Failed attempt
It was a turbulent time at Porsche in the early 1990s. Business was poor, ideas were needed – and the plush days gratefully absorbed everything that came their way. This explains why some of the finest Porsche 911s ever made were created during those years, including the Carrera RS, the RS/RSR 3.8 derived from it, and the Turbo S lightweight. But the Stuttgart-based company also had the ‘Transen’ in its range, which also needed a boost – and, as was so often the case at Porsche, they saw motorsport as the salvation. The 968 Clubsport was created, which sold quite well, followed by the 968 Turbo S (of which only 13 were built, here) – and then the Porsche 968 Turbo RS. Of this model, option M005, only three were ever built.
Chassis number WP0ZZZ96ZPS896062 is the last model built, which became famous as ‘Bubbles’. Porsche exhibited the vehicle with this paintwork (and reasonably decent equipment) at the Essen Motor Show in December 1993, with a price tag of DM 228,000. Under the bonnet was a slightly modified 3-litre engine, which produced 360 hp in racing trim; the weight was stated as 1350 kg. In February 1994, the car went to Norwegian Erik Henriksen, who drove it in several races in the then new BPR International GT Endurance Series, achieved one class podium finish – and then put the car away. In 2008, it was purchased by a well-known collector who now wants to sell it again, Broad Arrow, Amelia Island 2026, estimated price: over a million dollars.
The problem with the Porsche 968 Turbo RS was that it was simply too good, too fast. A very fine article in issue 19 of the ultimate Porsche magazine 000 not only covers the history of all three examples and the prototype (which was a Clubsport), but also features engineer Dirk Schmid sharing some interesting insights, revealing that even the people in Weissach were surprised at how fast the 968 was, even faster than an RSR 3.8. Although it was essential to sell racing cars for customer racing, somehow the transaxle didn’t quite fit into the Porsche image. It would have been exciting to see this concept pursued further in Stuttgart, but instead the Boxster and Cayman were introduced.
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