Porsche’s Club Sport family: less is more

By Aaron McKay

| 15 May 2025

Classic & Sports Car – Porsche’s Club Sport family: light, and fantastic

The redline is subtly shorter.

Only a matter of millimetres on the tachometer, and you wonder how many 911 owners would have noticed anyway.

With Porsche’s flat-six up to 3.2 litres by 1984, there were plentiful torquey, howling-tenor shoves well below the dial’s last digit in the white. No need to push beyond 6000rpm.

But spin the Carrera 3.2 Club Sport through its extra 320rpm and narrow your eyes to the thin strip of red for the 6840rpm cutout, and this lightweight special fires its reserves with a final few more notes in a raised pitch.

The Porsche 911 Carrera 3.2 Club Sport’s short redline cuts in at 6840rpm

If anything it’s smoother, as ever-greater volumes of air whoosh through the engine bay and the exhaust is allowed a subtle snarl.

It yields the sort of extra urgency you might associate with fresh plugs and filters, or the rich air of a cool night through enthusiastic carburettors; it’s minute but, once experienced, unmistakable.

The source is a blueprinted and balanced version of the all-alloy, fuel-injected flat-six, with lightweight, hollow valves and a close-ratio ’box working against a 911 weighing around 100kg less than the Sport Equipment model from which the Club Sport borrows most of its chassis upgrades.

The Porsche 911 Carrera 3.2 Club Sport’s red CS stickers were an option

Even in UK spec, with the SE’s fatter 16in 205/55 front and 225/50 rear Dunlop D40s, and a full complement of electric door mirrors – German cars only had one, manually adjustable – the CS was within a few kilos of a basic Carrera.

Which, for most observers, is what it was.

Priced at £34,390, it was the cheapest 911 by more than £1000, with the equipment list appropriately mean.

Rear seats were removed, the windows were wind-up and even the heater controls reverted to pre-’86-style cables. No radio, either, of course.

The Porsche 911 Carrera 3.2 Club Sport’s side script has echoes of the 2.7 RS

The only exciting removal was most of the soundproofing.

At least the Porsche crest remained: Stuttgart obsessives were yet to justify the weight-saving merits of badge stickers.

The prevailing narrative for Porsche through the 1980s had been to advance its vehicles, particularly for the lucrative, feature-hungry American market.

This meant 911 turbo, 928 S4 and getting eyes on the 959 supercar ahead of it inspiring the new-generation 964 Carrera 4.

The 911 Carrera 3.2 Club Sport’s flat-six makes 231bhp

Towards the end of the decade, its cars were stuffed full of equipment, and the lightweight CS was a niche proposition that looked like a relic of a past being left behind, no matter how loudly its cult fanbase shouted.

Only 340 were built, with 53 right-hand-drive cars for the UK.

Not that there is any immediate sense of it being basic when you step inside.

The same familiar click of the door is followed by no less of the usual acrylic scent of Porsche toolrooms and vinyl.

The classic 911 Carrera 3.2 Club Sport has some initial lean on turn-in

The crushed-velvet pinstripe seats are as luxuriously soft as they are firmly bolstered.

The rustling tenor behind is as refined as ever, and can ease the 911 along on a handful of revs: third is usable from 15mph with no drivetrain protest.

There’s a slight uptick in road roar at higher speeds if you’re minded to listen for it, but you shouldn’t be.

Pay attention to this car’s responses and you’re rewarded with more than just the engine coming alive.

The Porsche 911 Carrera 3.2 Club Sport’s cabin is void of door-pocket lids; the plush seats remain, though

The short-throw gearchange adds some definition to the shift, especially down to second, which is now good for 68mph on a slightly taller final drive.

It hurls the 911 forward and energises the chassis.

With stiffer engine and gearbox mounts from the cabriolet, and on lower, Bilstein-supported suspension, it is clear to which tyres the weight is shifting and where you need to steer next.

Lay into the throttle for another tirade of six opposing cylinders firing in perfect sequence and it all harmonises that bit more sweetly than your neighbour’s fully loaded Porsche 911 Carrera.

Porsche’s 968 Club Sport is a picture of neutrality

But as the dealer-fit mobile phones stopped ringing in the wake of Black Monday and into the early 1990s, Porsche AG’s situation went from ambitious to precarious.

