﹒Excellent condition original bodywork

﹒Clean leather interior

﹒Powerful 3-litre engine

﹒Rare model

The Porsche 968 is as we have come to expect from Porsche, a beautiful vehicle, however, you can be forgiven if you had not heard much about this model before. The 968 was only in production for 4 years, which in manufacturing terms, is fairly short indeed. It was aimed as a stop gap model post the outgoing 944, and came in coupe and convertible body options.

It was designed by the same chap that gave us the 924, and the 944 in fact, so I’m sure you can see the resemblance in its lines. It also took inspiration from the 928, with those exposed pop up headlamps and integrated front bumper, a design that later found itself on the 911 (993).

The 944 was used as a basis for the 968 and whilst the 944s inline four engine was utilised, it was updated and the power uprated whilst also increasing the displacement to 3 litre, putting out a healthy 237BHP. An upgrade from 5 to 6 speed transmission and a few other treats from the Porsche Engineering department, saw the 968 in manual mode achieve a top speed of 157mph. Not bad at all for a small 90s sports car.

The 968 also featured numerous small equipment and detail upgrades from the 944, including a Fuba roof-mounted antenna, updated single lens tail lamps, "Cup" style 16-inch alloy wheels, a wider selection of interior and exterior colours, a slightly updated "B" pillar and rear quarter window to accommodate adhesive installation to replace the older rubber gasket installation.

Whilst a lot of the 968 interior and chassis was borrowed from the 944 S2 to keep development costs to a minimum, there were a lot of unique features afforded to this stop gap model, that were combined with a smooth and stylish body design that made it very popular indeed.

Today there’s reportedly only 30 or so 968 convertibles left on the road in the UK, and that makes this model pretty rare.

This particular 968 was first registered in 1994 and started life as a lease vehicle on the books of a very high-end lease company. This does help explain its number of users but also can be seen as a positive, as lease vehicles of this type tend to be meticulously maintained due to the nature of their use, a fact which is backed up by the history file supplied with the vehicle.

The current owner acquired the car in 2010 from a private seller in Birmingham, who had owned it for the four years previous. It was purchased as a weekend car having always liked the look of a 968, but due to acquiring another weekend toy, the 968 has only seen 3,000 miles during the current owner's time behind the wheel. 

The current owner tells us the car has always started first time and runs beautifully, with strong acceleration and smooth gear changes from the automatic/tiptronic gearbox. 

Roadholding is superb and it corners as well as, if not better than, most modern sports cars. The powerful brakes only add to its impeccable driving experience and safety.

The history file available with the car is contained in a ring binder about 3" thick, this contains all of the MOTs, service receipts and additional correspondence relating to any problems the previous keepers combined have encountered, and their receipts for their rectification proving that this vehicle has been looked after.

The current MOT takes the car out to November 2021.

Inside, the vehicle is upholstered in grey leather. The front seats are part-electrically adjusted. There are a few minor wear/scuff marks and some slight discolouration to the leather but no tears. The official seating layout is stated as a 2+2 but in all honesty, the rear seats are suitable only for very small children and don't appear to have been used very much during its 26 years.

The door cards are in very good condition. Everything works as expected including the electric windows and electric wing mirrors. The carpets are in good condition with black Porsche overmats. All dials are working and indicate that oil pressure and running temperature are perfect. There is an after-market Pioneer radio/CD with Bluetooth, giving the driver hands-free telephone facility.

As you will see from the images, the 968 original black paint has recently been restored by a detailer and is in very good original condition with lots of depth and shine. There are a few minor blemishes as to be expected with a car of this age, but no rust or damage present and it is generally in very good condition. The black fabric hood is in good condition and still operates electrically. While maybe not quite as silently as modern-day convertibles, it works perfectly well however, the rear perspex window is a little cloudy.

To the best of our knowledge the car has never been involved in an accident and equally it has not undergone a restoration so is very original. As you will see from the photos , post a recent full detail by a professional detailer the car still looks fantastic.

Under the bonnet, the engine bay is in excellent condition and looks almost as good as new. 

The alloy wheels are unmarked and the tyres have excellent remaining tread.

During the current owners tenure the car has been serviced regularly and the oil and oil filter replaced each year. The timing belts were replaced last year and the car has done fewer than 100 miles since then. Brakes and brake hoses have been replaced within the last 1,000 miles, and the receipts associated with all such mechanical upkeep are present in the paperwork folder.

The gearbox is smooth and changes up and down well, there are no odd knocks or bangs and the car handles very well.

As is common with a car of this age there are a few small known faults that should be mentioned;

The airbag warning light is on intermittently. It can be reset and stays off for a while but will eventually come back on.

The heater blows only hot air. The current owners have attempted to have it repaired/replaced but it apparently requires a new solenoid valve, which the garage has not yet been able to source.

The 968 is fast becoming a very collectable classic, minimal years in production resulted in conservative numbers being produced compared to other models, especially in convertible guise. The car built upon the tried and tested platform of the 944 S2 with some gentle tweaks and power upgrades to bring it into the 90s, I mean, what’s not to like? Smoother lines than its 944 older brother, slightly more power and overall just slightly more elegant packaging than its 80s boxy predecessor, 26 years on I personally think it really has aged well. 

Benefitting from German power and reliability with looks any Italian car designer would be envious of, you’d be mad not to not consider taking this one home to cherish and enjoy. Due to its great handling characteristics and that 3litre refined German power plant It will even put a massive grin on your face if you take it out for a B road blast of a sunny Sunday afternoon.


** The photos in this listing have been provided to us by the seller **


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