Porsche 944 Turbo Cup

The vehicle in detail

Chassis No. WP0ZZZ95ZJN165073

Few racing cars of the 1980s embody Porsche’s philosophy of “Win on Sunday, Sell on Monday” as well as the 944 Turbo Cup. Just months after the debut of the one-make 944 Cup series at the Nürburgring in 1986, Porsche Canada’s motorsport manager David Deacon brought the series to Canada with the backing of the British tobacco company Rothmans, naming it the Rothmans Porsche Challenge. Switching to Turbo power for the 1988 season, the new 944 Turbo Cup cars shed 600 pounds from the standard 944 Turbo and featured factory lightweighting such as magnesium “telephone dial” wheels, a magnesium intake and oil pan, a fiberglass hood, and a light Sekuriflex windshield. Inside, all unnecessary comforts were removed, replaced with a steel Matter roll cage and a Recaro racing seat. Power came from a 2.5-liter turbocharged inline-four producing 250 horsepower and 272 lb-ft of torque, delivered through a five-speed manual transaxle with a limited-slip differential and close-ratio fifth gear. Chassis 165073 was completed at Porsche’s Weissach facility in late December 1987, the twelfth of just 38 examples built specifically for the Canadian Rothmans Turbo Cup Series. Finished in Alpine White, this factory race car was one of two Turbo Cups delivered to Mark Motors of Ottawa in April 1988, where the dealership enlisted grassroots racer David Seabrooke to pilot it throughout the championship’s entire three-season run. Seabrooke made regular televised appearances behind the wheel under the DSR Motorsport banner, earning multiple top-ten finishes against fierce competition. Unlike many of the Turbo Cup contenders that were consumed by accidents or heavy repairs, this example survived its professional career largely intact. Following the series’ conclusion in 1990, Seabrooke retained ownership before eventually selling the car to Robert Munro. Under Munro’s stewardship, 165073 underwent a restoration in its original mint green Rothmans number 17 livery, which was completed in April 1991. Once restored, the Porsche’s competition career continued under Munro, who entered the car in Canadian Automobile Sport Club (CASC) sanctioned events.