The ad below does a good job of explaining the intention behind the Carrera Cup model so I’ll get right to the present example. Purchased as a collector, this pristine Carrera Cup has spent its life in California and at no point has it visited a track. I don’t want to say it’s flawless because few cars are, but this is probably as close as we’ll get. This leaves me torn. Opportunities for coming across a 20 year old track car that is in nearly new condition are obviously quite rare, especially when only 45 of such cars were built in the first place. Yet, these were cars specifically built to be raced. As such, this car has never had a chance to fulfill its single-minded purpose in life. So here we are: a beautiful and rare 964 that is both lighter and more powerful than the Carrera 2 on which it was based. It needs a home (and maybe just one track day).
Year: 1992
Model: 911 Carrera Cup
Engine: 3.6 liter flat-6
Transmission: 5-speed manual
Mileage: 773 mi
Price: Call for price
CLICK FOR DETAILS: 1992 Porsche 911 Carrera Cup at Canepa Design
VIN: WP0AB2967NS420576
Only 773 miles
One of 45 produced
In 1992, Porsche introduced two Carrera lightweight cars for the US market. One was the RS America, a performance oriented lower cost alternative to the regular Carrera 2, that was 76 pounds lighter than the base Carrera 2. 701 of these cars were sold in North America from 1992-1994. The second car was bit more special.A total of 45 Carrera Cup USA editions were imported into the United States in 1992 exclusively to complete in a national race series. That series never materialized and Porsche decided to sell these 45 cars directly to consumers. Certainly not a low cost alternative, the Carrera Cup cars commanded a 20% premium over the base Carrera 2 Coupe, coming in at $78,340.
By the time the decision had been made to sell the Cup cars to the public, Andial had already transformed 25 of the cars into full race-spec. Although they had never been driven, the cars had to be “reconverted” back to street form by Andial and Porsche NA. This is one of the 25 “reconverted” Andial race cars. The only remaining elements of the conversion are 2 tubes left from the roll cage on each side of the engine compartment; remnants of the roll cage weld pads inside the car; and stiffer steering coupler links. The car received a special dash plaque with its VIN and separate Andial race-spec sub-serial number. This car is number three of the 25.
This is a Porsche that was slated to be a racecar from the outset. At 2760 lbs, the Carrera Cup USA is 271 lbs lighter that the standard Carrera 2. The engine is rated at 280hp, a 34 hp increase. The wheels on the car are the racing magnesium editions that save 23.3 lbs over the aluminum wheels. The suspension is firmer and 2″ lower than the Carrera 2. In fact, no system on the car was overlooked to produce as much performance as the 964 chassis could deliver.
Sold new through Newport Auto Center in California, this Carrera Cup USA has been a California car ever since. Kept as a collector car since day one it has only accumulated 773 miles since its purchase, and has been kept in immaculate cosmetic and mechanical condition.
Major differences from the standard Carrera 2:
Engine:
Increased horsepower and torque
Race type engine mountsDrivetrain:
Varialble ratio limited slip differential
Sport Flywheel
Short shifter
Steel synchronizer rings in transmissionBody/Equipment:
Manual mirrors left and right
Various reinforcement chassis welds
Package shelf (no rear seats)
Hood is made of aluminum with no gas struts
Body cavity wax, undercoating and sound deadening components have been eliminated
No air conditioner
RS America-type door panels with pull strap for door opener
36 ampere hour battery
Master electrical cutoff in trunk
Partial electric seats
No sunroof
Racing electrical charging systemSuspension and Brakes:
Suspension has stiffer Carrera RS springs and shocks
Braking system has different calibrations
Manual steering
Adjustable stabilizer barsSpares:
1 Roundel
1 Carpet covered package tray
1 Under tray 964-119-029-04
1 Engine cover 964-119-014-03
1 Engine cover 964-119-015-03
1 Engine cover 964-119-012-03
1 Engine cover 964-119-013-03
1 Floor mat set 000-044-801-41-5FV
1 Door sill trim 964-559-293-01-01C
1 Cover strip 964-559-295-01-01C
6 Plastic Grommets 999 702 160 40
1 Screw 900-143-149-07
6 Clip 999-591-916-40
1 license plate bracket.Contact Canepa Design on (831) 430-9940
We’ve seen a Carrera Cup listed anywhere from $75,000 to $160,000 so pegging the likely cost of this one is a little difficult. Given the condition of this car we can expect it to be at the higher end of that scale, possibly even exceeding it. At this point, this car will remain forever a collector; a museum piece witnessing to a racing series that never was and the closest thing to a 964 RS ever sold in the US. In a way that’s sad, but I suppose having every one of these raced until they died would be sad too.
