1993 Porsche 968 Coupe- Midnight Blue Metallic on Classic Gray-6-speed, LSD, fully documented from new, enthusiast owned with amazing upgrades, just 47k miles, RARE!

The beauty of Porsche is that they took so many paths to sports car goodness; in the 1970’s Porsche had a 3-prong Sports Car strategy: a rear engined flat six, a front engine/rear transaxle 4-cylinder and a front engine/rear transaxle V8. Sadly they had just banished the mid-engine lay out 914, which of course would be picked back up later as the Boxster/Cayman.  Whatever layout you chose, each platform is entirely Porsche yet uniquely its own thing. Here we have the ultimate development of the 924/944 platform, what likely should have been called the 944S3….

In the mid-1980’s Porsche was selling 944’s as if they were cold beers at a Seahawks game. The car was widely praised for it’s 50/50 weight distribution, telepathic steering, aggressive fat-rendered styling and it’s torquey 4-cylinder motor.

As the go-go 80’s transitioned to the early 90’s Porsche found increased competition from the Japanese market and sales fell precipitously. The engineers had their work cut out for them, but they emerged with the 968 which was 83% new vs. the outgoing 944. Somehow they managed to maintain the greatness of the 944, but sharpen it in all aspects. A new 3.0 DOHC 4-cylinder motor with Porsche’s first use of Variocam produced 236hp and coupled with a 6-speed manual provided a performance envelope similar to the outgoing 944 Turbo but with no lag and a linear power band. Dynamically the 968 was an absolute gem BUT it the market viewed it as wildly expensive, this car stickered for $43,631, which is over $78,000 in today’s dollars, fully $20k more than direct competition like the Nissan 300ZX. As a result sales were dismal and few enthusiasts got to discover how ridiculously good the 968 is….  Just 1,811 6-speed manual 968 coupes were sold in North America between 1992-1995! Fast forward to 2020 and finding a good 968 is akin to finding a entry level priced home in the Bay Area! 

So now you know both how good a 968 is and how hard it is to find one, read on…. This particular 968 coupe has been a staple in our local PNWR PCA region and has caused me many a lustful thought (Forgive me Father….) over the years. The local couple who owns it are very active in various aspects of PCA and are the consummate Porsche fanatics. They purchased the car in 2003 with 32,655 miles from a fellow enthusiast in Ohio. Over the past 17 years and 15,000 miles they have pored countless hours in maintaining, detailing and best yet, DRIVING this 968! It is equally at home on the Autocross course as the Concours lawn, finding success in either venue. Here are some fun details:

Original Build Configuration:

• Midnight Blue Metallic Exterior over Classic Grey Partial Leather
• 6-speed manual
• Limited Slip Differential
• Full Power Seat Left

Sold new at Stoddard Porsche-Original MSRP-$43,631 

Upgrades:

• OEM Turbo S Front Bumper Cover
• OEM European lights
• OEM Turbo S Rear Spoiler
• 18″ Forged Fikse FM5 wheels, custom 968 fitment
• M030 sway bars, Koni adjustable shocks, H&R Springs, Re-indexed torsion bars and chassis setup by Greg Fordahl
• Big Brakes: 928S4 Calipers and M030 rotors
• Custom Exhaust: RS Barn header, custom center section, RS barn rear muffler
• RS Barn Engine Software
• RS Barn Lightweight flywheel and clutch kit
• Upgraded Audio: speakers, amplification and subwoofer. All discreetly installed behind factory grilles or out of site. 

As you can imagine with the above upgrades this 968 is a dynamic treat. It takes the goodness of the 968 and puts just a slightly sharper point on everything: turn in, throttle response, auditory feedback; It’s just a sensual delight. This is one of those situations where I HATE the fact this car is a consignment, since the car doesn’t belong to me I refuse to drive it anywhere near the limits nor put significant mileage on it, but I WANT to… After taking these photos I wanted to just point the car east and GO! It screams out for twisty 2nd and 3rd gear roads with liberal runs to redline… I guess you can be the one to get to enjoy it!

Aesthetically this car is remarkable, lest you think the performance modifications would beget a visual reminder of hard use, you couldn’t be farther from the truth. This car is stunning inside and out, in fact it won it’s class at the Porsche Parade Concours in 2017, talk about a dichotomy: a backroad burner yet a bowler hat Concours competitor as well. The car is wearing all original paint (except the front bumper cover and rear spoiler when those were updated) and has never been involved in any type of accident. The interior is likewise without exceptions, transaxle fanatics will note the pristine dash, unbroken center console and the temperature gauge that actually works as indicative of a pristine 968! 

Now don’t even get me started on the engine bay, I will let the photos speak for themselves…. have you ever seen a more sanitary engine bay on one??

The car comes complete with the following:

• Copy of the original window sticker
• COMPLETE service history from Day 1 to current with no gaps!
• Original books, manuals and keys.
• Original tools, spare and air compressor

I will stop bloviating about this 968, you decide, is there a cooler Porsche that can be had for sub $40k? I think not…