[jimham968]

You can order single versions of the magazine on line for electronic delivery.

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[Langley968]

Checked the local bookstore and not available - so I just ordered it online.

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[Rap]

I picked up my car on Saturday from Provost after Max did some work. Sunday which was a gorgeous day called out for a drive. All I have to do is drive across the road and I am on a great road full of twistys. Ah what a great drive. The only difficulties I have are remembering that this is not the track car with its suspension and it doesn't have the upgrade mo30 brakes. It does have the sc though and that's a blast! I'm fortunate to live in an area where great driving is a stones throw away.

By the way, I don't think about any of the historical mumbo jumbo previously talked about. Petal to the metal with a big shiteatin grin.

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[Porsche968CS]

One thing that suggests the 968 was not a serious and enduring model for Porsche is the lack of special versions.  The 356 had the Carrera (in addition to other up-models), the 911 had the Turbo (and numerous others), the 914 had the 914-6, the 928 the GTS, the Boxster the S model, etc.   Sure the 968 has the Club Sport, but that was a down-model not a high-end specialty car that lifted the entire 968 brand.

 

Uh, and where exactly do the 968 Turbo S and 968 Turbo RS models fit in? It's actually the 928 GTS that had no special models being just the final evolution of the 928.

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[Waylander]

I was asked if my car was available for that photo shoot, but unlucky for me I was away on buisiness, Just for that day too bummer

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[Porsche968CS]

let's use logic here.  this was just another development of the same platform they had been using for 20 years.  i have that in writing in the marketing stuff.  nothing much really changed, regardless of the advertising claims of being 83% new (i still want to know how they got that number, when there are an awful lot of crossover parts).  yes, they added bigger motors, more gears, and more creature comforts, but really the same car.

 

 

If you have ever stripped a 968 next to the final version of the 944 (i.e. S2) you'll know that this percentage is not far off. There is hardly any parts that are the same. Obviously most are similar and can be fitted to either model but they're still different parts. Even things that look the same are actually different. This does not so much apply to the Cabriolet though which shares significantly more parts with the 944 (windows and doors come to mind).

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[968Syncro]

 

Uh, and where exactly do the 968 Turbo S and 968 Turbo RS models fit in? It's actually the 928 GTS that had no special models being just the final evolution of the 928.

The 968 Turbo S and 968 Turbo RS models fit in ......... absolutely nowhere.  They may as well have been engineering prototypes that went straight to the warehouse.  In contrast, we can compare to the 944 Turbo which had years of production, much consumer appreciation, and a racing history.  The 968 Turbo S/RS aren't even as remarkable as the the 931 which at least raced at LeMans.

 

And yes, you are correct, the 928 GTS was really an evolution rather than a special model.   Maybe the 928, also a Porsche orphan, would also have benefited from an upscale special model.

 

I guess the point is that the 968 has no well-known special character:  no racing history, short production life, no contemporary young kids drooling for one, simply a filler while waiting for the Boxster to get into production,  the character is not much more special than the 944 S2 (sure different styling and a bit more HP).  It almost makes more sense to think of the 968 as the 944 S3 which was originally its designation.  I get numerous comments while out shopping such as "wow, cool car, I always loved those 944s".

 

But yes, it is a terrific and wonderful car, but nobody except owners know this.  Probably the most prominent feature that will influence values is it's rarity, which nobody knows about.

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[flash]

the cab having things in common and the hardtop not makes almost no sense.  ALL 968 cabs started out as hardtops.

 

while there may be some "differences" in parts, they are essentially the same.  so what if the rear side windows are not "exactly" the same?  things like that do not make it a different car.  that would be like saying that a particular color made it a different car, just because that color was only available one year.

 

given that the car has about 30000 parts (no kidding), i think you would be hard pressed to say that 25000 of them are different, or at least different enough to have any impact.

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[ds968]

After driving 944s for about 18 years and 968s for nearly 14 years now ( yes, I've had a few "overlap" years when I still owned both )  I can tell you that there is essentially NOTHING in common to these cars in the way they feel, drive, perform, handle, function mechanically, etc. , no matter how many "similar"  components / parts they may have.  It's about as close as comparing a Toyota to a Jaguar.          

 

 p.s.  - having said that, and with the large majority of the attributes in favor of the 968, I still think that ( in stock form ) , the 944 will turn a fast corner with far greater ease and stability than the 968 will - or at least  that's been my seat of the pants impression, one which is also shared by at least two other friends who have driven both cars.         

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[Ryan]

Well the 944 was a lighter car by a fair amount.

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[flash]

actually, by the time they got to the S2, it wasn't so much of a difference (about 100lbs)

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[Porsche968CS]

the cab having things in common and the hardtop not makes almost no sense.  ALL 968 cabs started out as hardtops.

 

while there may be some "differences" in parts, they are essentially the same.  so what if the rear side windows are not "exactly" the same?  things like that do not make it a different car.

