Porsche 993 3.8 Cup

Single make racing was rarity and a novelty in the early 1990s. OEM manufacturers were piling millions into producing the very fastest cars at the highest level. Born into a gap in the market that sat well below the likes of Porsche’s top-flight 956/962 racing endeavours, the Porsche Cup was born.

Launched in 1990, the inaugural Porsche Carrera Cup season welcomed identical 964s to the grid over 9 rounds. The ‘latest’ generation of 911 plugged the gap from the German 944 Turbo Cup that had been started 8 years earlier. Each of the 964s were identical, lightly fettled by the factory to the tune of a naturally-aspirated 265bhp, a limited slip differential and a welded in rollcage. With the cars so closely matched, competition was fierce and the series was an instant success with drivers and fans alike. The successes on track and the growth in popularity would ultimately lead to the development of the 964 RS.

In 1993, the series would evolve into the SuperCup, and with that a unique partnership to support each of the Formula One rounds. For the 1993 season, the aging 964 was replaced by the 993. Porsche used their latest Carrera 2 as the basis, but increased the engine capacity to 3.8 litres and power up to 310bhp. The rev limiter was set at 6,900rpm but the engine could handle an extra 1,000rpm ensuring competition was unstressed and reliable as a result.

Weight was down too over the previous Cup car, meaning a 993 Cup tips the scales at just 1,100 kgs, 180 kgs lighter than a 993 RS!

The Cup was designed to race, and as such was fitted from factory with a welded in Matter cage to FIA regulations. This greatly improved safety, but with the additional merit of significant chassis stiffness gains.