In a bid to prove the race credentials of its 944 Turbo, Porsche
envisioned a turnkey spec-racing series in the mid-1980s. The
automaker's Competition Department in Weissach stripped 944 Turbos
of their heavy luxuries and made substantial fiberglass
weight-saving tweaks as well as significant under-hood changes such
as a larger turbocharger, uprated 928 S4-sourced brakes, and
various drivetrain upgrades. Just 39 were allocated for the North
American market, including Canada. The result was an ideal blend of
grassroots-style driving with cars properly prepped from the
get-go.
Purchased new by Agincourt Autohaus Leasing and delivered to Cooke
Motors of Toronto, Ontario, Canada, this 944 Turbo Cup was
initially raced by Rick Bye, who later worked for Porsche's
Canadian operations. Securing Reebok-which was on the heels, so to
speak, of the launch of its new Pump line of athletic shoes in the
late 1980s-as a sponsor, Bye commissioned the eye-catching bright
livery the car wears today. Bye campaigned the car successfully in
the Rothmans Porsche Turbo Cup Championship, placing tenth and
ninth in the 1988 and 1989 final standings respectively, and
claiming victory in July 1989 at Le Circuit Mont-Tremblant.
The 944 Turbo Cup was then sold to a Mr. Ian Goggin who prepared
and raced the car in the IMSA Firestone Firehawk series in the
early 1990s. Goggin retired the car, and after a brief period of
storage, it was reunited with Bye in 1994 and exported to the
United States. There, a careful restoration was undertaken to its
current condition, including a refinish into its period-correct
Reebok livery.
The car remained under fastidious single ownership into the early
2020s, and today it presents as a relative time capsule to an
important era for Porsche. Look beyond its signature graphics and
you'll find a simplified cabin with a heavily bolstered Recaro
racing seat next to a stock seat wearing the automaker's
distinctive script upholstery, but little else. Up front, the
uprated KKK-turbocharged 2.5-liter four-cylinder remains paired
with a five-speed manual gearbox and a limited-slip differential.
Significantly, this factory-built race car remains road-legal and
is offered with an Ohio title, making it equally suited to
wheel-to-wheel racing at PCA and vintage racing events or enjoyment
on public roads.
Vehicle Details
1988 Porsche 944
Listing ID:CC-2008556
Price:Auction Vehicle
Location:Las Vegas, Nevada
Year:1988
Make:Porsche
Model:944
Odometer:8370
Stock Number:LV25Lot_125
VIN:WP0AA0950JN165082
Interested in something else? Search these similar vehicles...
ClassicCars.com has been recognized as one of the fastest-growing private companies in the United States, successfully making the Inc. 5000 list in both 2015,
2016, 2017 and 2018. This prestigious accolade represents the continued growth of the company, and ClassicCars.com's dominance as the world's largest online marketplace for
buying and selling classic and collector vehicles.
The Stevie Awards, the world's premier business awards recognized
ClassicCars.com's first-class Customer Support team with a Stevie Bronze Award in 2019, celebrating the team's skills as exemplary customer support specialists.
In 2016 The Journal, brought to you by ClassicCars.com, was celebrated as the SECOND MOST INFLUENTIAL automotive blog in the world by NFC Performance.