1993 Porsche 911 Turbo S Coupe

Historically, the development of the Porsche 911 was the result of the factory's racing program. Group 4 homologation rules required 400 road cars to built, which spurred the development of 'Project 930' - the 911 Turbo. It was in production from April of 1975 and came equipped with a 3.0-liter RSR engine fitted with a KKK turbocharger. In road guise it offered 260 horsepower and had a top speed of 250 km/h. Along with its impressive top speed and performance, it was also the best-equipped 911.

The flared wheel arches and 'tea tray' rear spoiler on the Turbo had already been seen on the Carrera model, while the interior was the most luxurious yet seen in a 911. It came equipped with leather upholstery, air conditioning and electric windows. In 1978, the Turbo's engine was enlarged to 3.3 liters, and gained an inter-cooler in the process. Power rose to 300 horsepower and the top speed (of what was the fastest-accelerating road car of its day) increased to 260 km/h.

The Turbo was the definitive sports car of its age and was sold in the thousands.

In 1989, Porsche unveiled the L-program model, known internally as Auftragsnummer 964 (project number 964). It was designed to house the new all-wheel-drive system of the Carrera 4 as well as the rear-wheel-drive setup of the Carrera 2. All this technology made it heavier than earlier models and thus not as agile. Porsche understood it needed to shed some weight to attract their performance-oriented buyers. Several variants resulted from this effort including the RS 3.6, RS 3.8, and a lightened Turbo.

In 1993, Porsche introduced the Turbo S 3.3 Lightweight, or Leichtbau. The commemorative edition Turbo S was built to celebrate the IMSA Supercar Championship of the Brumos Porsche team. 86 examples were built by Porsche and they were visually similar to the 964 Carrera RS 3.8. The big difference over the standard Turbo S was the weight reduction, which got rid of over 400 lbs resulting in a svelte 2,850 lbs. Creature comforts and convenience items were removed, including the power steering, rear seats, radio, air conditioning, insulation and sound-deadening materials. Thinner glass was installed, aluminum doors replaced the standard steel panels of the production Turbo, and both the front trunk lid and engine cover with its prominent spoiler were made of a lightweight carbon fiber-reinforced composite. The items removed remained an option for customers, allowing them to create the car to their desired specification.

Powering the 1993 Lightweight was a Type M30.96SL engine which produced a conservative 380 horsepower. Improvements to the engine included modified intake runners, more radical cam timing, and upgraded fuel injection and ignition timing, and maximum turbocharger boost was increased to 1.0 bar. Zero-to-sixty mph was accomplished in 4.7 seconds and top speed was achieved at 180 mph.

This particular example is a 964 Turbo S 'Leichtbau' that retains its factory air conditioning system along with electric windows. It is finished in Speed Yellow (12G) which had been created by Sprenger and Porsche Head Designer Harm Lagaaj. It has a full Matter alloy roll cage, and a black and grey interior with a black headliner. There are leather-covered Recaro Sport Seats with red four-point Sabelt competition harnesses. There are RS-type door cards with yellow fabric release straps, a black and grey leather-wrapped steering wheel with a yellow center pad embossed with the Turbo S script, black carpeting, Dunlop tires on polished 18-in. diameter three-piece Speedline wheels, model script delete, non-assisted manual steering, the rear seats replaced with a carpeted storage box, and fully carpeted front trunk with yellow Turbo S embroidery.

It has the upgraded M030 European Sports Suspension package, which lowered the chassis ride height by nearly one inch. There are stiffer springs, struts, and shocks with larger anti-roll bars. There is an additional oil radiator behind the slotted front valance and air inlets combined with the front corner light units.

When new, this example was delivered to Porsche's Japanese distributor, MIZWA Limited in Tokyo, and thence to its first owner. Thus, it wears various Japanese-mandated safety and emissions labeling. In early 2015 the car was imported to the U.S. under the EPA/DOT 'Show and Display' license granted April 28th of 2015.

Currently, this example has been driven 36,142 km.

By Daniel Vaughan | Apr 2018