Under Jürgen Barth, Porsche’s customer motorsport program stood ready to create models fit for any type of competition.

Barth, of course, was no stranger to the podium.

With Jacky Ickx and Hurley Haywood, Barth placed 1st overall in the 1977 24 Hours of Le Mans and was a fixture in global sports car racing.

With the 911 Carrera 4 and Porsche’s motorsport resources at his beck and call, Barth set to work reducing the weight of the car.

Porsche did more than simply stripping out creature comforts, sound insulation, and carpeting and replacing body panels with aluminum and fiberglass, however: Unusually for an extreme performance-oriented 911 variant, the Lightweight managed to reduce its mass substantially while retaining a sophisticated all-wheel-drive system.

This rally-style setup is worthy of special note, as it provides yet another link to Porsche’s glorious competition heritage.

The Carrera 4 Lightweight was ultimately equipped with the mechanically adjustable all-wheel-driv...