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$ 295,000

1985 FABCAR PORSCHE 944 GTR

Description:

• Herman+Miller Racing Porsche - Contested 1985 SCCA Bendix Brake Trans-Am Championship Series
• Driven by Paul Miller of Morristown, N.J.
• 2.5 Litre Porsche 4 cylinder engine from Andial (700+bhp)
• Car # 2 (Chassis # PMNA944.2). One of only seven built under Al Holberts watch, by Dave Klym, boss of Fabcar. Chassis reworked from the ground up by Miller Porsche Racing’s Lee White and Dave Klym. It is believed that only 4 or 5 of these cars survive in original spec.
• Computer design of the suspension was handled by David Bruns (the man who created the National Championship Swift Formula Ford)
• Superlight spaceframe
• Dual Bosch Breakerless TS2 ignition system
• Bosch mechanical fuel injection
• Warner Ishi turbocharger
• Air-to-air intercooler
• Brakes: Four-piston alloy calipers with drilled discs and internal ventilation
• Hewland DGB 5 Speed trans-axle
• Adjustable front and rear sway bars

The 944 evolved through the racing program of the 924; specifically, the 924 Carrera GT, GTS, and GTR. In the early 1980s, these cars dominated their classes in IMSA racing. In 1981, Porsche Motorsports built a highly evolved version of the 924 GTR called the 924GTP or 944GTP Le Mans, which finished 7th overall at Le Mans sporting a newly developed 2.5 liter motor which would be, in part, the basis for the road going 944. At the same time, the U.S. based Fabcar run by Dave Klym had modified some winning Porsches for Paul Miller and Bob Akin. Al Holbert, who was head of Porsche Motorsports North America, contracted Klym to make a new evolution of the 944 which would be called the 944 GTR.

Unlike its predecessors, the 944 GTR was a tube frame race car, meaning it had no connection to the road car. Brakes and wheels from a 962 were fitted, and the 944 GTR received a specially developed all aluminum 2.5 liter turbo under its silhouette body. The early 2.0 and 2.5 liter turbos had developed between 250 and 450 horsepower; the new unit in the GTR developed between 525 to 650 hp.

A veritable who’s who of Porsche motorsports history worked on these cars, including McLaren and Andial. Slated to race in both the SCCA Trans Am series and IMSA GTO, the GTR achieved moderate success but ultimately fell victim to bad timing and a lack of funding following the death of Holbert. Despite this, they were the fastest front engine Porsches ever raced.

Car No. 36 (not the car for sale), was to be so fast, the race organisers at Sears Point in 1985 impounded the car over the Saturday night to check it out. Finding nothing contravened the rules, bizarrely, they imposed a weight penalty for the race!
Paul Miller said that “Once we got the Andial 2.5 litre sorted, we were getting 700bhp+ from that engine in the new car.”

The cars were eventually sold off to private parties, which is how this one comes up for sale today.

Its current tenure in New Zealand’s South Island for the last 11 years under the guardianship of Angus Cockram has seen it run in multiple Skope Classic events at Christchurch’s Ruapuna Euromarque Motorsport Park, most lately and notably in 2024, when it was driven by son Miles Cockram who placed the car in top 3 positions multiple times, including one first and one best laptime, over the course of the meeting.

In terms of value, Carrera GTS and GTR values are typically at or above this level, and the purchase price is a fraction of what it cost to develop these cars originally, but judging race car values depends in large amount on the race history and condition. Running this car on tracks where it deserves to be would certainly be an expensive proposition - running costs are estimated to be roughly on a par with a 996 or 997 GT3 Cup Car, for example. That’s rarefied air for sure, but you would own a really unique piece of automotive history that would be as welcome at a Porsche Club car show, as it would be at historical races.

This car is race ready to race in PCA, HSR, SVRA and includes:
1x Andial Engine
2x Sets BBS wheels plus wheel spares
A spares package, including body moulds
Log Book

References:
Roy Smith. (2017). Powered By Porsche: The Alternative Race Cars. A study of other marques that used Porsche engines for racing success.  Veloce Publishing Limited. pp. 294-297
Roy Smith. (with Norbert Singer, Jϋngen Barth & Derek Bell) (2014). The Porsche 924 Carrera - Evolution to Excellence. Veloce Publishing Limited. pp. 285-305

High resolution copies of most photos are available upon request.

 




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Keyword Search Terms:

Fabcar, Porsche, 944, GTR, Al Holbert, PCA, HSR, SVRA, Herman Miller, Paul Miller, Dave Klym, Andial

Details:

Item Location: Christchurch, New Zealand
Seller: EMChchNZ
Joined November 2024
  Angus Cockram
Seller's other ads
Company: Euromarque Holdings Ltd
Country: New Zealand
City: Christchurch
Phone: +64033660229
064021324842
Condition Used
Trade or Private: Trade
Currency:
Price: $295,000
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Added: 27/01/2025
Views: 1932

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