Management was spread thinly across two divergent product lines, and sales were as low as half their ’80s peak.

There were signs of Stuttgart stumbling not only financially, but also with its ability to produce class-leading cars.

Just as the Japanese brands were perfecting their sports car recipes, Porsche was wrestling with criticisms of the 964-generation 911 RS and the anticlimactic launch of its final transaxle model, the 968.

The lightweight Porsche 968 Club Sport was a hit among enthusiasts

Then, along came a hero. Wearing a startling range of colours that included bright yellow, light blue, Guards Red, the same Grand Prix White as the Porsche 911 3.2 CS and ‘our’ Amaranth Violet, the 968 Club Sport might not have been the first of its kind, but was at least one of the loudest.

Its talents were amplified by a besotted motoring press.

‘The car that has given us most to smile about,’ enthused Autocar & Motor, as it crowned the CS its Best Car of 1993.

That it was £4797 cheaper than a standard 968 no doubt afforded it extra celebration and neutralised arguments that it needed something to show for a huge premium over Japanese rivals.

The Porsche 968 Club Sport’s simple dash was carried over from the 944

That’s no longer the case today, when the legend of its reputation has lifted values far above those of its stablemates.

Odd, that, because there was little more to it than a 50kg weight reduction, down to 1320kg, and some Club Sport stickers on the sides to go with the 1990s ski-jacket colour palette.

Most of that loss was achieved by deleting interior comforts, in turn affording a smaller battery and alternator, but this time the front seats were replaced by Recaro buckets based on the Pole Position ABE, with sprung seat bottoms and their shells colour-coded to the exterior.

The Porsche 968 Club Sport’s water-cooled ‘four’ comes alive past 2000rpm

Porsche 968 Club Sports were equipped with the 17in Cup alloys available as an option on the standard car, with 225/45 and 255/40 Yokohama A008 tyres replacing Bridgestone Expedias.

Apart from a 20mm drop in the ride height, the suspension remained unchanged, but the M030 package familiar to Porsche 944 cognoscenti was available, adding firmer Koni struts, thicker anti-roll bars, bigger brakes from the 928 S4 and a limited-slip differential.

The front springs featured progressive rather than linear compression, but overall spring stiffness front and rear stayed the same.

Front speakers only for Porsche’s stripped-out 968 Club Sport

So equipped, the Porsche 968 Club Sport is particularly lively.

Despite a lack of any special treatment given to the 3-litre, water-cooled straight-four up front, it has a mid-range urgency beyond even the 911’s lusty flat-six.

It grumbles below 2000rpm, but soon raises a wall of torque that pins you back as the Variocam system phases through inlet-valve timing profiles and those big pistons thrash towards the redline.

Braced as you are within the confines of a Recaro bucket, this beefy engine is instantly biddable and the chassis feels pre-loaded.

The Porsche 968 Club Sport’s four-point harness

Turn in and no pause is required before exploring the 968’s sublime balance via a heavy-weighted throttle.

With a touch of pitch on to the front axle, it loads the outside wheels to the point where an extra squeeze of the right pedal blends the rear into a slide.

Quick steering and a perfectly aligned driving position that feels in touch with the rear – certainly, it’s closer than the 911’s – make such antics joyfully accessible; the close ratios of the six-speed gearbox are the cherries on top.

The Porsche 968 Club Sport’s optional M030 suspension package is punishing on broken Tarmac

On the road, the overly firm damping, relatively heavy steering and tightly bushed gearchange give the M030-spec Porsche 968 Club Sport a tension that belies its agility and invites a firmer hand than the light touch with which you would conduct a 911.

Yet there remains in this car a precision and feeling of solidity that resonates across the Porsche family.

Like the 944, the 968 was beloved by track-day heroes, and the Club Sport was the favourite.

As the circuit miles racked up, many had their seats replaced – or, like this car, retrimmed with a telltale Recaro logo – and upgraded beyond collectors’ tastes.

This Porsche 968 Club Sport has ‘Cup II’-style wheels

With its interior having hardly been updated from that of the 944, there are all the same spindly column stalks and hollow-clicking switches set against a conspicuously shallow dash.

Otherwise leaning a little too much on close panel fit for showroom appeal, you can see why the Club Sport’s overtly racy character was such a success.

