Guide: Porsche's Club Sport Speedster? - a Historical & Technical Appraisal of the 911 3.6 Speedster (964)
BACKGROUND
Following assessment of a small number of prototypes between 1986 and ‘87, Porsche finally unveiled a production-ready 911-based Speedster at the Frankfurt Motor Show in September 1988. Its arrival ended a 30 year wait for the Stuttgart manufacturer to revive the Speedster theme last seen between 1954 and ‘58 when the 356 and 356 A were being offered.
That it took so long to for the Speedster to make a comeback was especially surprising given the legendary status acquired by those iconic 1950s designs with their cut-down windscreens and simplified interiors; having been conceived for class-leading on-track performance, the Speedster went on to become regarded among Porsche’s best loved offerings.
The decision to create a 911 Speedster based on the 3.2-litre Carrera of the day was partly a result of the red hot collector car market that sprung up during the second half of the 1980s. Demand for limited runs of special models from top manufacturers had already begun to rise significantly when the stock market crash of late 1987 turbocharged the market as investors piled into alternative asset classes.
As a consequence, Porsche easily sold the 2000-strong run of 911 Speedsters announced in late 1988.
By the time the first of these cars began to roll out of the factory in January 1989, the 3.2 Carrera’s replacement had also arrived. Codenamed 964, this latest iteration of the long-running 911 theme had made its debut alongside the Speedster at Frankfurt in ‘88. It most notably ushered in heavily revised suspension, brake, engine and transmission systems while a major face-lift freshened up the existing 911’s appearance for the curve-conscious nineties.
Having initially been launched in four-wheel drive Carrera 4 Coupe trim, Targa and Cabriolet body styles were added to the 964 range in August 1989 along with a rear-wheel drive variant: the Carrera 2. At the same time, Porsche introduced a semi-automatic gearbox option dubbed Tiptronic that proved very popular.
Over the next couple of years, a 964-based Turbo joined the line-up followed by a performance-focussed Carrera RS, both of which went on to serve as the basis for a variety of low volume specials.
During the course of 1992, Porsche also began work on a 964-based Speedster to succeed 1989’s successful offering.
However, the market for such cars was now very different to just a few years prior.
By the end of 1990, the global economy had nosedived into severe recession and, with an outdated product line and inefficient manufacturing techniques, Porsche’s sales dropped off a cliff.
Against this rather dire backdrop, the new 964-based 911 Speedster was unveiled alongside the 968 Club Sport at the Paris Motor Show in October 1992.
Porsche hoped to build a run of 3000 Speedsters based on the rear-drive Carrera 2 Cabriolet, but unlike the successful 1989 version, this latest iteration was originally only expected to be available in standard narrow-bodied as opposed to the fat-arched Turbo look format that had proven so popular a couple of years prior.
In addition, Porsche opted to go for a more pared back interior in line with Speedsters of the 1950s. To that end, much of the new car’s interior equipment was imported from the back-to-basics Carrera RS which had been the only 964 whose sales had thus far exceeded expectations.
In a further attempt to stimulate demand from cash-strapped markets, the new Speedster was priced at around 15% less than a comparable Carrera 2 Cabriolet.
CHASSIS
Each Speedster started life as a standard Carrera 2 Cabriolet bodyshell manufactured from hot zinc-dipped steel. A 77-litre fuel tank was located underneath the front lid.
As per the rest of the 964 range, suspension was via a MacPherson strut layout up front and semi-trailing arms at the back. Coil sprung dampers were fitted all round along with an anti-roll bar at either end.
In addition to coil over suspension, the 964 had also ushered in power steering and Anti-lock Brake Systems which were carried over to the Speedster.
Ventilated disc brakes had a 298mm and 299mm diameter front to rear. Aluminium four-piston calipers were fitted on both axles.
By the time of the Speedster’s introduction, Porsche had dropped the seven-hole 928 S4 Club Sport-style Design 90 wheels originally fitted to the 964 in favour of five-spoke Cup Design wheels which had been introduced across the 964 Carrera 2 and Carrera 4 range for the 1992 model year. These measured 7 x 17-inches front and 8 x 17-inches rear and were shod with 205/50 ZR17 and 255/40 ZR17 tyres respectively.
BODYWORK
Externally, the Cabriolet’s normal windscreen was switched to a lower and more steeply raked item set within a discrete aluminium frame.
Instead of a conventional roof, Porsche fitted the Speedster with a flimsy single-lined hood that had to be manually erected and which was conceived for emergency use only. When lowered, the roof was concealed below a distinctive body coloured ‘double bubble’ polyurethane moulding.
Unlike the rest of the 964 line, the Speedster came with single-piece side windows as opposed to two-piece items with fixed quarterlights.
In addition to the Cup Design wheels, the Speedster featured RS-style teardrop exterior mirrors that had similarly been introduced for the 1992 model year. They replaced the outdated flag-type units used by the 911 for many years prior.
A stylised Speedster as opposed to Carrera 2 script was added to the engine cover which retained the same retractable spoiler used by the rest of the normally aspirated 3.6-litre 964 range. This electronically lifted up and into the airflow at speeds of 80kmh / 50mph and then automatically lowered once road speed dropped below 10kmh / 6mph.