-Rob
What rationale do dealers like Canepa use to not advertise their prices? I take dealers like Fantasy Junction much more seriously because they almost always show an asking price for every car on their web site, as does Copley and a few others.
If I had the scarole to afford this car I would help it feel happy again and autocross it, and track it, and drive the ever loving snot out of it to help it fulfill it’s true purpose
Jack, I’m guessing because they’re hoping to catch the top end of the market no matter what the time table is, and have no need to sell the cars. That way it can be a sliding scale. For example, Carrera Cup 964s were $20,000 cars only a few years ago, and are now worth nearly 5 times that in good shape.
Carrera Cup 964’s have never sold for $20,000.
Indeed they did – several PCA racers picked them up in the low 20s when they were way undervalued and had them shipped from Europe.
Gorgeous. One of these, together with a 300sl gullwing, are the two cars I would buy, and track, if the Powerball comes through. Does seem like a shame never to drive it.
Incorrect Carter.
In 1992, 45 USA-legal cars that were very similar to the Carrera RS were imported by Porsche to the USA for a proposed “Porsche Carrera Cup” racing series, which Porsche decided not to pursue. They were stuck with these 45 cars.
These 45 cars were identical to a Carrera RS other than having airbags, electric windows, alarm system, American lighting, American bumpers, aluminum wheels, and standard seats. The cars otherwise had the lightweight seam welded chassis, lightweight interior trim, aluminum hood, lightweight door glass, suspension, brakes, G50/10 transmission and M64/03 engine etc. of the Carrera RS. These cars were approximately 200 pounds (90 kg) lighter than a normal USA Carrera 2 model.
The plan was for Andial, the then equivalent of what is now Porsche Motorsport USA, to convert these cars to full racing specification, however, due to lack of sponsor support for the Carrera Cup series, it was cancelled before it began. The 45 cars imported to the USA for this series were then sold, quietly without any advertising so as not to compete with the new RS America, through normal dealer channels. These cars were supplied with a dash plaque which indicated that they were the “Carrera Cup USA Edition”.
Actually Audemars, you and I are talking about different things. I am not referring to the original run of cars. In the late 90s/early 00s, when the 996 Cup Car was all the rage, several PCA members took advantage of a loophole in the rule book and imported directly from Europe used 963 Cup Cars, which at that point were extremely undervalued. Several of them were heavily used and needed reconditioning and rebuilding. There were 5 or 6 that I was aware of in New England that were brought over – the cars were initially run in then Group E where they had a massive power to weight advantage over the C2s they were racing, then bumped up a class into either D or GTC2 depending on when and where you were racing, where they were less competitive. One of these cars actually impacted my father’s race car on track at a PCA DE. By the way, that’s a fantastic cut and paste out of Wikipedia. Oh, and while I have your attention, that RS America failed to sell or meet its reserve, high bid was $53,100.
Thanks for the update on the RSA Carter. A couple of years ago that car would have never reached $53k with higher mileage. Not a bad trend.
I agree that we are talking about two different things. I was specifically talking about the 964 CUP USA’s imported by Porsche, street legal for US roads, just like the one on this post.
Wikipedia is a great source for information but, in reference to the information on the 964 Cup USA I posted, it came from a friend that actually owned one of the 45 Cup USA’s imported by Porsche. He bought the car a few years ago with 45,000 miles for $125,000 and sold it for quite a bit more, a couple of years later.
Have a good evening, and obviously, all these rare air cooled Porsches have been a good investment the last few years.
Cheers!
FYI – The 67,000 Mile 964 RS America mentioned above, sold on Ebay for $60,000.
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=261275339671