Few cars combine such understated looks and a pure driver-centric character as the RS version of the Porsche 964.

If you are not up to your Porsche game, you could easily mistake this RS model for a standard Carrera. You will not find flashy stickers or huge wings here, with the narrow body adding to the undercover image of the car.

Of course this doesn’t mean that Porsche hasn’t work its RennSport magic on the car; the 3.6-litre boxer engine was revised to produce 260hp, the manual gearbox had closer ratios with a limited-slip differential responsible for distributing the ponies.

Creature comforts included a set of bucket seats and not much else; Porsche removed things like power windows, the rear bench, the air condition and the sound deadening in order to save weight. The front hood is made out of aluminium for the same reason, the glass in the side and rear windows is thinner, the chassis is seam-welded and the wheels are made out of magnesium.

The specific black 964 RS we have here is a 1993 model, originally delivered in Germany before being imported to the UK in 1997. With just over 60,000 miles on the clocks and an extensive service history, this example looks well taken care of but not what someone would call a garage queen.

After all this is an air-cooled RS we are talking about, it’s all about the driving and less about the staring. The car will be offered at Coys ‘Legend et Passion’ auction in Monaco on May 14 with the price estimated between €150,000 and €170,000 ($170,000-$193,000 in current exchange rates) but, as ever with these cars, no one will be surprised if the price climbs even higher.

PHOTO GALLERY