1993 Porsche 911 (964) Turbo 'S' Leichtbau

In May of 1992 Porsche announced that it was planning to produce a very special limited edition of its current 964 Turbo that was to be christened the 911 'Turbo S Leichtbau' (Light build). They expected to build 25-50 units (later upped to 80), they would be sold through Porsche Centres at a price not exceeding 300,000 DM, and the car was to be built in the fiscal year ending July 1992. The new project was to be a lightweight, road-legal, Turbo that would feature an increased engine output, together with enhanced handling and subtle styling differences.

A prototype was built using a 1992 3.3ltr Turbo chassis and the “1992 Turbo S Leichtbau” came into being but, ironically, production did not start until July 1992 meaning that they were all built in the 1993 Model Year. The car was a development of the Turbo S2 and the target was to increase engine output by around 40bhp, however, that was comfortably exceeded and, in the end, an additional 61 horses were found bringing net power up to 381 bhp. Porsche explained: "With different camshafts, precision-machined intake ducts, slightly higher charge pressure and an optimised ignition and fuel injection system, this six-cylinder engine was capable of producing 381 bhp. To deliver all that power to the road surface safely, the car was lowered by 40 millimetres and the running gear was given firmer settings." However, the main quest was to find a significant weight reduction, and in this, they were very successful reducing the overall weight by 180 kg. This was achieved by doing without under body protection, sound-proofing, air conditioning, power steering and rear seats. Further savings came from thin glass, aluminium doors, a carbon fibre luggage compartment and even thinner carpets.

The actual build numbers for this model have been misquoted over time with official Porsche records concluding 80 Leichtbaus were built initially. In fact, there were an additional 6 vehicles. The 81st car was added on as part of the recorded end of production run on November 20, 1992. The 82nd - 86th cars lack definitive production information in the Porsche official records for their final production and delivery dates.

The fabulous 911 on offer here is a 964 Turbo S 'Leichtbau' which, according to its Porsche Certificate of Authenticity, was completed on 13/12/1992, is chassis number 51 of the 86 cars and carries, unusually, a C99 Country Code. It's finished in Gloss Black (one of only six) with a Black Leather interior with 'Triple-Tone' Recaro seats in Rubystone (Pink, Cherry and Lilac) and a matching wheel. It's in full lightweight specification with Kevlar panels, has manual steering and LSD, but still retains the Airbags and Air Conditioning. The car was registered in the UK in January 2014 with full AFN history since then, however, sadly nothing before. The indicated mileage is just short of 69,000 kms but we are unable to warrant this.

With the lack of early history and the potential value of this rare car, we took the decision to have a “230 Point Porsche Report” carried out by 'Porsche inspections.com' and rather than try and paraphrase their conclusions we felt it best to just publish them.

“This car, a 911 (Type 964) Turbo S "Leichtbau" is a 1993 model year (as shown by the "P" at the tenth digit of the vehicle Identification number. The engine is a single turbo 3.3 litre (376 bhp) unit with the G50, 5-speed manual gearbox. The car is left-hand drive in black with a black interior and coloured highlights. Unusually the country code is shown as C99, which suggests the car could originally have been specified as a "racing vehicle" but a roll cage does not appear to have been fitted, it is possible the car was built at the Weissach motorsport facility or went through the Porsche 'Special Wish' program but there is no conclusive data to verify this. The original service book is missing, a Porsche replacement is provided showing servicing carried out by the current custodian. Due to the missing early history and unusual country code, it is impossible to verify the current mileage but the general condition of body and interior would tie in with the recorded mileage of 68,868 kilometres. The V5 document shows the car has been registered in the UK since the 1st of January 2014. All Identity marks are present and appear un-tampered with. The car has all matching numbers, checked against a data print from Porsche Cars GB. The body is fitted with aluminium doors, Kevlar luggage lid and rear spoiler. A paint depth test of the upper bodywork suggests that the paint is mostly original and the Kevlar weave can still be seen on the rear spoiler. The finish is of a good standard and the car presents very well. A few panels have some very shallow scratches which appear to have been made whilst cleaning, these should all polish out and there are a few stone chips to some exposed areas, concurrent with the mileage, plus a scuff on the bottom right-hand corner of the front bumper. The interior is very well preserved, clean and tidy throughout with the expected levels of wear to the driver's seat bolster. The floor is dry and there are no signs of dampness. Seats are the genuine Recaro supplied items, dated July 1992.

The wheels are the genuine Porsche "Speedlines 8” front and 10” rear and carry the "Speedline for Porsche" etching. They are all in original condition and as such do have some crazing evident on the spokes, wheel spacers have been fitted at the rear. Tyres are a matching set of Michelin"s which are "N" rated (Porsche approved), all have plenty of tread remaining. Brakes can be described as good, with hardly any wear to the disc surfaces and plenty of material remaining on the pads. Braided brake hoses have been fitted all round. The engine bay was very clean and tidy, the same can be said for the engine underside. No oil leaks were present at all and the general appearance of all components under the car was outstanding for a car of this age. Turbo manifold bolts and heat shields are also in a very good condition. An after-market 'Cargraphic' exhaust has been fitted which looks in very good condition. The Air conditioning was working well and all of the controls functioned as expected”

The car is fitted with an immobiliser and will be supplied with two keys, its V5, replacement service book, receipts and MoTs during present ownership, a list of the original options fitted, and the comprehensive 230 Point Report. It will be freshly MoT'd at the time of the sale.

These rare cars are particularly sought after and given recent auction results this superb example certainly looks an attractive proposition.