The Porsche 993 in the Carrera Cup and Supercup

As with the previous model, the 964, the plan from the outset was to offer a version of the 993, which first went on sale in model year 1998, for the Porsche Supercup, which was first staged under the auspices of Formula 1 in 1993. At the national level, the 1990 Carrera Cup replaced the Porsche 944 Turbo Cup, which had established the tradition of Porsche brand cups between 1986 and 1989.

Roland Kußmaul started the development in 1993 

In the Porsche racing department, under the direction of Roland Kußmaul, the development of the Cup vehicle had already begun in May 1993, i.e. before the presentation of the 993. Whereas the Cup Carrera of the 964 series had still borrowed very heavily from the design of the Carrera RS, which, in its last stage of development in 1992, generated an output of 275 hp from a displacement of 3.6 litres, the brand cup variant of the 993 was instead destined to become a pure-bred sports car. The racing department used the engine which had previously seen service in the 964 RS 3.8 and generated 325 hp in the RSR version.

Herbert Ampferer developed the Cup-engine

Like the production model, the Cup engine developed under the watchful eye of Herbert Ampferer was given a resonance intake system; this enabled it to kick out 310 hp at 6,100 rpm, with a maximum torque of 360 Nm at 5,500 rpm. The maximum permissible engine speed was 6,900 rpm, even though the valve drive was built to withstand up to 7,800 rpm in short bursts. As no other exhaust silencer was installed beside the obligatory three-way catalytic converter, the engine sound of the 993 Cup could be heard in all its throaty splendour. The Cup engine was given the type number M64/70.

The reinforced six-speed transmission was also designed to withstand higher loads. For this reason, the synchronous rings were made of steel. The short shifting travel underlined the sporty character of the Cup Carrera, as did as its chassis, which was tailored to racing. In the contemporary yearbook, “Porsche Sport ‘94”, which was published by Ulrich Upietz, Roland Kußmaul commented as follows: “The new multi-link rear axle in the series-production Porsche comes very close to a double-wishbone construction.

We trimmed it to make it even more like a racing suspension. The car is 70 mm lower than the production counterpart, the spring rate is twice as hard as last year’s Cup car, and, in cooperation with Pirelli, we’ve achieved a handling performance that even the most demanding of racers have praised as sensational.” Three-part speedline rims in 8.5 J x 18 format at the front and 10 J x 18 at the rear gave the Cup car a look that was simply spellbinding. After several attempts, Roland Kußmaul and Walter Röhrl decided that the tyre sizes should be 235/45 x 18 at the front and 285/45 x 18 at the rear.

The 993 Cup car was 20 kg lighter

The Cup car weighed 1100 kg, making it 20 kg lighter than the previous model. Porsche achieved this by completely dispensing with the insulation material, installing extremely lightweight rear and side windows and ditching the heating and power steering. A newly designed roll cage, combined with the even more rigid body, made the coupé particularly stable and safe in the event of an accident. The braking system with its large internally ventilated and perforated brake discs and four-piston light metal fixed callipers met all the requirements imposed on a racing car. Porsche had also made it easier to service so that the necessary work to adjust the chassis could be carried out quickly.

Walter Röhrl tested the 993 Cup car in Mugello

During test drives in Mugello and Vallelunga in November 1993, the 993 Cup impressed all those present with its excellent lap times. In Mugello, Walter Röhrl managed to beat the time set by the 964 Cup vehicle by three seconds.

In its first racing season in 1993, the Cup Carrera took to the track with the automatic rear spoiler familiar from the production vehicle, which would deploy automatically at about 80 km/h. Porsche recorded an acceleration of 4.7 seconds to 100 km/h and a top speed of up to 280 km/h. The price for the Porsche 993 Cup 3.8 in Germany was DM 173,000.

The 911 Cup 3.8 competed exclusively in the Supercup in 1993, whereas the previous model based on the 964 was still used in the national Carrera Cups. It was the year of Uwe Alzen. He won six of the nine Supercup races held in Formula One and went on to clinch the title – ahead of Emmanuel Collard and Jean-Pierre Malcher.

The 993 was used in the Carrera Cup from 1995 onwards

In 1995, the Cup version of the 993 was used not just in the international Supercup but also in the national Carrera Cups. In the meantime, Porsche had developed a new aerodynamic package for the Carrera RS Clubsport (see below) with the fixed large rear spoiler which was also installed in the Cup Porsche. This package was rounded off by a larger front spoiler and sill trims. The chassis was also further refined. Changes to the toe and camber helped the Cup-Carrera cleave with greater assurance to the road, even on bad tracks. New adjustments also optimised the multi-link rear axle. The engine remained unchanged at 310 hp. The Supercup went to Jean-Pierre Malcher in 1996, ahead of Jürgen von Gartzen and Emmanuel Collard. In the German Carrera Cup, which was extended in the supporting program of the DTM, Harald Grohs prevailed over Oliver Mathai and Wolfgang Land.

The Cup engine was given a moderate performance increase for the 1996 season. The engine now generated 315 hp at an unchanged 6,100 rpm, with a torque of 370 Nm at 5,500 rpm. The characteristics of the springs and dampers were adjusted again, and mounting the gearbox in rigid plastic bearings made gear changes easier. Emmanuel Collard won the Supercup, Ralf Kelleners the German Carrera Cup.

Only 216 copies of the 993 in the Cup version were produced

In view of the imminent change of model to the water-cooled type 996, Porsche decided against any further developments for the last season of the 993 Cup in 1997. Driving unchanged vehicles, the Supercup title was clinched by Patrick Huisman and the German Carrera Cup by Wolfgang Land. For Patrick Huisman, this was the first of four consecutive title wins.

From the 1994 to the 1998 model years, Porsche produced a total of 216 vehicles in the Cup version, 147 with the 310 hp engine and 69 with the 315 hp unit. At the end of the season, Porsche unveiled the new 360-hp 996 GT 3 Cup for 1998.