Porsche’s 70th anniversary – we look back 30 years to 1988
Type 964 Porsche 911 Carrera 4 retained much of its original 1963 styling (1989MY)
Last month we looked at some of Porsche’s milestones around the time of the company’s 50th anniversary in 1998. This month we track back a further ten years to 1988, and we look back 30 years at what was happening in the world of Porsche around the year.
Porsche Type 2708 CART race car in Miami, 1987
Porsche Type 2708 Quaker State CART race car (March chassis), 1988
With the Type 2708 CART, Porsche ventured into unchartered waters as it sought to test the American CART racing scene. The distinctive green and white Quaker State sponsored racer featured an aluminium and plastic monocoque body and was powered by an engine that ran on methanol. The upper body was made from carbon-reinforced plastic, while the lower body was in aluminium, the two halves were then screwed and bonded together. Porsche engineer, Hans Mezger, developed a turbocharged 2.65-litre V8 4-valve engine developing 750bhp for it, which borrowed heavily from Porsche’s TAG Formula 1 engine.
