Maxim Vintage Car Shopper: 1993 Porsche 968
Only in Porsche’s world is a front-engined sports car this rare.
The Year: 1993
The Model: Porsche 968 Coupe
The Drivetrain: A humongous (3-liter!) four-cylinder engine pushing 236 horsepower to the rear wheels through a six-speed manual transmission.
Favorite Five Points:
1. Any vintage Porsche attracts a dedicated, loud, and opinionated crowd: this holds true for the 968. As a development of the earlier 944 (itself a development of an earlier car, the 924), the 968 is a stylistically a mixed bag, with an older wedge shape and the 928 GT’s nose. To some it’s ugly; we like it, especially in Teutonic Sommersturm grey.
2. When it came out, the 968 was hailed as the best handling, front-engine/rear-drive coupe in the world—yes, even better than the E30 M3. That’s still pretty much the case.
3. Though it’s a highly-tuned sporting Porsche, the 968 is also…a hatchback. Between reasonable 4-cylinder economy and a spacious trunk, you could use this sports car to spice up whatever dull errands fill your days.
4. Carrera Cup alloys are a desirable option: they’re wide, grippy, and look to have been pulled straight from a Porsche cup car.
5. In total, only 1000 968s were produced in 1993. Once you figure some were convertibles and others had the dreaded Tiptronic transmission, this well-painted, well-kept, low-mileage 968 six-speed coupe becomes a rare and exciting proposition.
Quirks:
– While the exterior is pristine, we do have some reservations about the interior: neither wood veneer nor a carbon fiber shift knob were original options on the 968, though this car sports both. If possible, we would return to stock as soon as possible. Additionally, the later Blaupunkt stereo is aftermarket, though permissible.
Good buy?
As a member of two “hot” vintage clubs—eighties sports cars, Porsches—the 968 is on track to ascend. This model looks incredibly minty, and the colors are just right for an investment—that is to say attractive, but conservative. Bidding is at around $18,000, though we’d happily drive this tidy German away for $25k. A non-911 Porsche shows nuance and savvy—and saves you tens of thousands. [Find it here on Ebay]
Photos by Ebay
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