Photo: Porsche
The 911 is an automotive story about evolution. Porsche’s best engineers decided on shoehorning the iconic flat-six in the rear, then kept perfecting the formula year over year. And ever since the advent of turbocharging with the 930, the ultimate derivates of the 911 always benefitted from forced induction. The limited-edition 964 Turbo S Leichtbau is just one of those rarefied beasts.
Official records quote that 80 units were produced in the early 1990s, but Porsche actually made 86. The Gloss Black model we’ll talk about today is chassis no. 51. Finished in December 1992 and fitted with Recaro seats with pink, cherry, and lilac inserts, the steering wheel mirrors the color combo.
Something else that’s a bit offbeat with the interior of the 964 Turbo S Leichtbau is the lack of rear seats. Considering that Leichtbau translates to “light build,” people in the market for such a machine couldn’t care less about this matter. After all, Porsche created the Leichtbau as some sort of ode to the go-faster gods that know their old-school German sports car well.
The diet amounts to reducing the overall weight by 180 kilos, and also consists of removing the sound proofing, air con, as well as the underbody protection. Then considered an exotic material, Kevlar was used for various panels as yet another weight-saving measure. And yes, the wheels are the period correct Porsche Speedline 8s wrapped in high-quality Michelin tires.
A development of the 964 Turbo S2, the Leichtbau’s 3.3-liter single-turbo mill has 61 horsepower more than the model on which it’s based. With 381 bhp and a limited-slip diff, it’s not hard to imagine what a blast this thing is to drive. But when compared to lesser 964s, this variant is a big-budget affair.
Slated to find a new owner next month courtesy of Silverstone Auctions, the pictured Turbo S Leichtbau is estimated to fetch anything between 475,000 and 575,000 pounds sterling. And that’s without the buyer’s premium.
Something else that’s a bit offbeat with the interior of the 964 Turbo S Leichtbau is the lack of rear seats. Considering that Leichtbau translates to “light build,” people in the market for such a machine couldn’t care less about this matter. After all, Porsche created the Leichtbau as some sort of ode to the go-faster gods that know their old-school German sports car well.
The diet amounts to reducing the overall weight by 180 kilos, and also consists of removing the sound proofing, air con, as well as the underbody protection. Then considered an exotic material, Kevlar was used for various panels as yet another weight-saving measure. And yes, the wheels are the period correct Porsche Speedline 8s wrapped in high-quality Michelin tires.
A development of the 964 Turbo S2, the Leichtbau’s 3.3-liter single-turbo mill has 61 horsepower more than the model on which it’s based. With 381 bhp and a limited-slip diff, it’s not hard to imagine what a blast this thing is to drive. But when compared to lesser 964s, this variant is a big-budget affair.
Slated to find a new owner next month courtesy of Silverstone Auctions, the pictured Turbo S Leichtbau is estimated to fetch anything between 475,000 and 575,000 pounds sterling. And that’s without the buyer’s premium.
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