bluedd

i was looking for a rwd for DD/track and thought about getting a mid-90 miata but found nothing that i like. they are either in crap condition or people are asking too much for the car. then i came across a 92 968 with strong engine/brake/clutch so i said why not. this pass weekend was the first time i brought the car to track at buttonwillow. and i was pleasantly surprised by how it performed at the track.

given that i'm not expert driver and i only saw hpde group 1&2 a couple times, the driving was far from competitive. but for a 14 year old car, it did provide a lot of fun. the engine doesn't rev like s2k, only with 6.5k redline i believe but it does love to rev and does it very smoothly. for ~240hp, i'm surprised that the 14yo actually feels like it has full 240hp functioning. previous owner did say that it was rebuilt not too long ago. i was able to pass an evo. i have an evo too so i know power wise it's not comparable and the evo driver was probably not that good. but the point is i didn't expect the engine to perform like new but it was close if not exceeding.

another highlight is the brake. the stock brakes doesn't stop the car particularly better than s2k or evo, but that 14yo did handle the 4 sessions without any problem. i didn't feel any brake fade at all and for reference i was going with friend's 2yo audi a4, and 98 nissan SE-R. the a4 brake disc was glowing red after 4th session and both a4 and SE-R had serious fading. so we didn't exactly drive like nannies.

to be continued after dinner...

bluedd

most interesting thing is the handling part. when i got the car, it felt like the chassis of the car was strong although slight rattling in the cabin being old car. stock suspension was a bit soft though and the s2k is definitely more responsive with a more composed feel in the suspension, and turn in was not as sharp too. but as soon as the 968 is at the track, the soft suspension actually handles pretty well. there is little body roll and the 50/50 weight distribution is very apparent and the car is very neutral. it is much easier to control than the snap oversteer of s2k. it's quite easy to regain control over small mistakes.

overall, i'm surprised by it's track capability. although the 968 an old car and not a common choice for track duties, i just wanna share as i think it does deserve more respect. for example, e36 m3 performs comparably but seems to be more widely recgonized. so it looks like i'll be using the 968 for a while until my skill level is up to the task of owning another s2k again at track.

rai

I was reading about these cars way before I could afford them. IMO at the time the 968 was a great car, let down (IMO) by it's high price. I believe back in 92 it was selling for $40K+ which today would be something like $50K+ (add another $10K for the verts).

Here is a link:---->>click

he-he at the time the 3.0L was the most powerful NA I4 in production at 240hp (sounds like a nice number )

I took a test drive of a very old and tired 944 NA with MT, it had 130K+ miles and was not in the best of shape, and at the time I had a new Z3. I thought the 944 was OK but very rough around the edges however that may be due to it's poor condition of the car after years of abuse.

Here's another link:---------->>>>>click

they are not common with ~12000 sold total worldwide just about 5000 sold in the US in 4 years.

Back in 92-93 a guy in the building I lived in had a 968 Cab and man did I love that car. But IMO the S2000 is a nice substitute.

CG

Great cars! I've driven them several times and even done some high speed autocrosses that were more like track days in them. Very nearly S2000 performance in a older sportscar.

JonBoy

My Dad is running a 1988 944 Turbo S (prior generation) that is pretty sick. He's putting out about 280 rwhp right now on stock injectors with a Vitesse chip and electronic boost controller (and a few other things). He had it up to an indicated 163 mph two weeks ago coming back from Calgary.

Dad puts about a half gallon of toluene in each full tank and said it made a noticeable difference for him. He's boosted, though, and it doesn't appear that you are so I don't think it'd make much of a difference in the end.

They're great cars, if you maintain them properly. Dad has a second parts car for when things break and he can do all the maintenance himself so it's really a win-win situation for him.

mosesbotbol

The 968 has always been a great car, no doubt on that one. It came at time when Porsche was at its most expensive for what you got. Totally rock solid and the best pick for a front engine coupe in its hey day. My friend managed a Porsche dealer at that time and he was really pushing them as track cars. Not too many give them props as there is not many of them, most are convertibles, and the price has been high until 7-8 years ago.

At the time they were current, they were the most powerful 4 cylinder engines.

Enjoy the car and with a little weight stripping, you'll be passing many cars.

NFRs2000NYC

If you are looking to buy a track monster, a 944 is superior to the 968. You want a 944T.

http://www.cars.com/go/search/detail.jsp?t...10&aff=national

Or this one...

http://www.cars.com/go/search/fs_search_re...al&aff=national

You can get a fully built track motor for under 10K...in the vicinity of 500hp/550tq.

The 944 motor is plenty reliable until about 250K miles or so, after which it just needs a minor rebuild, and its as good as new. It really is a bulletproof engine.

The 944 is also known as the "world's best handling Porsche"

bluedd

great link.

interestingly the 968 is not my fix until my next s2000.

bluedd

JonBoy, NFRs2000NYC, i'm sure 944 turbo is fun and people are making crazy power. i was not looking for a high power car when i shopped and the 240hp of 968 is already a bonus. i'll leave power hunger fix to the evo and will learn driving NA rwd car using it and get another s2000 when i graduate from the 968.

g60racer

I seriously considered a 968, the only thing keeping me from it was the expense and PITA (DIY) of replacing the clutch. I had a 944 previously, and it was $2500 to pay someone to do it, or a good 20 hours of labor doing it on your back on ramps in the backyard. No thanks.

The 924/944/968 platform has perfect 50/50 weight distribution and a very smooth ride considering its handling capabilities. Definitely a nice freeway cruiser. Not a drag racer by any stretch of the imagination, unless you were lucky enough to get a 968 Turbo S or a 968 CS. The interior of the 87+ 944 and 968 is still one of my favourites of all time. I would definitely love to have a black/black 968 six speed manual in my garage at some point.