This list is generated from e-mails that we have received from people viewing the website – some are RSA owners but others are just interested parties. Here is a video addressing some of your questions!
How Many RS Americas were built?
The validated production number from the factory archivist in Stuttgart is 701 examples. See below:
A further letter was sent letter was sent to Porsche Cars North America (PCNA) requesting details of the RS America production run. A total of 13 questions were asked and the answers appear after each question in the response from PCNA below.
Extensive research through a library of over 250 Porsche books (including some authorized by the factory archives in Stuttgart) have established that the 1994 RSAs VIN# range is as shown below
Also, despite the official factory letter above which specifically states in response to question 2 that no RS Americas were manufactured between Jan/92 and July/92, the dataplate for the very first RS America (Vin# PS418001) has an M-date of 2/92 and all of the first 297 made have M-dates before 7/92. RSA Vin# PS419061 (the 298th to be made) has an M-date of 7/92.
Obviously, these data bring the dates quoted in the above letter into question.
| Production date mm/yy to mm/yy | Vin # | # Made | Model Year |
| Jan/92 – Jun/92 | WPOAB296*PS418001 to PS41829 | 297 | 1993 |
| Jul/92 – Apr/93 | WPOAB296*PS419061 to PS419379 and PS419450 | 320 | 1993 |
| May/93 – Aug/93 | WPOAB296*RS419061 to RS419144 | 84 | 1994 |
| Total # Made | 701 |
How can I find out what number an RS America is out of the 701 built?
If the Vin# of a particular RSA is known, the above table can be used to calculate what number it is out of the 701 produced.
For example lets find out where Vin# PS419312 is out of the 701 made:
As it is not a “PS418xxx” series Vin#, the above table shows it is not one of the first 297 built. The first of the “PS419xxx” cars had Vin# 061, so by subtracting 60 from 312 (Vin# being PS419312) we come up with 252 meaning it was the 252nd car in the “PS419xxx” series, which, when added to the first run of 297 cars means that this car was the 549th of 701 RSA’s built.
What do the factory option codes printed on the ID label (located on the underside of the front hood) mean?
Another good question – but an easy one to answer.
To find out where to look for the ID label with the factory option codes printed on it go to the What is an RSA? page.
The most common three digit option codes you are likely to find on an RS America ID label are as follows:
- C02 – US market car (smog legal – fitted with catalytic converter) All US Delivered RSA’s should have this option on their ID labels.
- C36 – Canadian market car. All Canadian RSA’s should have this option on their ID labels – it signifies that in addition to having US required catalytic converters fitted, labels are changed from gallons to liters and the speedometer is in kilometers/hr in stead of miles/hr.
- 220 – Limited slip differential (40% locking)
- 331 – Porsche CR-1 Cassette/radio (see image below)
- 573 – Air conditioning
- 650 – Electrically operated sunroof
- 718 – Next years model – i.e. built in 1992 but the RSA was a ’93 model
- 900 – European delivery – the original owner took delivery of the car from the factory in Germany
How do I find out exactly when my RSA came off the production line?
Every RSA has the date it passed final quality inspection and left the production line engraved on its dataplate. This is known as the manufacturer’s date code or “M-date”.
So where is this dataplate that has the “M-date” on it? Well, it is not hidden – but you do need to know where to look.
Open the driver’s door and then take a look on the driver’s door jamb just below the latch. Here you will see the factory dataplate which is a black decal. This dataplate is considered to be the primary source of data on the RSA to which it is attached. If you find the dataplate is missing on an RSA, exercise caution. This means either the car had the dataplate removed because the car was in an accident and was repainted, or it might indicate something more sinister – such as the vehicle was stolen and the dataplate removed to conceal the original Vin#. In either case, the Vin# should also appear on a black metal plate on the driver’s door pillar – which is best viewed through the windshield as well as just ahead of the fuel tank in the front trunk. If the car’s Vin# is not visible in either of these locations, it might be a good idea to avoid the car all together.
The dataplate gives a lot of data on your RSA including Vin# etc. but if you look up in the top RH corner, you will see the manufacturer’s date code or “M-date”. This states the month and year that this particular vehicle passed final quality inspection and left the production line.
In the example above, the “M-date” shows that this particular RS America left the production line in January 1993.
How do I read the Vin# of an RS America?
A sample RSA Vin# would be- WPOAB2968PS419312
- The first 3 digits are the World manufacturers code. WPO = Porsche.
- The 4th digit is the body code where A = coupe, B = Targa and C = Cabriolet.
- The 5th digit is the engine variant code B = USA & Canada only.
- The 6th digit is the passenger restraint system where 0 = seatbelts, 2 = airbag
- The 7th & 8th digits are the first two digits of the model designation (e.g. 964).
- The 9th digit is the check character which is randomly generated from 0 – 9 OR the letter X
- The 10th digit is the model year where “P” = model year 1993 and “R” = model year 1994.
- The 11th digit is always an “S” for RS Americas because it the plant of origin i.e. Stuttgart.
- The 12th digit is the last digit of the model designation when combined with digits 7 & 8 (e.g. 964).
- The 13th digit is the code for the body 1 = RS America, 2 = US Coupe with airbags, 4 = US Targa with airbag and 6 = US Cabriolet with airbag
- The last 4 digits are the serial number of the car as detailed below.
For RSAs built Jan ’92 to Jun ’92 the serial numbers are 8001 – 8297 [Total 297]
PLEASE NOTE: Although these cars were built in 1992 they were 1993 model year so on their option codes on the bottom of the ID label under the front hood (or in the first page of the maintenance manual) they carry “718” which means “Next years model”.
For these cars the 10th digit in the Vin # is a “P” (see above).
For RSAs built July ’92 to June ’93 the serial numbers are 9061 – 9380 [Total 320]
For these cars the 10th digit in the Vin # is a “P” (see above).
For RSAs built July ’94 – Aug ’94, the serial numbers are 9064 – 9147 [Total 84]
For these cars the 10th digit in the Vin # is an “R” and they were fitted with rear seats in place of the dual storage bins that were standard on ’93 RSA’s.