(1986-1988) Porsche 944 Turbo Cup – Ultimate Guide
In late 1985 Porsche developed the 944 “Weissach turbo cup race car” to provide amateur enthusiasts with a cost effective entry into motorsports. Porsche initially designed to participate in a single-marque racing series run in conjunction with 1986 German ADAC Supercup races, but soon spread to Italy, Spain, Belgium, Austria , USA, Canada and even Czechoslovakia.
The original 1985/86 German cars had a K26/6 Turbo producing 220 ps, this was soon upgraded to the 26/8 Turbo producing 250 ps. The French series ran from 1987 to 1990 and these cars ran without catalytic converters and an upgraded fuel system and produced 290 PS. Essentially standard-production 944 Turbos, the Cup versions included a magnesium oil sump, a smaller generator, stiffer suspension, reinforced gearbox, wider tires and modified engine components including a revised turbocharger.
In addition, the 944 Turbo Cup cars were fitted with an eight-point roll cage, driver’s Recaro racing seat, manual windows and, for weight-saving measures, were stripped of many interior components. This yielded weight savings of approximately 272 kg (600 lb) and improvements in performance of the car as the Turbo Cup cars had a 0 – 60 mph acceleration time of 5.3 seconds and a top speed of nearly 170 mph.
192 Turbo Cup cars were made of which 99 cars for Canada, VIN start WP0AAO and 93 for the rest of the world, VIN start WP0ZZZ. Cup cars are identified having the last 4 VIN digits from 1501 to 1700.
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