The Porsche 968 Sport arrived in 1994 to secure more of the mainstream UK market, simply refitting many of the comforts available as options on the CS, such as stock seats and most of the electrics, and it was still some £4000 less than a standard car.

The Porsche 968 Club Sport ‘stares’ though the 911 Carrera RS Club Sport’s rear wing

The Porsche 968 Club Sport swept up almost half of all UK sales in its first year, and by the end of 1994 hardly any full-fat 968s found buyers on these shores.

Out of a total 12,776 global sales for the 968, 1923 were in CS or Sport specification.

This minor marketing revelation was particularly useful to Porsche as it launched its new, 993-generation 911 in 1993.

Although acknowledged as a shortlived bridge to the water-cooled era, this was a thoroughly revised car that needed to spark the sort of commercial success that could underpin investment into the Boxster and all-new 996.

The Porsche 911 (993) Carrera RS Club Sport is a racing car for the road

From the outside the 993 looked convincingly fresh, plus it had a six-speed ’box, multi-link rear suspension on alloy subframes and a host of improvements inside.

As sales began to tick back up, those at Stuttgart could take a breath.

Two years later, the Porsche 911 Carrera RS arrived – a few months ahead of the new 993 turbo.

Although £8750 more than a Carrera 2, that was half as much as its predecessor’s premium.

The Porsche 911 Carrera RS Club Sport’s three-piece alloys

With the extra money you could turn your roadgoing Carrera Cup car back in the direction of the track with the even more stripped-out M003 pack: the Club Sport, or RSR in the UK.

Porsche built 1014 993 RS models, shy of the 1200 planned but enough to homologate it for BPR GT3 and GT4 racing.

The body was seam-welded, with an aluminium bonnet and thinner glass; rear seats, electrics and sound deadening were removed; even the screenwash bottle was reduced from 6.5 to 1.2 litres.

The saving was 100kg versus a Carrera 2.

The Porsche 911 Carrera RS Club Sport was 100kg lighter than the Carrera 2

That is especially impressive when you add not only 18in wheels with 225/40 and 265/35 Pirelli P Zeros, but also a raft of other changes.

Up from 3600cc to 3746cc, the 300bhp RS-spec flat-six used bigger valves to benefit from the variable intake length Varioram (not Variocam) system first seen in the 964 RS.

Suspension was lower, by 30mm front and 40mm rear, with special mounts, cross-bracing and adjustable anti-roll bars.

There are also shorter gears via a limited-slip diff, and 322mm cross-drilled discs all round with four-piston calipers up front.

Porsche squeezed 300bhp from the 911 Carrera RS-spec flat-six

Most noticeable on the Club Sport are its swoopy, aggressive wings, the obtrusive rollcage and a lack of carpets.

The seats are Nomex buckets with six-point harnesses, and there are some glaringly missing trim pieces, such as side air vents and passenger sunvisor, plus the famous colour-coded fabric door pulls.

Start it up and the Club Sport’s single-mass flywheel joins a cacophony of oily rattles from behind, but there’s no hint of buzzing through the bodywork.

The steering is light, matched by the delicate, slick gearlever and pedals, which engender some apprehension at first about how this fluttering wasps’ nest of a flat-six might respond to a poke in the revs.

Porsche’s 911 Carrera RS Club Sport is light on its feet, despite its wide rubber

Floor the pedal and it ignites with Porsche’s trademark howl, reverberating around the cabin with multiplying enthusiasm that seems unfairly contained by a 6800rpm cut-off.

The step on to a 75mph second gear is close enough that you’re right back on cam, then again for the 98mph third, and all the while it hunkers down and grips the Tarmac more assuredly.

Turn-in is crisp, instantly filling the wheel with feedback as the tyres bite, and the CS settles into a neutral stance with only a hint of body roll.

The classic Porsche 911 Carrera RS Club Sport has a full rollcage

It has a surprisingly supple ride: mid-corner bumps fail to upset it, and the rear sinks into impressive reserves of traction under a rolling throttle.

Each squirm of a treadblock can be felt through the taut chassis, and all the Porsche wants is for you to find that last millimetre of give.

Do so and it rewards with such precision, depth and character that you’ll fire the car back down the same section with even more devotion to the controls, tailoring each corner with a hint of steering or a touch more throttle.

To save weight, the 911 Carrera RS Club Sport has no carpets, fabric door pulls and no air vents

It’s an addiction with long Porsche history, predating the Club Sport name, or even the RS before it.

