Avatar photoLorenzo Baer·
Motorsport & Racing
··
Last updated:

Porsche & Indy – The Tale of Two Worlds (Part 2)

1988 would be Porsche's first full season in CART; certainly it was to be a year of great learning and some setbacks. Credits: Unattributed

Between 1987 and 1990, Porsche forged a remarkable path in American motorsports, with one of its most memorable moments being the team’s short-lived, yet intense, stint in CART/IndyCar. Join us in the second part about the story of this epic, as the Zuffenhausen-based company faced growing challenges to establish itself in the competitive scenario of the CART in late 80’s

A WINTER OF CHAOS AND TURMOIL

After the disastrous 1987 season, Porsche had entered into a period of political agitation, through a veiled confrontation between two key figures in the CART project, Norbert Singer and Al Holbert.

Singer, representing the German side of the company, argued that Porsche’s failure that season was due to a lack of time to refine the 2708 design, and that the team should soldier on with the design for the following season. To this end, Singer allocated a significant amount of resources, especially in aerodynamic research, to the development of an 1988-spec 2708. In this way, Singer kept alive the essence of the Porsche/CART project, a 100% German-built machine.

Related
© Stuttcars.com 2025. This site was designed and produced solely by Stuttcars.com. Stuttcars.com is not associated with Porsche AG in any manner, except for a mutual appreciation and love of the cars. All pictures and references to the Porsche name, and the car names and shapes are for reference only, and do not imply any association with Porsche AG.
Members only$35 / year

Keep going. This is where it gets good.

Stuttcars Membership is for people who'd rather spend an hour inside one option code than skim ten headlines. The rest of this story — and every other one like it — is a few seconds away.

  • Every members-only story

    Deep history, driven reviews, market reports and the full archive.

  • No ads. None.

    The whole site reads like a magazine, on every device.

  • Every Porsche, researched

    Model-by-model hubs: production numbers, specs, options, colors.

  • 30% off the shop

    Every Stuttcars shirt and piece of merch, all year.

Join Stuttcars — Keep Reading

$35 a year. Cancel anytime, no hoops.
Already a member? Sign in

BY PORSCHE PEOPLE, NOT A CORPORATION. Your membership keeps a small independent team of historians, ex-racers, engineers and journalists doing this.

Join — Keep Reading $35/yr