Buying a 996 cup car

If you’re considering the purchase of a Cup car, remember you will either need a full workshop to maintain and service the car, or you will need the support of another workshop or specialist to assist you with the preparation and maintenance, even if it is just for occasional track-day use.

Lawrence Stockwell of Parr UK elaborates: “It is very important to get a [Cup] car inspected by somebody who has knowledge of Cup cars of its vintage, not only from the point of view of checking the car’s physical condition and specification, but also to ensure any accident damage – and it will have had some – has been properly repaired. In addition, it’s of utmost importance to understand the vehicle’s history and maintenance records. There is no service book with a race car, so it can be very hard to piece together a vehicle’s history and maintenance unless owners or teams have kept a log. All parts are ‘lifed’ in hours, rather than mileage, so again records and invoices make it an easier task to see if the car has been maintained in accordance with the Porsche specification,” he says.

“A typical buyer is a current track-day enthusiast or amateur racer who wants to step up to the

‘purist experience’ that a true race car can offer. It then gives them the option to enter motorsport as well. Most Cup cars are fitted with data acquisition systems, so it gives detailed information on a driver’s performance.”

It’s always a good idea to speak to race teams, as they may have cars they are wishing to sell or are thinking of selling in the near future. Alternatively, a good international website to surf for Porsche race cars is racecardirect.com, where we found a 996.2 priced at €50,000 in the Netherlands. In the UK another 996.2 was offered at £93,500, a one-owner car that had never been raced.