Porsche 911 3.2 Club Sport (1988)

When Porsche wanted to build a 911 2.7 RS for the 1980's, it came up with the Carrera 3.2 Club Sport, a car which much like an RS has gone on to become a sought-after classic. In common with its RS predecessor, the key to the Club Sport is weight, or more specifically, less of it.

By modern standards, even the weight of the standard Carrera at 1210kg would be enough to celebrate, but Porsche shaved around 40kg from this. Very much a forerunner to the succeeding RS lineage, and certainly with a mindset similar to that of the 964 RS and onwards, Porsche removed the luxuries that have over time become the norm in the 911 range. Out came electric windows, rear seats, rear wiper, radio, rear quarter panels, door pocket lids, central locking, engine-and luggage-compartment lights, passenger sun visor, even some sound-deadening and the coat hooks! Porsche reinstalled manual heater controls from the parts stock instead of an automatic thermostat system.

Mechanically the car was fitted with a lighter starter motor, a simplified wiring loom, and an alloy spare wheel. The Club Sport retained the standard 3.2 litre unit, but now blueprinted with stiffer mounts, and hollow inlet valves. The Club Sport features a revised ECU which nominally lifted the red line by 500rpm, but power output wasn’t changed. The gearbox was that of the 1987-introduced G50; a five-speed now fitted with a short shifter and revised, longer ratios in fourth and fifth. Firmly intended for use as a drivers car, the Club Sport was fitted with a limited slip differential from factory.

Despite the reduced options list, the Club Sport's interior stands the test of time and was far from the sparse, stripped-out racecar you might assume from the above.

The Club Sport received full carpeting, including where the rear seats were removed; and wonderful pinstripe fabric sports seats.The Club Sport can be identified by its livery in tribute to the 2.7 RS, Grand Prix White with Guards Red ‘Carrera CS’ decals and matching wheel centres. Only a handful of cars were built outside this colourway. Just 340 Club Sports were built, and of those, just 53 C16 right-hand-drive examples for the UK.