The windscreen of the coupe is different as the 944 has an integrated antenna and the 968 has not. The rear quarter windows differ as well. Both examples only apply to the coupe which brings me back to the other point I made. Doors of the coupe differ from the 944 while the cabriolet has the same.


I agree that the differences are small but they're differences non the less. The interior is where you find the majority of the parts taken over from the 944. For the rest the car almost differs everywhere...

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[Rap]

Whether they are 944 or 968 parts I still enjoy driving the heck out of the car!

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[MCL968]

Yep, and I especially like having people stop and ask me "what is that"? I bet that rarely if ever happens to 944 drivers. The rarity if the car was one of the things I liked the most about it, although if it wasn't fun to drive I doubt I would own one. 

 

I think there are a total of 3 968's in the Reno/Sparks area, and I have not seen another on the road in years. The very first one I saw (which piqued my interest in the model) was a red 92 cab that was parked in the faculty lot where I park in 1993. I asked the driver (an Econ prof with a penchant for fast cars) if it was a 944 with 928 headlights, and he chuckled and told me that it was actually a 968. Last I heard, that car is languishing in a garage somewhere with bad belts and interior problems.

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[Kaj Hallstrom]

Boy!!!...lot's of ways to open a can of worms. By the end of the day and when the sun sets I still love my "Amethyst Dazzler" and she still remains one of the most beautiful designs of Harm Lagaaij. For every look and comment a 911 gets.... I get ten..........No reason to cover up the light when it shines!!

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[flash]

don't get me wrong, the 968 has been a special car for me.  i don't think anybody has spent as much time and effort promoting it, working on it, and developing things for it, as i have.

 

that being said, i see it for what it is.  all hype aside, the car is a 944S3.  it's really not much different from the last version, than that one is from the previous, or the previous from the 924.  they are really all the same car, with some variances in engine, trans, and face lifts.

 

it's really just like the 911.  they are really all the same car, all the way up through the 993.

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[ds968]

Not just up through the 993, but all the way to present day ; all dozen or more current versions of the 911 are the same car with negligible variations from one to the next . But there's clearly still a market for that, so this trend will probably continue for Porsche eternity ..


To me the 968 is Porsche's equivalent to Ferrari's Dino : among the red headed step children of the brand, underpowered and under-appreciated for a long time, but arguably the most beautiful car ever produced by the maker and always a head turner while the other models generate little more than a " meh " reaction from anyone . Of course I don't think the 968 will ever match a fraction the collector value the Dino has and will continue to have, but it's the closest comparison of which I can think to any other car in history ..

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[az968]

Certainly the 968 is the extension of the 944 line, Porsche has said it was going to be the 944S3 but with all the face lifting done to make it fit better with the 911 and 928 styles and the technology in the variocam and 6 speed and tiptronic transmissions there were enough new parts and designs they decided a new name was a better marketing approach for a break with the past. Thus the 968. And I think Harm's team converted the 944 into a beautiful and still-modern-looking and driving car. Very well done. They included the best parts from the bin, including 944 turbo suspension and brake parts. The books on the 968 history also say that they hoped the 968 would carry them well until the new Boxster was released. But it was priced too high compared with alternatives, like the RX-7 and 300SX. That led to the Sport Coupe to get a lower priced model, and later the Sport that was in between the two. Still more expensive but closer to the competitors. By then Boxster-mania had taken hold and buyers were waiting, thus an early demise for the 968. Despite that, it is one of the most attractive cars they have done and even today you can see current models in the design. It may never make the "high collector" status, but that doesn't mean it can't be enjoyed for what it is,a very very nice car and a blast to drive. Hopefully we can get a group of them together again at a west coast gathering so we can play with them.

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[flash]

re: the 911 break after the 993. the chassis changed at the 996, which makes it a new car.

 

that is why i feel the 924, 944, and 968 are all the same car.  they are the same chassis.  it really doesn't matter what you bolt up to it.  certainly the 968 is the best version of that chassis, and is leaps and bounds ahead of the 924, but really you could make the comparison to the 991.  the baseline car is not all that well appointed, underpowered, and lacking in many areas.  however, you can build yourself up a great car, by going with the bigger engine, the upgraded suspension, interior options, and even some exterior components.  that doesn't make the 991 GT3 or a fully loaded Turbo a different car than the base 991 though.  they are the same car.

 

does the 968 deserve media attention?  absolutely.  it is the final expression of the 924.  it showed what nearly 30 years of development can do.

 

p.s. - i never liked the lines of the 968.  the reverse curves on the rear quarters, and the ridge down the side, always made me crazy.  a lot of cars today bug me in that way too though.  eye of the beholder, and all that

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[Kaj Hallstrom]

BTW read the story of the 968 Turbo S and the 968 Turbo RS in Panorama 719. Interesting Le Mans history.

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