Published on October 12th, 2023 | by Sounder Rajen

The Porsche 968 Roadster Is A Rare Forgotten Porsche

We share more about this Porsche 968 Roadster and why it is so rare

On that note, the Porsche 968 Roadster is truly rare. Even a unique one, to be precise. Regular visitors to the Porsche Museum may have seen the car before, as it goes on display every now and again. So what story is behind this unique piece? Let’s dive in and find out now.

Okay, so way back in the day, German automaker, Porsche, was thinking about this third body form as early as 1991, while production of the 968 had just begun. The result? A cut-down windscreen, tiny side windows, a low canvas convertible top and a low rear end. Truly a machine anyone and everyone could love.

Moreover, together with the American Sunroof Company (A.S.C.) in Warren, Michigan, a prototype with a lower windshield and tightly cut cloth roof was created. This was also all in the tradition of the legendary Porsche 356 speedster. The Porsche 968 was also built in tandem with the Boxster.

On top of that, A.S.C. was also responsible for the development of the 944 Cabriolet and the 968 Cabriolet. After all, the latest model was also the reason the 968 Roadster didn’t go into production. While some may see this as bad news, it is the reason this one-off is so popular as if there were more units of it, the car would be less special.

Sadly, the Porsche 968 wasn’t quite unique enough at the time to push enough customer interest from the management’s perspective. As such, in the background, the new Boxster was already taking shape as the successor to the “transaxle” series and we all know how that story worked out.

The Porsche 968 was built in 1991 and is powered by a 2990cc (3.0L) inline 4 engine making 240hp and had a top speed of 252km/h. To this day, it still remains a car anyone would love to own and while some part of me wishes Porsche would have put the car into production, it’s status as a one-off is hard not to love.