Guide: Porsche 911 3.2 Carrera Club Sport
Background
When Porsche introduced the light weight and high performance Carrera RS in late 1972, they expected demand would just about prove sufficient to sell the 500 examples required for homologation into the Group 4 racing class.
As it happened, the initial 500 cars sold out almost immediately and, by the time production was discontinued in July 1973, over 1500 had been delivered.
Despite the popularity of the Carrera RS, Porsche did not offer a like-for-like replacement. The three-litre Carrera RS of late 1973 / early 1974 was much more expensive and built in comparatively tiny numbers (54).
Later, although the turbocharged 930 launched in October 1974 was also a homologation special (of which 400 were required), it was equipped to a luxurious specification quite unlike the Carrera RS derivatives that had come before.
As per the original RS, demand for the 930 far-exceeded Porsche’s forecasts; this time it was decided to make the model a permanent fixture.
Although the 930 was a highly desirable flagship, it was in no way a successor for the stripped-out Carrera RS that first proved there was a market for hardcore 911s.
Porsche’s reluctance to create such a machine was perhaps rooted in the expectation the 911 would not be around much longer; in the mid-to-late 1970s, the 928 was considered the marque’s future.
However, when Peter Schutz took over from Ernst Fuhrmann as Porsche Chairman in 1980, any plans to abandon the 911 were dropped.
In September 1983, the much-improved 3.2-litre Carrera began the model’s resurgence following years of under-development. Soon afterwards, Porsche began work on a lightweight variant that the firm’s enthusiastic drivers had been wanting for over a decade.
The resultant 911 Carrera Club Sport was launched at the Frankfurt Motor Show in September 1987. It arrived alongside the rest of Porsche’s 1988 model year I-series range.
Inspired by those legendary lightweight 911s of the past, the Club Sport package (option code M637) was applicable to Coupes only. It marked the arrival of the Club Sport designation which has since become a byword for the most extreme Porsches.
Chassis
The starting point was a standard galvanised steel bodyshell to which minimal PVC underseal was applied. Consequently, the normal ten-year anti-corrosion warranty was reduced to just two.
As usual, suspension was fully independent with torsion bars, telescopic shocks and an anti-roll bar at either end. The front used a compact MacPherson strut arrangement with a single lower wishbone. At the rear, semi-trailing arms were installed.
For the Club Sport, normally optional Bilstein shocks were standard.
Ventilated disc brakes were fitted all round (286mm diameter front and 294mm rear).
An 80-litre fuel tank was located underneath the front lid along with an alloy instead of steel spare wheel.
To further save weight, the luggage compartment and engine lid lights were deleted.
As per the rest of the 1988 model year range, Fuchs forged alloy wheels were standard. They measured 15 x 6-inches at the front, 15 x 7-inches at the rear and originally came shod with Dunlop tyres.
Engine & Gearbox
Officially, there was no difference between the Club Sport’s engine and that of any other European-spec. 3.2-litre 911 Carrera.
These all-alloy Type 930/20 air-cooled Flat 6 motors used single overhead camshafts per bank, two valves per cylinder and dry-sump lubrication.
Displacement was 3164cc thanks to a bore and stroke of 95mm and 74.4mm respectively.
Standard equipment included Nikasil cylinder barrels, high crown pistons, Bosch Motronic 2 engine management and Bosch LE-Jetronic fuel-injection.
The compression ratio was 10.3:1. Output figures were 231bhp at 5900rpm and 210lb-ft at 4800rpm.
Despite the fact Porsche officially played down any horsepower gains, the blueprinted Club Sport engines were a little bit special. They came with hollow intake valves, a modified air intake and re-mapped engine management that allowed them to rev to 6850rpm (up from 6520rpm). Stiffer engine mounts were also used along with a lighter starter motor.
As a result, Club Sport engines actually pumped out around 245bhp.
Transmission was via a Getrag G50 gearbox (with taller ratios on fourth and fifth), a single plate clutch and the limited-slip differential which was an option on normal 911s of the time.
Bodywork
Externally, the Club Sport came with no rear wiper, no fog lights and no headlight washers. Front and rear spoilers were standard.
The majority of Club Sports were painted Grand Prix White and came with red wheel centres.
Porsche also applied red ‘Carrera CS’ script down each flank, a red ‘CS’ decal on the front lid and a red ‘Carrera CS’ graphic on the engine cover.
Interior
To save weight, Porsche deleted much of the interior equipment usually fitted.
Most significantly, the rear seats were discarded and replaced with carpet.
Much of the sound insulation was also absent and a lightweight wiring loom was used.
Other casualties were the electric windows, central locking, radio, passenger sun visor and lockable oddments bin.
Simplified door panels did without the familiar armrest and storage bins.
Sports seats with pinstripe fabric upholstery were standard. As most Club Sports were painted white, black fabric with red piping was the norm although other colours and fabric styles were available.
New equipment included a rev counter with higher redline and a short-shift gear lever.
The four-spoke steering wheel fronted Porsche’s familiar five-gauge instrument binnacle. Housed in the centre was a 7000rpm tachometer while off to the left were combined instruments for oil pressure / oil temperature and fuel / oil level. To the right was a speedometer and a clock.
Various toggle switches were scattered along the rest of the dash along with the ventilation controls.
Options
Options included deletion of the various decals, black or white-centred wheels and reinstatement of a radio. A small number of cars also came with leather seats. Sunroofs and air-conditioning were not normally offered.
Weight / Performance
Weight was quoted at 1160kg which was 50kg lighter than the standard 1988 model year Coupe.
As expected, the Club Sport was the quickest normally aspirated 911 available. Top speed went from 150mph to 156mph and the 0-62mph time dropped from 5.5 seconds to 5.4 seconds.
Production
Production got underway in September 1987.
When the 1989 model year J-series 911 arrived in September 1988, the Fuchs wheels were switched to a 16-inch diameter with wider 8-inch rims fitted at the rear. Thicker anti-roll bars were also installed.
Production ended in September 1989 by which time 312 Club Sports had been built. 53 of these were right-hand drive and 28 were US-bound cars that featured the standard American-spec. 217bhp engine.
The success of the Club Sport convinced Porsche to re-introduce the Carrera RS for 1992.
Text copyright: Supercar Nostalgia
Photo copyright: Porsche - https://www.porsche.com
