Vehicle Description
Chassis No. WP0AA0957JN165080
In 1983, former racing driver and then manager of Porsche Canada
David Deacon sought a way to promote the successor to the company's
entry-level 924 models. His solution had been proven by countless
motorsports icons turned sales successes before it: win on Sunday,
sell on Monday. Two months after the inaugural Porsche 944 Cup race
at the N�rburgring, Mosport Park, Toronto hosted the first round of
the Canadian Rothmans Porsche Challenge. The race featured a 30-car
grid of naturally-aspirated 944s pulled from the production line
and uprated for high-level competition. Running costs were low, the
prize money was attractive, and most importantly, the racing was
close and hard. Period race footage can still be found on YouTube
of stripped-back 944s drafting, banging doors, and jumping curbs in
these brutal half-hour shoot-outs. Naturally, such a spectacle
attracted numerous sponsors and generous television coverage,
eventually spawning additional series in France and South Africa.
Having proven the normally aspirated 944's motorsport credibility,
the Canadian Rothmans Porsche Challenge switched to the more
powerful 944 Turbo for the 1988 season.
This particular Alpine White 944 Turbo Cup, chassis number 165080,
was completed on 18 December 1987 as one of just 38 Canadian market
factory-built 944 Turbo Cups destined to complete in the 1988-1990
Rothmans Porsche Turbo Cup Championship. The Porsche-issued
Certificate of Authenticity also notes that the car was specified
with a Black Leatherette interior, Bosch anti-lock braking system,
Continental tires, and lacked lacquer and chrome preservation. The
car replaced the original Dicom #89 car with matching VIN number 89
that was campaigned in the 1988 Championship and had sustained
damage during one of the early rounds of the 1989 Championship.
According to its CASC Vehicle Log Book, Dicom entered this yet
unraced Turbo Cup, chassis number 165080, in the remaining rounds
of the 1989 Championship, also under the number 89 and driven by
Canadian racing driver Jacques Bienvenue. Known for his clean
racing style, Bienvenue was a seasoned driver with over two decades
of experience including impressive finishes at the Sebring 12
Hours, Daytona 24 Hours, and Le Mans 24 Hours. As a result, chassis
number 165080 survived six rounds of the unforgiving Rothmans
Porsche Turbo Cup Championship largely unscathed, finishing twelfth
in the 1989 Championship thanks to an impressive fourth-place
finish in round three at Mont Tremblant, and a podium finish in
round seven at Mosport Park.
In the years since it competed in the 1989 Rothmans Porsche Turbo
Cup Championship, the car has remained exceptionally well-preserved
in its original Turbo Cup specification including its Dicom racing
livery and original Turbo Cup oil pan seal. The Porsche has been
meticulously cared for by just two private owners since Dicom's
ownership, with the current owner acquiring the car from Porsche
Lauzon in 2015 and subsequently importing it from Montreal to
California. Most recently, the Turbo Cup underwent a head gasket
replacement in August 2022 by Greg Brown at Precision Motorwerks at
a cost of $12,223.36. Also benefitting from new Toyo Proxes tires,
the car was frequently displayed at car shows under current
ownership, travelling less than 500 of the 35,131 kilometers shown
at the time of cataloging. Having raced in just six rounds of the
Rothmans Porsche Turbo Cup Championship, this is undoubtedly one of
the cleanest and most original 944 Turbo Cups available today -
ready for an open season of wheel-to-wheel racing at PCA and
vintage racing events, or enjoyment on road rallies and tours.
