Birkin Back in Europe

Video features new V6 2.3 engine to be installed in new Birkin.

Birkin International and R S Performance Engine Developments are delighted to announce Birkin’s return to Europe with the appointment of R S Performance as Birkin's UK based European distributor. 

Russell Savory, mastermind and founder of R S Performance, said ‘Birkin Blower is an iconic name in motoring history and this partnership has allowed us to produce a car worthy of the name’.

The new partnership seems like a match made in heaven.  Birkin have been builders of extremely high quality Birkin S3 (based on the Lotus 7) for many years.  Birkin have teamed up with R S Performance who has developed a very small lightweight V6 engine in both normally aspirated and supercharged versions, the latter capable of producing 600 HP.  These new models will be known as the R S Birkin Speed Six and the R S Birkin Blower.

Russell Savory said ‘We needed a car with a chassis capable of handling the power produced by our V-Master range of V6 engines.  Birkin had such a car with their independent rear suspensioned and very well engineered chassis with the great Birkin history’.

R S Had just re-located to their own World War 1 aerodrome at Stow Maries in Essex when negotiations with John Birkin Watson commenced.  Both parties soon realised that this partnership had to happen.

John Birkin Watson, on his first visit to the last intact WW1 aerodrome in existence, knew this was the place for people to come and see his cars.   J B Watson had long known of Russell’s engines, originally with the RST V8 and when he saw the R S Levante, with in excess of 500 HP from a lightweight V8, he knew this was the company to build a high performance Birkin.  Not that the standard Duratec engined car is any slouch but a car with a power to weight ratio in excess of 1000 BHP/TON would excite any true petrol head.  

In true Colin Chapman tradition we have been able to add lightness to the car as this new V6 engine in SC form weighs only 84 kg.  Russell says we are looking forward to a bright future with Birkin and are proud to bring the R S Birkin Speed Six and the R S Birkin Blower true icons in British motoring history back to life.

Click on the Birkin link on the right for imagery of the first Duratec demonstrator displayed at our workshops - imagery of the R S Birkin Speed Six and the R S Birkin Blower coming soon...

Click here for the RS Performance web site - designed and built by Racecar