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Porsche 911 Carrera CS: The lost gentleman

The Porsche 911 is the most popular sports car of all time, yet there are still variants that remain elusive, such as the rare 911 Carrera 3.2 Clubsport…

At August Porsche Addiction in Belgium, there’s always something special to see, be it a 1973 2.7 RS or rare factory racing machines. But one 911 from the diverse collection is something rather unusual. At first glance it seems like an ordinary G-Series Carrera. However, that whale-tail Turbo spoiler and the unusual script emblazoned on the side have us sitting up and taking notice, as we realise it's one of the highly desirable Carrera Clubsport models… 

One of just...

Like the slightly later 968 Clubsport, the 911 CS was a more extreme yet affordable version of the G-Series. Rather than concentrating on maximising performance from the engine (the redline was raised ever so slightly), Porsche put the 3.2 Carrera on a crash diet. Electrical creature comforts were mainly culled: air-conditioning, electric windows and central locking, for example – if it wasn’t absolutely necessary, it was gone. As a result, the standard car’s 1210kg kerb weight was reduced by around 50kg. It's not officially known how many were produced between 1987 and 1989, but it's thought to be only a few hundred. Unlike today, stripped-out specials often (perhaps logically) used to cost less than their full-fat counterparts and the 911 CS was some £1200 cheaper. 

A pre-commercial pearl

Pierre Breda, owner of August Porsche Addiction, is one of the lucky few owners. His incredibly rare Guards Red car (most were Grand Prix White) is certainly not a museum piece, either, boasting a positively impressive 80,000km on the clock, not that you could tell from its pristine condition. The 3.2-litre six-cylinder engine purrs like a kitten, the manual 'box feels as precise as it did when it left the factory and the unique pin-striped velour seats look freshly trimmed. The Alcantara steering wheel is not original, confesses Pierre, claiming it was installed to improve the driver's grip. He kept the original, of course; not that it matters – we were already long convinced that this 911 Clubsport is something truly special.

Photos: Jan Richter

Classic Porsche 911s for sale at August Porsche Addiction (and more) can be found in the Classic Driver Market.