Porsche 968 Club Sport: The ‘Other’ Perfect Sports Cars
Forget about the 911 – back in the early to mid 1990s, the lightweight Porsche 968 Club Sport was truly something special.
Throughout its illustrious history, Porsche has produced some of the most coveted sports cars to ever roam this earth, ranging from the original 356 to the modern-day 911. In between, there have been many somewhat overlooked and underrated models, but perhaps none more so than the Porsche 968 Club Sport – a rare, track-focused machine designed to represent an entry-level weekend toy for customers wanting to dip their toe into the world of racing. However, very few were built, and today, they’re coveted and quite special collectibles, as Iain discusses in this fascinating video from the YouTube channel Tyrrell’s Classic Workshop.
The 968 – and the 928 that preceded it – were Porsche’s attempt at modernizing its sports car lineup with front-engine, rear-wheel drive machines, but performance wasn’t exactly anything to write home about – at least at first. That’s precisely what the Porsche 968 Club Sport was intended to rectify, but ultimately, only around 1,300 and 1,700 were produced worldwide, and a mere 170 or so were built in right-hand-drive configuration.
As Porsche has done time and time again throughout the course of history, it took the regular 968 and went full-bore working to shave weight from it in an effort to improve performance. This was particularly important in a time when fuel economy was at the forefront of consumer’s minds, and as such, Porsche fitted the Club Sports with lightweight sports seats, less sound deadening, and crank windows, all while removing basically anything that wasn’t needed – even making things like power windows, a radio, and climate control optional.
From there, the Porsche 968 Club Sport received a revised suspension that reduced ride height by 20mm, and added a set of lightweight wheels to boot. Ultimately, these efforts paid off, as the 968 Club Sport tipped the scales at a mere 2,910 pounds – 220 less than a standard model. However, it was powered by the same 3.0-liter inline-four engine making the same 237 horsepower and 225 pound-feet of torque, flowing to the rear wheels via a five-speed manual gearbox.
Regardless, the significant weight savings presented by the Porsche 968 Club Sport resulted in a 0-60 time of 5.6 seconds, coupled with a top speed of 162 mph. Those numbers don’t seem especially impressive by today’s lofty standards, but in the early to mid 1990s when this model existed, they most certainly were. Today, in a world where sports cars have only gotten heavier – and more powerful to compensate – lightweights like this are all the rage, and this video serves as a nice reminder of that bygone era, too.
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