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The 968 was an automobile made by Porsche GmbH of Germany between 1992 and 1995, and was the replacement for the 944. The 968 was powered by an updated version of the 944's straight-4 engine, now displacing 3.0 litres and producing 240 bhp (179 kW). At the time, the 968's engine was the largest 4-cylinder ever offered in a production car, and had a very high specific output, about 80 horsepower (60 kW) per litre. Among road cars at that time, it was only edged out by the Honda/Acura NSX with the same displacement, but two more cylinders, in horsepower per litre. Nonetheless, the 968 had greater torque than the NSX and hence took the title for highest specific power per litre among road cars. This high specific output was partly due to Porsche's VarioCam camshaft phasing device, introduced on this model. The 968's styling somewhat resembled the 928 although it looked considerablly more like a blend of the Type 993 911 and a 944 S2. Like the 944, the 968 was sold as both a coupe and a convertible. A street legal race variant, dubbed Club Sport, appeared later on with a stripped-out interior including racing seats, revised suspension and larger wheels and tires, but was offered only in Europe. A UK only version Called "968 Sport", a Club Sport model with some "comfort" features added back in, was produced in 1994 and 1995. Porsche briefly produced a turbocharged version called "Turbo S", 15 were produced in total, and again the car was only sold in Europe. The 968 Turbo S was capable - in 1993 - of 0-60 in 4.7 seconds and top speeds approaching 180 miles per hour. A race variant called 968 Turbo RS was added as well, only 4 were produced.
Much of the 968's chassis was carried over from the 944S2, and much of the 944S2 chassis had been carried over from the 944 Turbo (Internally numbered 951). These components include the brembo-sourced 4 piston brake calipers on all four wheels, aluminum semi-trailing arms and aluminum front A-arms, used in a Macpherson strut arrangement. The steel unibody structure was also very similar to the previous models, but the bumper and sheetmetal changes had a major effect on the vehicles overall appearance which most reviewers found positive.
The 968 was Porsche's last new front-engined vehicle before the introduction of the Cayenne SUV in 2003. It was sold alongside the 928 GTS through 1995 when both models were dropped. As of 2004, Porsche has not yet built another front engined sports car, although there has been speculation that the 4.5 litre V8 from the Cayenne may power a new 928 replacement.
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