Today it has evolved into near-fanaticism for the naturally aspirated, motorsport-imbued GT3 range.

Some of that has reflected back on the Porsche 911 3.2 Club Sport, a car that pushes just a little more out of the already superb G-body Carrera.

Its intoxicating mix of muscular flexibility and an effervescent rush of revs is the perfect partner for the subtleties of classic 911 handling just before they were ‘fixed’.

Following the Club Sport’s line of descent, from G-body 911 (closest) to 993-generation Carrera RS

In contrast, the 968 Club Sport has built its cult following from scratch. Extraordinarily willing and beautifully balanced, it is a sensational toy that is difficult to put away.

Except I would drop it in an instant for one more drive in the 993 RS Club Sport: alive with purpose, yet exploitable and light to handle, it offers an exhilarating blend of raw air-cooled thrills and dynamic sophistication.

Though soon overtaken by a new generation of GT3 and GT2 models, the Club Sports are to be celebrated, not just as the most intimate versions of their type or for scoring crucial sales through difficult times, but for doing so by keeping enthusiasts’ flames alight.

Images: Jack Harrison/Max Edleston

Thanks to: Porsche Club GB and Ashgood

Factfiles

Porsche 911 Carrera 3.2 Club Sport

Sold/number built 1987-’89/340
Construction steel monocoque
Engine all-alloy, sohc-per-bank, 12-valve 3164cc flat-six, Bosch L-Jetronic fuel injection, 10.3:1 compression ratio
Max power 231bhp @ 5900rpm
Max torque 209lb ft @ 4800rpm
Transmission five-speed manual, RWD via limited-slip differential
Suspension independent, at front by struts, longitudinal torsion bars rear semi-trailing arms, transverse torsion bars; anti-roll bar f/r
Steering rack and pinion
Brakes vented discs, with servo
Length 14ft ⅞in (4291mm)
Width 5ft 9⅞in (1775mm)
Height 4ft 3⅝in (1310mm)
Wheelbase 7ft 5½in (2272mm)
Weight 2608lb (1180kg)
Mpg 22
0-60mph 5.2 secs
Top speed 152mph
Price new £36,000 (1988)
Price now £100-150,000*

Porsche 968 Club Sport

Sold/number built 1993-’95/1538 (plus 306 Sports)
Construction steel monocoque
Engine all-alloy, dohc, 16-valve 2990cc ‘four’, Bosch DME fuel injection, 11:1 compression ratio
Max power 240bhp @ 6200rpm
Max torque 225lb ft @ 4100rpm
Transmission six-speed manual, RWD (optional limited-slip differential)
Suspension independent, at front by MacPherson struts, light-alloy transverse links, aluminium wishbones rear semi-trailing arms, transverse torsion bars, telescopic dampers; anti-roll bar f/r
Steering power-assisted rack and pinion
Brakes vented discs, with servo and ABS
Length 14ft 2in (4320mm)
Width 5ft 8⅜in (1735mm)
Height 4ft 1½in (1255mm)
Wheelbase 7ft 10½in (2400mm)
Weight 2910lb (1320kg)
Mpg 22
0-60mph 6.5 secs
Top speed 157mph
Price new £28,750 (1993)
Price now £30-60,000*

Porsche 911 (993) Carrera RS Club Sport

Sold/number built 1994-’96/213 (out of 1014 RS models)
Construction steel monocoque
Engine all-alloy, sohc-per-bank, 12-valve 3746cc flat-six, Bosch Motronic 2.1 fuel injection, 11.3:1 compression ratio
Max power 300bhp @ 6500rpm
Max torque 262lb ft @ 5400rpm
Transmission six-speed manual, RWD via limited-slip differential
Suspension independent, at front by MacPherson struts rear lateral links, lower wishbones, coil springs, telescopic dampers; anti-roll bar f/r
Steering power-assisted rack and pinion
Brakes vented discs, four-piston front calipers, with servo and ABS
Length 13ft 11⅛in (4245mm)
Width 5ft 8⅜in (1735mm)
Height 4ft 2in (1270mm)
Wheelbase 7ft 6in (2284mm)
Weight 2800lb (1270kg)
Mpg 22
0-60mph 5 secs
Top speed 159mph
Price new £71,495 (1995)
Price now £250-350,000*