Vehicle Description
1991 Porsche 964 Carrera 4 Leichtbau
VIN: 964-015
Porsche's ultimate 964
One of only 22 ever produced
The only C4 Lightweight painted in black
750+ pounds lighter than a stock Carrera 4
Rally-spec all-wheel drive system built around the Porsche 953
rally car
5-speed transmission with short-ratio gearing
2769 original miles (4,456 kilometers)
Mechanical differential bias controlled from the cockpit
3.6-liter twin-plug flat six air-cooled engine
Introduced to the public in 1989, the Porsche 964 would bring
technology to the 911 that was first used in the Porsche 953 rally
car. All-wheel drive was now available on the 964, dubbed the
Carrera 4, but added a significant weight penalty to the
already-enlarged 911. With the world economy still recovering from
a major recession in 1987, customer sports department manager
J�rgen Barth devised a plan to revitalize customers interest by
introducing a special program to produce an exclusive 964.
Channeling motorsport ingenuity and engineering, Barth and his team
created the most focused Porsche 964 that the world would ever see:
The Porsche 964 Carrera 4 Leichtbau (Lightweight construction).
Beginning with a 964 shipped to the Weissach works factory, each of
the Carrera 4 Leichtbaus were constructed in the racing factory.
Upon arrival, each and every piece of the car was analyzed. If it
was deemed too heavy or unnecessary, it was replaced or removed.
The doors and hood were made of aluminum, the side windows Lexan,
and the deck lid of lightweight plastic. The interior was stripped
down to just bare paint, with a roll cage installed in its place.
Racing seats were installed, a lightweight exhaust was created, the
heater fan was removed and all traces of comfort and luxury were
eliminated in the pursuit of lightness. When said and done, almost
770 pounds were removed from the cars. The 964 Carrera 4 Leichtbaus
were true Weissach products. Built by hand and prepared like race
cars, normally the adage goes "street car for the race track," the
964 Carrera 4 Leichtbau is a true "race car for the street."
Mechanically, the running gear became the star centerpiece which
was built around the original Porsche 953 rally car. An ultra-light
flywheel was paired with the short-ratio 5-speed manual
transmission and using 953 all-wheel drive systems, used in the
1984 Paris Dakar rally cars, were installed into the 964s. Each
drivetrain was numbered a unique set of numbers specific to each
car. While the Porsche was naturally aspirated, aluminum 935 boost
knobs were used to control the differential bias which could be
adjusted by the driver from front to rear and side to side of the
car. The stainless-steel exhaust system was fabricated and with no
sound proofing or deadening materials to speak of, created one of
the loudest street 911s to ever leave Germany.
With the first Leichtbau finished, the issue was now importing the
964s into the U.S. With the DOT and EPA scrutinizing all
grey-market import cars, especially with Porsche after the recent
influx of importing Carrera 2.7 RSs and the recent 959 program,
Barth needed a way to import his new brainchild. Californian Kerry
Morse committed to the first 964 Carrera 4 Leichtbau, 964-001,
before they were even being built. Morse said that he would
purchase several more if they ended up being built, and gave
Barth's 964 Carrera 4 Lecihtbau program its running start. Morse
also pushed for the VIN to reflect the Porsche factory's way of
numbering factory werks cars to be able to import them to the U.S.,
and the 964s then began to receive their 964 Leichtbau-specific
VINs, beginning with 964 001. These street cars had their VIN
stamped the way Porsche assigned their own racecars and telling the
DOT and EPA that these cars were made specifically for off-road
driving. Having to stretch the truth to almost the breaking point
on many parts of these special 964s in order to get the cars into
the U.S. was a tricky process, but ultimately worked.
Due to internal decisions back and forth with departments, the
original estimated price of $110,000 ballooned to over $170,000.
Due to the 964s only being allowed to be imported as a race car in
the U.S., customers had to take delivery at the Porsche factory,
tacking on an additional $20,000+ in VAT fees (which could be
recovered when the customer left the country). All 22 lightweight
creations were sold, and J�rgen's program made money for Porsche.
Not only did it clear a path for future collectible cars from
Porsche, but also made the company realize that there would always
be business from loyal enthusiasts who wanted something special
that no one else had.
964-015 here is the 15th example of 22 cars, special from the rest
of the lineup due to its rare black paintwork. While C4 Leichtbaus
were white, yellow, red and silver, this is the only car ever
specified to be black. Originally purchased by Mike Amalfitano
directly from the Porsche factory in 1991, the purchase would be
far easier than the hurdles that the DOT and EPA in America
presented. In order to get the factory racecar into the U.S., his
lawyers submitted testimonies from experts of the car's
unsuitability for use on public roads, having now U.S. Senator Judd
Gregg attesting to Amalfitano's good character and honesty and
personal assurances that the Porsche would only be used for
competition events and not on public roads.
In August of 2010, the Lightweight would be sold from the
Amalfitano collection during the Bonhams auction at the Quail Lodge
and Golf Club in Carmel. Kerry Morse, a widely recognized Porsche
resource and one of the original facilitators for building the
Leichtbaus, purchased the car for himself. He would then sell the
car to its most recent owner in 2015 and keep the car in excellent
condition. Recently, the owner thought about selling the car and
contacted Bruce Canepa. A personal friend of the owner, Bruce
talked about the Lightweight and convinced him to bring the car to
Canepa to be offered for sale.
The Carrera 4 Lightweight arrived at Canepa with its mechanicals
recently serviced. Showing only 4,456 original kilometers since
new, the car is close to what a new 964 Carrera 4 Lightweight would
look like. The car was immediately placed into our system to be
given the "Canepa Difference" process, going through the entire car
cosmetically and mechanically and checking each and every system.
The underside of the car was hand cleaned revealing the factory
suspension and plating in pristine condition. The original black
paint was carefully washed and treated to a light polish with only
foam pads. With the simple interior cleaned to prepare it for our
inventory, the 964 Carrera 4 Lightweight now sits ready for its new
owner and to experience the raw thrill of J�rgen Barth's
lightweight masterpiece.