Porsche 968 Turbo RS

www.QV500.com - Porsche 968 Part 4: 968 Turbo RS

The 968 Turbo RS was originally developed for Porsche's customer teams to contest the German ADAC GT Cup, a highly competitive championship organised during the early nineties. However, these cars also went on to race successfully in the GT3 class of the BPR GT series and in GT2 at Le Mans. Just four were built between late 1992 and early '94. Based closely on the 968 Turbo S homologation special, they were very much spiritual successors to the 924 GTR, one of which famously finished sixth overall in 1980's Le Mans 24 Hour race.

A more extreme version of the Turbo S, the RS could be specified in two alternative states of tune, one for the ADAC Cup and another for the international categories. ADAC regulations enforcd a 4kg-to-1bhp rule and also a minimum weight of 1350kg. This meant the 1300kg Turbo S had to be equipped with strategically positioned ballast and an engine producing no more than 337bhp. By contrast, the international regs allowed considerably more scope for development. Weight was reduced to 1212kg and a 350bhp motor installed, these cars using a KKK L41 turbocharger whilst ADAC engines used a K27 item. In both instances, displacement was an unchanged 2990cc and compression was reduced from 8 to 7.5:1 for better reliability. Visually the RS was pretty much identical to the forced induction road car, just fastening pins on the front lid and the dropped ride-height giving the game away. The 18-inch wheels were shod with slick Pirelli 265/630 and 305/650 tyres, the interior having every conceivable piece of unnecessary trim junked to save weight. Porsche installed a Matter roll cage, fire extinguishing system and single Recaro bucket seat with six point harness. Needless to say, performance of both versions was breathtaking, 0-60 taking just 4.5 seconds in international spec.

In excess of 175mph was possible at Le Mans and the first car, chassis 820065, was completed in late 1992. Painted Guards Red, after being used for development purposes, Porsche lent it to the Joest team who were waiting for their own car to be delivered. Entered for the first ADAC GT event of 1993, 820065 was driven at Avus by Manuel Reuter and finished the race in fourth place behind a pair of Schnitzer BMW M3 GTR's and Seikel's Honda NSX. A retirement followed in round two at Zolder and thereafter, 820065 spent the rest of the year back at the factory

It was rebuilt to international spec, repainted Speed Yellow and sold to Thomas Bscher. Throughout 1994 it was prepared by the Seikel Motorsport team who entered in a selection of BPR rounds and the Le Mans 24 Hours. At la Sarthe, 820065 contested the GT2 class where, driven by Bscher, Lindsay Owen-Jones and John Nielson, it was forced to retire after 84 laps following an accident. Bscher and Nielson also raced in a variety of BPR GT events that year, their best result having been ninth overall at the Vallelunga 4 Hours. The prototype Turbo RS was then sold to Lloyd Hawkins and shipped to the US where it contested a number of high profile races including the 1995 Sebring 12 Hours. Finishing 18th overall, 820065 went on to compete in a couple more IMSA-sanctioned events and would have won its last major race, the Road Atlanta Grand Prix, were it not for a blown turbo. The second Turbo RS, chassis 896061, was completed in early 1993 but never raced. It was painted Speed Yellow. Turbo RS number three, chassis 896062, was actually the last car built. Painted black, it was completed in early 1994 and purchased by Erik Hendriksen. He drove it with Justin Bell and contested several rounds of the 1994 BPR GT Championship, most notably finishing the Dijon 4 Hours in sixth overall.

Numerically the last Turbo RS was 896063, this car having been ordered by the Joest team and painted Grand Prix white. Used in the 1993 ADAC GT series just once, Manuel Reuter took pole position at the Nurburgring before being shunted off by a 964 Carrera RS. Subsequently rebuilt at the factory, 896063 was bought by Roock Racing for German driver Dieter Koll to use in 1994. Koll raced in the car four times in that years ADAC Cup, the highlights having been a sixth at Wunstorf, seventh at Zolder and fifth at Zandvoort. All four machines still exist to this day.

Date	Series	Race	Drivers	Team	#	Chassis	Overall
09/05/1993	ADAC	Avus	Reuter	Joest	34	820065	4th
30/05/1993	ADAC	Zolder	Reuter	Joest	34	820065	DNF
22/08/1993	ADAC	Nurburgring	Reuter	Joest	34	896063	DNF
06/03/1994	BPR	Paul Ricard 4 Hours	Bell Henriksen	Erik Henriksen	38	896062	DNF
10/04/1994	BPR	Jarama 4 Hours	Bell Henriksen	Erik Henriksen	38	896062	8th
01/05/1994	BPR	Dijon 4 Hours	Bell Henriksen	Erik Henriksen	38	896062	6th
			Nielsen Bscher	Seikel Motorsport	1	820065	13th
29/05/1994	BPR	Montlhery 1000km	Bell Henriksen Farmer	Erik Henriksen	38	896062	DNF
			Nielsen Bscher Owen-Jones	Seikel Motorsport	36	820065	DNF
30/04/1994	ADAC	Avus	Koll	Roock Racing	11	896063	DNF
12/06/1994	ADAC	Wunstorf	Koll	Roock Racing	11	896063	6th
19/06/1994	LM	Le Mans 24 Hours	Bscher Nielsen Owen-Jones	Seikel Motorsport	58	820065	DNF
03/07/1994	ADAC	Zolder	Koll	Roock Racing	11	896063	7th
10/07/1994	BPR	Vallelunga 4 Hours	Nielsen Bscher	Seikel Motorsport	36	820065	9th
			Bell Henriksen	Erik Henriksen	38	896062	15th
17/07/1994	ADAC	Zandvoort	Koll	Roock Racing	11	896063	5th
22/07/1994	BPR	Spa 4 Hours	Nielsen Bscher	Seikel Motorsport	58	820065	26th
18/03/1995	IMSA	Sebring 12 Hours	Hawkins Murry Hendricks	Lloyd Hawkins	86	820065	18th
30/04/1995	IMSA	Road Atlanta 3 Hours	Hawkins Murry	Lloyd Hawkins	86	820065	15th
21/04/1996	IMSA	Road Atlanta Grand Prix	Murry	Lloyd Hawkins	86	820065	10th