6SpeedOnline - Porsche Forum and Luxury Car Resource - 1988 Porsche 911 Club Sport (1 of 28)

Club Sport

Many of you have seen photos of my Club Sport. Business opportunities lead me to very reluctantly sell this car. When selling cars that I've owned in the past I've been guilty of saying, "I'll find another one". I cannot make that statement with this car.

The 1987-1989 Club Sport is arguably the most-rare, lightweight production 911 that Porsche has ever produced. It took me over two years to find this one. Not only is this Club Sport rare from a production standpoint, this is a "Sonder-Wunsch" or Special Wishes 911. The rarest of the rare, one of the 28 North American Carrera Club Sports painted by the factory in Gulf Blue. Believed to be the only Club Sport worldwide painted this color. The car was built with Chrome rather than black window trim and a Burgundy pinstripe velour interior. It is a car that is all original including the paintwork with extensive paperwork back to 8,000 miles.

Attached is an article providing more specific information. The asking price is best offer over $60,000. Please pm me or call me at 865-207-6954 to discuss. Extensive photos are available.

Porsche 911 Carrera Club Sport - Buyer's Guide
More From Less
By Mitchell Sam Rossi

By the mid-1980s the 911 had become fat. Not obese, mind you, but compared to its predecessors, the sports car was overwhelmed with opulent indulgences. Plush interiors, electric front seats, power windows, air conditioning, layers of sound proofing, and-gasp-headlamp washers. These copious accessories were comforts devoted to Porsche's latest clientele, young urban professionals, i.e., yuppies.
Whether intentional or not, Porsche was deadening the very essences of what it meant to drive a world-class sports car, a thrill that was not superfluous but mandatory in the 911. The company was leaving its most faithful customers standing on the curb shaking their heads.
The Carrera 3.2 tipped the scales at nearly 2,700 lb. To date, the heaviest normally aspirated 911 to hit the roadway. Power was up, of course, an increase of 27 horses for the U.S. model versus the earlier 911 SC. But there is more to an exhilarating rush behind the wheel of a true GT than simply grunt.
Luckily, Porsche recognized a portion of its fans were becoming disheartened by the Carrera's growing banality. To counter this disappointment, and to show the company was still in the business of making sporty sports cars, the M637 option code was formulated to create the Carrera Club Sport, a light-weight version of the Carrera 3.2.
Only 340 of these bare-bones variants rolled off the assembly line between 1987-89. In 1988, the first year the car was available in the U.S., a mere 22 cars crossed the American shoreline, with only six more arriving in 1989.
Intended for customers with a competitive bent, the M637 code was not only a lengthy deletion list that pared nearly 150 lb from the coupe, it also included modifications to the 3.2-liter motor.
Essentially a stock powerplant, the CS cylinder heads received hollow intake valves. The DME was re-chipped, elevating the redline from 6200 to 6600 rpm. Rumors abound that the engines were built under the watchful eye of the racing department, but although the aluminum case carries a special "SP" stamp, this hearsay has never been confirmed.
Unfortunately, the engine's raw numbers for horsepower (217 bhp at 5900 rpm) and torque (195 lb-ft at 4800 rpm) were no different from that of the standard Carrera. Increased performance, a shade quicker from 0 to 60 mph and a top speed of 151 mph, up from 148 mph, was due to weight savings. The "Rest of the World" versions of both the Club Sport and stock Carrera 3.2, enjoyed 231 bhp and 209 lb-ft of torque.
The CS did receive stiffer engine mounts and a short-throw shifter for its G50 transmission.
On the exterior, the Club Sport was distinguishable by its large rear spoiler without the usual badging on the rear-most surface. The front airdam came without foglight openings. The only insignia heralding this would-be racer was a sensuous "CS Club Sport" decal gracing the left front fender. While factory literature stated the cars were offered in standard and special body colors, the majority was delivered in Grand Prix White.
All the cars were supposed to be coupes, again for weight savings. One particular CS was equipped with a factory-installed sunroof. In Great Britain, where 50-some Grand Prix White Carrera CSs were deposited, there is said to be a special-order Targa in Guards Red.
The car's precise handling was accomplished by the addition of Bilstein sport shock absorbers. Standard wheels and tires were 7x15- and 8x15-in. Fuchs wrapped in 195x65VR15 and 215x60VR15 rubber, front and rear, respectively.
To fulfill its moniker of a racy light-weight, the Club Sports-except for the U.K. cars-forewent the customary PVC undercoating, which annulled the 911's long-term corrosion warranty, cutting it from 10 years to 2. The CS went without air conditioning, a trunk or engine compartment light. Porsche's assembly workers left out most of the sound insulation, the rear window wiper and installed a simplified wiring harness.
