1993 Porsche 968

The Porsche 968 was unveiled in August 1991 and was the final evolution of the front-engine, water-cooled Porsche line that dated back to 1975, with the introduction of the 924. The front-engine Porsche models - the 924, 944, and 968 - shared the same fundamental components including a water-cooled inline-four, a rear-mounted transaxle, and a fastback design. All three achieved success in motorsports competition, beginning with the 924 Carrera GT which placed 6th at the 1980 24 Hours of Le Mans.

Like the 944, the Porsche 968 was available as both a coupe and a convertible. Its basic styling was an evolution of the outgoing 944, itself based on the earlier 924.

The Mechanical Specification
The Porsche 968 rested on a 94.5-inch wheelbase, the same as the 944, and had an overall length of 170.1-inches (approximately the same as the 944). It had the same height and width as its predecessor, standing 50.2-inches tall and 68.3-inches in width. Much of the chassis and mechanical components were courtesy of the 944 S2, including the steel unibody structure, brakes, and suspension. Porsche, however, maintained that 80 percent of the car was new.

The suspension was comprised of aluminum semi-trailing arms and aluminum front A-arms in a MacPherson strut arrangement. The brakes used Brembo-sourced four-piston calipers, ventilated rotors, and an anti-braking system.

Power was from an updated version of the 944's 3.0-liter (2990cc) straight-four engine and changes to the powertrain included the addition of Porsche's then-new VarioCam variable valve timing system, newly optimized induction and exhaust systems, a dual-mass flywheel and updated engine management electronics. The bore measured 104mm and the stroke at 88mm. It had a higher 11.0:1 compression ratio, a lighter crankshaft, crankcase and pistons, along with a revised intake manifold and intake valves. Output was rated at 237 horsepower at 6,200 RPM and 225 lb-ft of torque at 4,100 RPM. The 944 had used a five-speed manual transmission, while the 968 was fitted with a six-speed unit, and Porsche's dual-mode 4-speed Tiptronic automatic was optional.

The Design
The design of the 968, along with its 924 and 944 predecessors, is attributed to Dutch automobile designer Harm Lagaay. He joined Porsche in 1971 and aided with the company's 911 and 924 designs before joining Ford in Cologne as Chief of Design in 1977. He joined BMW in 1985 before returning to Porsche in 1989 to serve as the head of the 'Style Porsche' department in Weissach.

The 924 had been a joint project of Volkswagen and Porsche created by the Vertriebsgesellschaft (VG), the joint sales and marketing company funded by Porsche and Volkswagen to market and sell sports cars. A change of directors at Volkswagen and the oil crisis of 1973 brought an end to the sports car project for Volkswagen. Since Porsche still needed a replacement for the 914, soldiered on, with the 924 arriving in 1976 and produced by Audi in Neckarsulm, Germany, on behalf of Porsche. Production continued until 1988 when it was replaced by the 944.

The 924 had a gently sloping bonnet line, a grille-less nose, and folding headlights with an overall shape that embodied the 'wedge shape' design theme popular throughout the industry during this era. The styling, reliability, fuel economy, and handling were praised by enthusiasts and journalists, however, its lack of performance was criticized. Porsche listened, introducing a turbocharged version in 1978 and a similarly styled, luxury grand tourer named the 928 equipped with a front-mounted V8 engine.

When the 944 arrived in 1982, replacing the 924, its new all-alloy 2,479cc inline four-cylinder engine was approximately half of the 928's 5.0-liter V8. Although the four-cylinder engine was not the conventional powerplant motivating a luxury sports car, it was chosen for its fuel efficiency and size. Production of the 944 continued through 1991 with over 163,000 units built during that time, making it the most successful sports car in Porsche's history until the introduction of the Boxster and the 997 Carrera.

The styling of the 944 was an evolution of the 924, with the early examples riding on 'cookie cutter' style wheels before they were upgraded to new 'phone dial' style wheels. The windshield was now a flush-mounted unit, North American-market cars had bigger bumpers and the front bumper had a larger rubber portion, and there were pop-up headlights. It now had near-perfect weight distribution, was slightly faster even though it had a pooer drag coefficient, was more comfortable to drive, and had better handling and stopping power.

The 928 Styling retained the design links to its predecessors while incorporating familiar styling to the top-of-the-line 928, including the pop-up headlamps and the integrated front bumper. In the back were fully colored rounded taillamps with special bulbs that either illuminated a small area in amber color when the turn signals were activated or in white when the car was reversing. Between the taillights and just below the model type number was a badge labeled 'PORSCHE.'

The overall shape was rounded and modern, retaining the wedge shape, sloping front windshield, and hatchback design. The interior of the 944 S2 was carried over into the 968 with only minor updates, including the replacement of the switches in favor of control knobs. Porsche offered a wider selection of exterior and interior colors, and the 968 rode on 'Cup' style 16-inch alloy wheels. There was a Fuba roof-mounted antenna, and a slightly updated 'B' pillar and rear quarter window. Just like the 944, the 968 was available as a coupe or convertible.

The Performance
The Porsche 968 with the manual transmission had a top speed of 157 mph (252 km/h) and could sprint from zero-to-sixty mph (100 km/h) in 6.5 seconds.

Production
The production of the 968 at Stuttgart in Germany began in 1991 and continued through 1995 with a total of 12,776 examples built during that time. 1992 was the highest production year with 5,353 units constructed, followed by 3,783 in 1993, 2,484 in 1994, and 1,156 in its final year. 4,389 examples were convertibles and 8,387 were coupes.

Its brief production lifespan was attributed to poor sales coinciding with that of the 928, Porsche's other front-engine car at the time, and the economic recession of the era. Minimalistic Club Sport and racetrack-ready Turbo S versions were added to the range before production ceased after only four years.

