in other markets to a RS-powered thoroughbred. The Carrera 2.7 was the last in the line of pure-bred 911s, before ever more restrictive regulations took the 911 in a different direction.

This absorbing book details all the development that led to the final production models and includes fascinating sections on the Sonderwunschen (special wishes) cars, the other sections covering the technical specifications, colours, options, literature, motorsport and even the tools included with the car. It is a fantastic work and an essential for any serious Porsche book collector.

– GT Porsche magazine 

Classic Porsche magazine reviewed the Carrera 2.7 book in the January/February, 2016 issue #33:

Over the last 40 years the 1973 Carrera 2.7 RS has been covered in dozens of books and articles, yet its successor, the Carrera 2.7 MFI – a car with the identical engine and similar DNA – remains either largely unknown or misunderstood, even by long-time Porsche enthusiasts. This new work tells the complete story of these remarkable, yet unheralded sports cars.

The Carrera 2.7 book has been meticulously researched using the Porsche factory archives, private collections, period documentation and intensive study. With over 800 photos in its 406 pages, author Ryan Snodgrass's masterwork has covered everything anyone would ever want to know about this intriguing model.

Content includes comprehensive discussion of original options, photos of key details, insights into factory production and competition history. A considerable amount of this material has never before been published. Although primarily focused on the MFI-equipped Carrera 2.7, this book will also prove valuable to enthusiasts of any of the Porsche 911 and 930 Turbo models produced during the mid-1970s.

A Limited Edition of 2500 numbered hardcover copies have been produced in, enclosed within a protective slipcase. Price? £166.25, and worth every penny.

The new Carrera 2.7 book was listed in the #1 spot on Total 911's "2016 'MUST READ' LIST" in issue #135: 

"This limited edition tome, of which 2,500 numbered copies have been printed, tells the complete story of the Carrera 2.7, a car relatively unknown compared to its similar-engined RS predecessor. Expertly researched and written by Ryan Snodgrass, this comprehensive compendium gives Carrera 2.7 fans and owners all the information they will ever need."

Total 911 magazines's 2016 "MUST READ" book list:

1. Carrera 2.7 by Ryan Snodgrass
2. Carrera RS by Georg Konradsheim & Thomas Gruber
3. Porsche Turbo by Randy Leffingwell
4. Porsche Sounds by Dieter Landenberger
5. The Complete Book of Porsche by Randy Leffingwell
6. Porsche Drive by Jan Baedeker

The first English-language review was published by Randy Leffingwell last week in the Road Scholars Magazine, December 2015 issue:

Ryan Snodgrass’s new Carrera 2.7 is the logical and meticulously researched follow-up to the Carrera RS history written by Drs Thomas Gruber and Georg Konradsheim and first published in 1992. The earlier book encompassed 911 RS Carrera models from 1972 through 1992 because the RS designation was the focus of its interest. Snodgrass follows a similarly tight discipline, examining the 2.7-liter models with mechanical fuel injection, a series that began with the 1972 model year and ended in early 1975 with some 1976 “Sondermodell” or special variation cars. These cars share a mystique in the U.S. with the ’72/’73 RS 2.7 in that Porsche did not export them to the states either – because they were identical in their specification and in their non-compliance to early emissions standards. Motivated by his desire in recent years to find a good example of one of these cars for himself, he undertook what is now a bible on the 2.7s.

Pages are handsomely designed, and hundreds of not-seen-before black-and-white and color images share importance with diagrams or graphics or charts. Several pages show engine or chassis or body assembly as it only could have been witnessed and photographed in the early- and mid-1970s. Detailed part photos turn this book into an ultimate restoration guide as well as encyclopedic buyer’s reference.

The photos deserve special mention because it is easy to completely lose count of how many were specially commissioned for this book. A common complaint from European readers of American-produced books on Porsche is that U.S. versions of 911s are different, which provide inaccurate references to continental readers. Snodgrass enlisted photographers not only in the U.S. but also in the U.K. and Europe to provide excellent images. What’s more, the thorough racing coverage in chapter 7 shows countless photos of these cars sideways, tricycling, or fully airborne. The captions – for all the pictures – are more than just labels and some are downright entertaining.