With the exception of the bumpers, sill covers and the ‘double bubble’ Speedster moulding behind the seats (all fashioned from polyurethane), body panels were manufactured entirely from steel.
INTERIOR
Inside, the Speedster imported quite a few bits of equipment from the Carrera RS.
The front seats were fibreglass Recaro buckets that offered manual fore / aft adjustment only. The front faces were trimmed in leather with the centre panels normally coloured in a contrasting shade (or shades).
As the rear seats were no longer accessible owing to the Speedster’s ‘double bubble’ moulding, the rear quarters were left carpeted.
The normal door panels with their armrests and storage bins were junked in favour of lightweight RS-style parts that used simplified handles and fabric looped door pull chords.
For most markets, a three-spoke steering wheel was fitted of the type also used by the recently introduced 3.8-litre 911 Carrera RS. By contrast, those cars destined for the likes of North America received a standard four-spoke airbag wheel.
Directly behind was the 911’s familiar five gauge instrument layout that comprised a central tachometer flanked to the right by a speedometer and clock. Located off to the left were combined read outs for oil pressure / oil temperature and fuel / oil level.
Although provision was made for a two speaker audio system, a stereo had to be re-instated via the options list. However, certain distributors automatically had this feature fitted at no additional cost. It was a similar story for the electric window option which most cars were upgraded to as a matter of course.
ENGINE / TRANSMISSION
In the engine bay was the Carrera 2’s all-alloy Type M64/01 Flat 6 with single overhead camshafts per bank, two valves per cylinder and dry-sump lubrication. Bore and stroke were 100mm and 76.4mm respectively for an overall displacement of 3600cc.
Compared to the outgoing 3.2-litre motor, the 964’s 3.6-litre unit had ushered in a host of new features to include a twin spark ignition system with dual distributors, ceramic port liners, hollow exhaust valves, sodium-cooled intake valves, forged pistons with dished crowns, a revised crankcase, a lightweight crankshaft, a new twelve-blade cooling fan, redesigned cam timing chain tensioners and a completely revised intake system.
A free-flow catalytic converter was standard on all cars along with the latest Bosch Motronic engine management software. A dual mass flywheel had been introduced for the 1990 model year.
With a compression ratio of 11.3:1, peak output was 250bhp at 6100rpm and 229lb-ft at 4800rpm.
Transmission was through a five-speed Type G50/03 gearbox, a single-plate clutch and open differential.
OPTIONS
Porsche offered the 964 Speedster in a choice of five standard colours: Grand Prix White, Polar Silver, Black, Guards Red and Speed Yellow.
Other no cost options included coloured seat backs. Frequently, the instrument fascia, door pull chords, door handles, the gear knob, gear gaiter and handbrake handle were finished to match.
The list of optional extras included a limited-slip differential, body coloured wheels, air-conditioning, electric windows, an audio system, a long-range 92-litre fuel tank, cruise control and Sports seats from the regular Carrera 2 (either heated or un-heated and with plain or coloured piping).
Porsche also offered the Speedster with their four-speed semi-automatic Tiptronic gearbox which enabled the driver to choose from either fully automatic or sequential manual shifting. The automatic mode had five different programmes and a computer would select the most appropriate mode according to driving style. A manual setting enabled the driver to shift up or down by pushing the gear lever forwards or backwards.
Given suitably deep pockets, practically any level of customisation could be carried out by Porsche Exclusive.
A good example was the last Speedster to roll off the production line. Commissioned by a UK-domiciled customer from Hong Kong, this particular car came via the Exclusive department with the 260bhp engine and uprated brakes from the Carrera RS, a long-ratio RS gearbox, custom suspension settings (midway between the standard Carrera 2 and an RS), the lightweight aluminium doors and front lid from the RS and thin-gauge steel fenders.
WEIGHT / PERFORMANCE
Despite its pared back specification, Porsche officially quoted the 964 Speedster at a weight of 1350kg which was identical to a Carrera 2 Cabriolet. However, in reality the new car tipped the scales at around 75kg less.
Performance figures were unchanged with the manual gearbox version having a 0-62mph time of 5.8 seconds and top speed of 162mph.
Tiptronic variants were 30kg heavier and took 6.6 seconds to hit 62mph.
SPEEDSTER WTL (WERKS TURBO LOOK)
Although Porsche had only planned to offer the 964 Speedster in standard narrow-bodied form, a batch of 20 Turbo-bodied cars were completed through the Exclusive department. Dubbed the WTL or Werks Turbo Look, these rarely seen variants came with the flared fenders, custom bumpers, re-profiled sills and wider wheels as fitted to the contemporary Turbo.
END OF PRODUCTION
Porsche’s original expectation was to sell 3000 examples of the 964 Speedster, however, only 936 were ultimately completed in a reflection of the early 1990’s depressed economic conditions.
Of these, 427 departed for the North American market, 14 were right-hand drive and 20 were Turbo-bodied WTL variants.
The aforementioned final example was ordered in November 1993 and completed in September 1994.
Text copyright: Supercar Nostalgia
Photo copyright: Porsche - https://www.porsche.com
