This 1991 Porsche 964 Carrera 4 Is One Of Only 22 Examples Made

Already one of the most exclusive iterations of the 911 yet – ‘just’ 63,762 examples of Porsche’s 964 generation were built between 1989 and 1993 – the ‘Leichtbau’ batch was built on the road-going 911, but with components borrowed from Porsche’s then-track-spec Cup car and Dakar Rally off-roader. Announced via by The Robb Report, and according to official estimates, this 1991 example could fetch between $750,000 and $1 million when it goes up for auction at Pebble Beach on 15-16 August.

It’s one of only 22 Leichtbau Carrera 4s ever built for the 964-generation Porsche 911, so it should attract a lot of attention when it goes under the hammer this summer with Gooding & Company and Christie’s.

The particular example – chassis 964-004 – is finished in Grand Prix White with a stripped-back black interior. Just 502 kilometers (around 312 miles) have rolled beneath its magnesium alloy Cup wheels since emerging from the factory in 1991.

330 Pounds Of Weight Shed

The Lightweight models were devised to aid development of Porsche’s emerging Carrera Cup Germany series in 1990, which ran as the Porsche 944 Turbo Cup for its initial 1986-1989 run. 35 years later, the Porsche Carrera Cup is arguably the most important single-make racing series on the planet, with more than two dozen national and regional championships currently operating.

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Spearheaded by Jürgen Barth, one of three winners of the 1977 24 Hours of Le Mans and then head of Porsche’s Customer Racing Department, each minimalist Leichtbau dispensed with most cabin amenities and replaced the doors, hood and engine lid with aluminum and fiberglass alternatives respectively, and even replaced both windows with sliding Plexiglas sliding panels, all to drop the vehicle’s overall weight to just 2,414 pounds, around 330 pounds lighter than a 964 Carrera RS. This, though, was just the start.

A Much More Thrilling Drive With All The Power Going To The Rear

Each Leichtbau ditched the all-wheel-drive setup of the Carrera 4 in favor of the adjustable, electronically-regulated system used by Porsche’s 953 Paris-Dakar car. The 964’s adjustable rear spoiler, meanwhile, was fixed in position to maximize downforce at all times, while the ride height was lowered by up to an inch courtesy of adjustable racing suspension borrowed from the 964 Cup car. Larger, 911 SC/RS-spec brakes were also fitted, and the minimalist cabin now featured Recaro bucket seats and a roll-cage.

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All 22 road-going ‘Leichtbau’ models boasted the same RS-spec 3.6-liter air-cooled flat-six, with output at a stout 265 horsepower. As you’d expect for this era, it was managed through a close-ratio five-speed manual. As it should be.

Source: The Robb Report