The 968 did not have an immediate front-engine successor until the arrival of the Cayenne SUV in 2003. Porsche would not build another four-cylinder model until 2014, with the introduction of the Macan.

The Club Sport
The lightweight Club Sport was devoid of non-essential items and tuned for enhanced on-track performance. Engineers removed much of the sound-deadening insulation, the window lifters were hand-operated, the rear seats were deleted, the front seats replaced with lightweight Recaro competition seats, and a non-airbag three-spoke sports steering wheel fitted. Features such as a sunroof, an audio system, and air conditioning remained available as options. The heated washer jets were replaced with non-heated units. The rear wiper was removed along with the vanity covers in the engine bay. With a smaller battery and a less complex wiring loom, the Club Sport weighed approximately 100kg (220 lb) less than the standard 968. Mechanical improvements included a lower ride height, revised suspension, and 17-inch (up from 16-inch) wheels wrapped with wider tires. The front tires measured 225 while and the rears at 255.

In 1993, the Porsche 968 Club Sport was voted 'Performance Car of the Year' by the UK's Performance Car magazine.

The Club Sport was produced from October 1992 through 1995 and all had black interiors with simpler door cars similar to the 944. The Club Sport models produced in 1993 was only available in Guard red, Maritime blue, black, Grand Prix White, and Speed yellow. The seat backs were color-coded to the body. UK market cars had 'Club Sport' decals in either red, white, or black but could be 'deleted' at the buyer's request.

The Maritime Blue was replaced in 1994 with a Riviera blue, and a number of other colors were apart of the selection list.

Zero-to-sixty mph was accomplished in 5.6 seconds and top speed was achieved at 162 mph (260 km/h).

The 968 Sport
During 1994 and 1995, Porsche offered a UK-only version called the 968 Sport which was essentially a Club Sport model and even used the CS chassis numbers. With various model year 1994 option packages, it was known as the P35 'CS UK Luxury Pack,' adding such amenities as an electric release boot, central locking, a sunroof, power windows and mirrors, an alarm, and cloth comfort front and rear seats. To accommodate the additional electronic items, a larger wiring loom was used.

968 Turbo S
Porsche Motorsports at Weissach produced a turbocharged 968 in 1993 with the same body and interior as the Club Sport with NACA bonnet hood scoops, a deeper front spoiler, an adjustable rear wing, and three-piece Speedline wheels. The 3.0-liter engine had an 8-valve SOHC cylinder head from the 944 Turbo S and the 944S2 style engine block. It developed 305 horsepower at 5,600 RPM with a maximum torque of 369 lb-ft (500 Nm) at 3,000 RPM. Zero-to-sixty mph took 4.7 seconds and the top speed was 175 mph (282 km/h). The suspension was lowered by 0.7-inches (17.8mm) and it weighed 45 pounds (20 kg) less than the standard 968. Just fourteen examples were built and only offered for sale in mainland Europe.

Motorsports: The Porsche 968 Turbo RS
The motorsport version of the 924 was known as the Carrera GT, introduced in 1979 at the Frankfurt Auto Show and followed a year later by the 924 Carrera GT. A total of 406 examples were built which meant they qualified for Group 4 racing requirements. Of the 400 roadgoing examples, 75 were made in right-hand drive for the United Kingdom market. Additionally, Porsche built 59 examples of the 924 Carrera GTS, all in left-hand drive, with 15 of those being race-prepared Clubsport versions. The ultimate development of the 924 was the 924 Carrera GTR which had 375 horsepower from the highly tuned 2.0-liter inline-four and weighed a mere 2,050 lbs (930 kg). Three examples contested the 1980 24 Hours of Le Mans, finishing 6th, 12 and 13th overall.

While the motorsport development of the 924 had focused on European races including LeMans, the motorsport version of the 944 was aimed at the SCCA Production Class in North America. In 1986, the Carlsen Racing 944 won the SCCA Escort Endurance Series Championship (S/S GT). David Finch captures the SCCA GT2 tiles in 1988 and 1989 in the 944S, and the highly modified 944 version built by Klym Fabcar competed in the SCCA Trans Am Championship.

In the mid-1980s, Porsche began five series for the 944 Turbo - one in the United States, one in Canada, one in Germany, one in France, and one in South Africa. These Turbo Cup cars received a larger KKK K26-8 turbocharger, a magnesium intake manifold and oil pan, and numerous other upgrades, reducing weight by approximately 600 lb (272) and bringing the zero-to-sixty mph time to 5.3 seconds.

The motorsport version of the 968 was known as the 968 Turbo RS and was built by Porsche Motorsports Research and Development between 1992 and 1994. There were two versions, one with the K27 turbocharger from the Turbo S producing 337 horsepower (342 PS) and built to the German ADAC GT specification, and an international spec version employing a KKK L41 turbocharger and developing 350 horsepower (355 PS). The ADAC GT specification was built to the 1,50 kg minimum weight requirement while the international version weighed approximately 2672 lbs (1212 kg).

The interiors were minimalistic with a single racing bucket seat and a six-point harness. They had a welded-in roll cage, a racing clutch, a modified 6-speed manual transmission, and a racing suspension. Only four examples were built for privateer racing teams, as they were overshadowed by the 911 Carrera RS 3.8 race car also offered by Porsche at the time.

The Seikel Motorsport team entered a 968 Turbo RS at the 24 Hours of LeMans in 1994, driven by John Nielsen, Thomas Bscher and Lindsay Owen-Jones. Only lap 84, it was involved in an accident and was unable to finish the race. The Joest team raced in the ADAC GT Cup, achieving a fourth place in the Avus race in 1993. In the BPR, the 968 Turbo RS placed sixth in 1994 at the 4-hour race by Dijon, its best finish in the race series.

by Daniel Vaughan | Jun 2022