1993 Porsche 968 Club Sport

A C16, UK 968CS in Grand Prix White supplied by Evans Halshaw Porsche on 6th May 1993

One of only 179 and with its first keeper until 2014 (21 years)

Specified from new as a 'drivers' car with no creature-comfort options

Further enhanced; upper and lower bracing bars, rose-jointed rear anti-roll bar links, a lightweight flywheel, a lightweight exhaust system and KW Variant three adjustable coilovers

43,300 miles. Recent service including belts, four x Michelin Pilot Sports. Fresh MOT

C​​omplete with its original handbook, service book, wallet, tool roll and a large history file

Totally driver-focused, the quintessential Club Sport

The standard 968 was a great all-round sports car but, as a last 'hurrah' to this enduring lineage, Porsche wanted to create a car tailored more for the pure enthusiast and, in particular, one that would excel in competition. In late 1992, the 968 'Club Sport' was introduced and, whilst it was mechanically identical to the standard 968 and shared the same 3.0-litre engine (240bhp and 225lb-ft of torque) and 6-speed gearbox, it differed in a number of important ways.

This track-focused run-out model adopted the philosophy of 'less is more' by removing all luxury-related equipment from the basic build specification. With this no-frills approach, less weight, and clever suspension, Porsche could now focus media attention on the Club Sport's fast road and track abilities. As soon as the press got hold of the Club Sport and discovered what a brilliant drivers' car it was, the credibility of the 968 went through the roof. Even Walter Röhrl reckoned it was the best handling car that Porsche made. The CS achieved a 'Performance Car of The Year' award in 1993 from Performance Car magazine in the UK.

In total, just 1,923 CS examples were produced worldwide, of which only 179 were UK right-hand drive models, making the Club Sport a very rare Porsche indeed. There has been, over the years, a misconception in the motoring press that Club Sports are only Club Sports if they have bucket-seats, wind-up windows, no sunroof, manual hatch, etc., however, the Club Sport was available to order with any number of options-and indeed it frequently was. It's very common to see Club Sports with Recaro cloth comfort sport front seats, electric windows, sunroof, air conditioning, and even rear seats whilst still sporting the 'Club Sport' badge.

However, the first owner of this smart Grand Prix White 968CS was not tempted by the options list and was obviously keen not to dilute its original sporting intent with mere creature comforts. It was delivered by Evans Halshaw Porsche on 6th May 1993 with the optimum specification of factory M030 suspension, adjustable roll bar, larger brakes, and the M220 limited-slip differential. The only other boxes ticked were the deletion of the extended rear shelf, deletion of the decals and the fitting of a set of Sabelt four-point harnesses.

It remained with its original keeper until 2014 when his advancing years precluded the Porsche's further use but during his ownership he obviously enjoyed utilising the car's legendary handling and enhanced it further with additional front suspension upper and lower bracing bars, rose-jointed rear anti-roll bar links, a lightweight flywheel, a lightweight exhaust system and he upgraded the Koni suspension to the more sophisticated KW Variant 3 adjustable coil-overs offering better damping and more adjustability. (The original M030 Koni shock absorbers have been rebuilt by Koni and are supplied with the car).

This lovely C16, UK-spec, right-hand drive Clubsport was recently serviced by a marque specialist, and the attention included replacing the cambelt and balance belt, four new Michelin Pilot Sport tyres and a fresh MOT. The current indicated mileage is 43,300 and it's accompanied by its original handbook, service book, wallet, initial order, tool roll and a large history file.

With its optimum specification and subtle handling enhancements, this sparkling little Club Sport is unashamedly driver-focused which, we would suggest, is exactly what Porsche had in mind.