Porsche
944 Turbo Cup

Why it matters

The 944 Turbo Cup was a factory-prepared, lightened race version of the 944 Turbo (Type 951) built at Weissach for single-make championships. It was created to build enthusiasm for the 944 Turbo and was run in series in Germany, France, South Africa, the US and Canada. Cars were titled for road use but stripped, strengthened and modified well beyond a standard 944 Turbo.

How rare is it?

Six separate kinds of rarity – never combined into one number.

Each kind of rarity is rated separately and never combined.

Photos

Exterior, interior and detail photos with their licences.

• Porsche 944 Turbo Cup (Wikimedia Commons: Porsche 944 Turbo Cup)
  Photo: Cjp24 · CC BY-SA 4.0
• Porsche 944 Turbo Cup (Wikimedia Commons: Porsche 944 Turbo Cup)
  Photo: Cjp24 · CC BY-SA 4.0
• Porsche 944 Turbo Cup (Wikimedia Commons: Porsche 944 Turbo Cup)
  Photo: Alexander Migl · CC BY-SA 4.0
• Porsche 944 Turbo Cup (Wikimedia Commons: Porsche 944 Turbo Cup)
  Photo: nakhon100 · CC BY 2.0

Production

Every figure says what it counts.

Independent counts (e.g. engine and colour) are never combined into a calculated figure. Surviving examples are never presented as original production.

History

The Turbo Cup grew from a Canadian single-marque series that began with naturally aspirated 944s and was sponsored by Rothmans. By fall 1987 Porsche developed Turbo-powered cup series in Germany, France and South Africa; a US series sponsored by a radar-detector maker drew 16 entries and the Canadian series 36. Bonhams states 192 cars were built globally with between 36 and 39 for North America, while RM Sotheby's says just 11 chassis are believed to have gone to North America for 1987.

For 1988 the cars received a larger KKK K26-8 turbocharger and revised engine mapping, holding full boost to 5,800 rpm. One cataloged 1988 car was a spare for the Canadian series that was never raced; another was raced by a Canadian driver in Reebok livery for the whole series, which lasted three years.

Technical specifications

Engine

Transmission & drivetrain

Chassis, body & dimensions

Performance

“Not yet verified” means no source has been checked for that value yet. Nothing is estimated to fill a gap.

Identification guide

How to tell an original from a replica or later conversion.

A genuine car starts from a sunroof-delete coupe with a reinforced shell, strut-tower brace and a full light-alloy roll cage. The Certificate of Authenticity of a 1987 car shows code 754, the Turbo Cup Package. Typical features are a fibreglass bonnet, magnesium intake manifold and oil pan, 928 S4 brakes with 12-inch rotors and driver-controlled ABS, a limited-slip differential and magnesium "telephone-dial" wheels, 8 in front and 9 in rear. Power windows, power steering, air conditioning, power seats, radio, rear wiper and fender liners are deleted. Cars were delivered titled for road use.

Sources

Each number links to the exact facts it supports.

1. 1
   Porsche Newsroom – Time lapse: Porsche’s transaxle models Level A

   • 192 units produced

   Accessed 2026-11-11
2. 2
   Ex-Rothmans Porsche Turbo Cup, 1988 Porsche 944 Turbo Cup (Amelia Island 2020, lot 115) Level C Bonhams · 2020-03-05

   • the Weissach Turbo's M44/51 employed a larger KKK K26-8 turbocharger
   • 2,479cc SOHC Turbocharged Inline 4-Cylinder Engine
   • Bosch Motronic Fuel Injection
   • 5-Speed Manual Transaxle

   Accessed 2026-11-12
3. 3
   1988 Porsche 944 Turbo Cup (Taj Ma Garaj Collection, lot 381) Level C RM Sotheby's

   • larger KKK K26-8 turbocharger and revised engine mapping
   • 928 S4 brakes with 12-inch rotors and driver-controlled ABS
   • a top speed of almost 170 mph
   • launch to 100 kph (62 mph) in 5.3 seconds

   Accessed 2026-11-12
4. 4
   1987 Porsche 944 Turbo Cup (The White Collection, lot 2159) Level C RM Sotheby's

   • larger turbo allowed the 2.5-liter inline four-cylinder to produce upwards of 250 horsepower

   Accessed 2026-11-12