Slip into the ****pit of a CS and the deletion code becomes most apparent. The car best fits a bachelor or childless couple as there are no rear seats. Instead, a carpeted shelf with open storage beneath takes their place. This allowed the car to be homologated as a two-seater.
The CS had no radio, although a few cars did receive stereos at their importing dealerships. The power-window lifts were replaced by manual crank mechanisms. Lightweight seats replaced the electric lounges. While various materials were available, most of the seats were covered in either a black pin-striped cloth or a special Porsche cloth that had "Porsche" sewed diagonally across the material.
The central-locking mechanism was scuttled. The automatic heater control was replaced by manual levers, which returned to their classic position next to the handbrake. The door panels were equipped with simplified doorlatch knobs, pull handles and door pockets without lids.
Although set forth with good intentions, the Club Sport found less than a warm reception in the U.S. Two reasons can be held accountable for this. First, the car's original automotive reviews mocked it as both harsh driving and weak performing. An overall, poor bantam-weight version of the current 911. Second, for all its deletions, and few enhancements, the cost of the CS in the States was equivalent to a showroom Carrera 3.2.
It being the '80s, it is hard to understand how Porsche would think its yuppie clients would give up push-button windows without an economic gain.
Today, it is a different story and such special versions of the 911 garner a high level of respect. While their numbers are incredibly low and their existence known only to the most avid Porschephiles, the fraternity of U.S. Carrera Club Sport owners is no less strong.
"I bought it sight unseen," said Mark Smith about his 1988 Grand Prix White Club Sport. "I handed the seller a check and then said, "Okay, let's see the car." Surprisingly, although he had been looking for 3 years for a CS, Smith stumbled upon it on eBay. He was the first to call the seller and via swift E-mail and follow-up phone calls made certain he would be its new owner.
Owning the car for 3 years, Smith admitted he has added only 300 miles to the odometer's 6,800-mile entry. "I had the full intention of driving it daily," he said. But after his first outing, Smith realized the car, #15 of the original 22, was too collectable to run often.
Making Smith's 911 unique is that it is only one of two with factory-equipped air conditioning. "It also supposed to be the only Grand Prix White car with burgundy interior," he said.
Club Sport #21 is owned by Tom Trudell, one of those avid Porsche fans the car was truly built for. "With the Club Sport you have the stiffer suspension, no sound proofing and a noisier engine. It's more visceral. You just feel more connected to the car," Trudell said with a broad grin.
"I concourse it and take it to some autocross events with the PCA. But I don't have any intention of racing it," he said. "It's a low-production car so I'm a little nervous about going off into the kitty litter."
Trudell's Silver Metallic example is, in fact, the only Club Sport with a factory sunroof. "Mine is the only one in the world," Trudell said proudly. "The Porsche salesman who ordered it had some pull with Weissach at the time."
While Smith keeps his CS in pristine condition and Trudell strives to keep his intact, Stephen Miller, owner of 1988 Club Sport #1, the very first of the U.S. versions, has found a way to do both.
"For a long time I agonized over leaving it original or making it a full track car," Miller said. He currently campaigns the car with both the Porsche Owners Club and the Porsche Club of America.
His compromise? To upgrade the car with the racing gear he wanted while carefully saving its stock equipment. "With a week or two worth of work it could be put back to absolute original," Miller said. "It has bigger anti-sway bars, heavier torsion bars, short gears in the transmission and Boxster brakes up front. But nothing has been done to the motor."
Club Sport #1 was actually Porsche's demonstration car and as its original owner, Miller is not sure the designation is exactly a privilege. "When you tell people it was the demo, you get two reactions. Two-thirds of them say, "Oh that's really cool." The other third are a little wiser and know it was thrashed by every journalist in North America."
Talking about his racing experiencing with the car, Miller echoed Trudell's comments. "Compared to a regular Carrera, it has a totally different feel," Miller said. "Because it's a bare-bones lightweight, you feel more in contact with it."
While several automotive books herald the Club Sport as a limited-edition model, and the cars built in 1988 have sequential VINs, the overwhelming evidence suggests these low-production racers were option-delete cars. Unfortunately, this is not the sort of label the current owners want to hear. For some reason, it is viewed as a devaluing factor.
Yet, the fact remains, there were only 340 examples produced. Far less than many other so-called limited-edition 911s, including the 1973 Carrera 2.7 RS, the 1988 Anniversary Carrera or the 1992-93 RS America.
No matter how it is classified, the 1987-89 Carrera Club Sport is certainly a special 911 and its creation, in a time of overindulgence, should be appreciated as Porsche's attempt to remain true to its heritage.