Developed under the watchful eye of legendary Porsche engineer Roland Kussmaul, the Type 964 Cup was introduced in 1989 and was based around the newly launched Carrera 2 model. Extensive lightening saw almost a quarter of a tonne pared from the standard car, whilst a modest power increase of 15 bhp was achieved thanks to a blueprinted engine, lightened flywheel and racing clutch.

This particular car was one of the initial batches of 50 examples manufactured during 1990. Originally delivered to Swedish Porsche aficionado Lasse Jönsson, the car was leased to his fellow countryman Joakim Birgerson for the 1990 German Porsche Carrera Cup season, and was entered under the auspices of Birgerson’s Projekt Formel Racing team. The 10-round championship visited historic tracks which included Avus, Norisring, Spa-Francorchamps and Nürburgring, and Birgerson ended the season joint 14th in the points standings – a respectable result for a privateer, given that the opposition included drivers of the calibre of Bernd Schneider, Roland Asch, Uwe Alzen and Michael Bartels.

The following year, the Wagenpass shows the car as having been driven by “Pehrson” – possibly Lennart Pehrsson, sometime Swedish GT competitor and Porsche 993 GT2 pilot – at Hockenheim and the Nürburgring, although unfortunately it has not been possible to trace results for these events.

In 1993 the car was sold to Örnulf Wirdheim, father of former Jaguar Racing test driver and 2003 International Formula 3000 Champion Björn. Wirdheim Sr appears to have competed in only one race in the car, and the following year sold the car to the vendor, himself a highly respected driver – having finished runner-up in the Swedish Formula 3 Championship on three separate occasions (to J.J. Lehto, Mika Hakkinen and Mika Salo, no less) and a former Works Konrad driver who raced at the 24 Hours of Daytona. Subsequently, the vendor embarked upon a sports car career which included using this car to dominate the 1994 Swedish Porsche Cup, as well as finishing 6th in class at the 1994 Daytona 24 Hours in a Porsche 911 Turbo, and competing in the 1997 British GT Championship in a Porsche 911 GT1.

Remarkably preserved, the car retains its original shell, Matter roll cage (correctly dated February 1990), bonnet and engine, and it is believed that the odometer reading of a little over 22,500 km is genuine. Indeed, the only noticeable departure from original specification is the fitment of 18” Speedline wheels in place of the original 17” items. The car is accompanied by its original Wagenpass, Porsche manuals, Swedish registration documents and original 1990 Carrera Cup paddock pass. This represents a rare opportunity to acquire a highly original and well-documented example of this increasingly sought-after model.