In 1983, former racing driver and then manager of Porsche Canada David Deacon sought a way to promote the successor to the company’s entry-level 924 models. His solution had been proven by countless motorsports icons turned sales successes before it: win on Sunday, sell on Monday. Two months after the inaugural Porsche 944 Cup race at the Nürburgring, Mosport Park, Toronto hosted the first round of the Canadian Rothmans Porsche Challenge. The race featured a 30-car grid of naturally-aspirated 944s pulled from the production line and uprated for high-level competition. Running costs were low, the prize money was attractive, and most importantly, the racing was close and hard. Period race footage can still be found on YouTube of stripped-back 944s drafting, banging doors, and jumping curbs in these brutal half-hour shoot-outs. Naturally, such a spectacle attracted numerous sponsors and generous television coverage, eventually spawning additional series in France and South Africa. Having proven the normally aspirated 944’s motorsport credibility, the Canadian Rothmans Porsche Challenge switched to the more powerful 944 Turbo for the 1988 season.
This particular Alpine White 944 Turbo Cup, chassis number 165080, was completed on 18 December 1987 as one of just 38 Canadian market factory-built 944 Turbo Cups destined to complete in the 1988-1990 Rothmans Porsche Turbo Cup Championship. The Porsche-issued Certificate of Authenticity also notes that the car was specified with a Black Leatherette interior, Bosch anti-lock braking system, Continental tires, and lacked lacquer and chrome preservation. The car replaced the original Dicom #89 car with matching VIN number 89 that was campaigned in the 1988 Championship and had sustained damage during one of the early rounds of the 1989 Championship. According to its CASC Vehicle Log Book, Dicom entered this yet unraced Turbo Cup, chassis number 165080, in the remaining rounds of the 1989 Championship, also under the number 89 and driven by Canadian racing driver Jacques Bienvenue. Known for his clean racing style, Bienvenue was a seasoned driver with over two decades of experience including impressive finishes at the Sebring 12 Hours, Daytona 24 Hours, and Le Mans 24 Hours. As a result, chassis number 165080 survived six rounds of the unforgiving Rothmans Porsche Turbo Cup Championship largely unscathed, finishing twelfth in the 1989 Championship thanks to an impressive fourth-place finish in round three at Mont Tremblant, and a podium finish in round seven at Mosport Park.
In the years since it competed in the 1989 Rothmans Porsche Turbo Cup Championship, the car has remained exceptionally well-preserved in its original Turbo Cup specification including its Dicom racing livery and original Turbo Cup oil pan seal. The Porsche has been meticulously cared for by just two private owners since Dicom’s ownership, with the current owner acquiring the car from Porsche Lauzon in 2015 and subsequently importing it from Montreal to California. Most recently, the Turbo Cup underwent a head gasket replacement by Greg Brown at Precision Motorwerks which is said to have exceeded $12,000. Also benefitting from new Toyo Proxes tires, the car was frequently displayed at car shows under current ownership, travelling less than 500 of the 35,131 kilometers shown at the time of cataloging. Having raced in just six rounds of the Rothmans Porsche Turbo Cup Championship, this is undoubtedly one of the cleanest and most original 944 Turbo Cups available today – ready for an open season of wheel-to-wheel racing at PCA and vintage racing events.
Weiterlesen