Porsche 911 Carrera RS 2.7 1973
Entering the world of historic cars at age 21
Simon Kidston, now known as one of the world’s leading historic car dealers, got a job at Coys Auction House at the age of 21 and jumped into the world of historic cars.
Simon Kidston, known as one of the world’s leading historic car dealers, understands the power of time and has built his career on the aesthetic sense that can read it.
British-born, Italian-raised Kidston has been selling and fascinated by historic cars for over 35 years, and he has a special relationship with Porsche, particularly the 911 Carrera RS 2.7, the only car he will never sell.
“My dad was always crazy about cars. We always had fast cars in the garage, and growing up we always had two car magazines delivered to our house regularly,” Kidston recalls.
Those magazines were The Motor and the official Porsche magazine, Christophorus. His obsession with cars stems from the fact that his father, Home Kidston, a former Royal Navy officer, was an avid racing driver. Simon’s uncle, Glenn Kidston, was a famous British racing driver and pilot in the early 20th century.
In 1988, at the age of 21, Kidston applied for a junior position at Coy’s Auction House in Kensington. “At first I didn’t get a response, but then my cousin put in a good word for me,” he laughs. That success paid off, and he got the job at Coy’s. After a three-month probationary period, he began his eight-year career in the world of classic car auctions.
“I fell in love with the auction world. My ability to speak French and Italian gave me access to a European clientele that no one else could,” he said. He then moved to the auction house Brooks (later Bonhams) and moved to Geneva, where he set up his own company in Europe.
Meeting and parting with various Porsches
As a well-known historic car dealer, Kidston came across many rare Porsches, one of the most memorable being the Porsche collection of Vasek Polak.
In 2006, Kidston founded his own company, Kidston SA, operating from the spectacular La Maison des Paons on Rue Pictet-de-Rochemont in Geneva.
Over the course of 18 years, he applied what he learned in the world of historic cars to build a reputation as a leading international dealer of rare collector cars, with branches in Geneva and other locations from Modena to Dubai.
Now 57, he works as a broker and historic car consultant, and remains at the center of a number of legendary historic car auctions, including the purchase of the most expensive Mercedes-Benz 300 SLR ever, which sold for 135 million euros at Sotheby’s Europe in 2022.
Kidston won the bid on this car on behalf of a client, but his personal highlight was the sports car from Stuttgart-Zuffenhausen. He has had many encounters with great Porsches and experienced unforgettable moments, including the Porsche collection of former car dealer and collector Vasek Polak.
“It included two rare Porsches: the Porsche 917K that Vic Elford and Gérard Larrousse won in Sebring in 1971, and a 959 prototype. I remember thinking, ‘That’s the most gorgeous car I’ve ever seen!’ Then, in 2007, I came close to buying it (laughs). That was the car that got away.”
The 911 Carrera RS 2.7 that was with the family
The 911 Carrera RS 2.7 that Kidston’s father purchased in 1973 has brought back many memories for him and his family.
For Kidston, there’s one Porsche he wouldn’t trade for: “Without a doubt, it’s the 1973 911 Carrera RS 2.7 in Signal Yellow that my dad ordered new,” he says.
It was Kidston’s father’s second Porsche, purchased after trading in a Polo Red 1967 Porsche 911 S. This 911 Carrera RS 2.7 was Kidston’s first memorable Porsche.
“In 1985, my father and I drove a 911 Carrera RS 2.7 on the German autobahn to get it serviced in Zuffenhausen. We had never driven that fast before.”
The 911 Carrera RS 2.7 remained in the family and brought back memories for many years. When his father passed away in 1996, the 911 came into Kidston’s possession. He used it to transport his father’s ashes to his final resting place in Wales. On the way back, he visited his girlfriend’s parents in Scotland and proposed marriage to her.
“Before she could reply, the blue lights of a police car appeared in the rearview mirror (laughs). Despite having received six penalty points for speeding, she replied, ‘Yes.'”
The 911 Carrera RS 2.7 played an important role in many milestones in the Kidstons’ lives, and it was even the first car that Kidston’s son got after he got his driving licence on his 17th birthday, making it a car that has been passed down through three generations.
One that I can never give up
Kidston hopes that the 911 Carrera RS 2.7 his father bought will remain a family car for his children to keep after his death.
The 911 Carrera RS 2.7 currently has 112,000 km on the clock and is carefully stored in Kidston’s home in the UK. “I love how this car fits me like a well-worn glove,” Kidston says.
It’s hard to let go of a car with so many memories. The 911 Carrera RS 2.7 should always be with the family and should never be sold.
“This 911 Carrera RS 2.7 is part of our family history. It’s the car that inspired my love for sports cars. I want my children to have it forever, even after I’m gone.”
