Porsche is one of the most successful automobile brands in the industry. This German automobile manufacturer is well known for efficiency, reliability, and performance. The Porsche 944 mid-level model sports car was another success story in the 90s. The car was based on the 924 Carrera GT LeMans platform and was available in coupé or cabriolet body styles. This front-engine, the rear-wheel-drive mid-level model was powered by either naturally aspirated or turbocharged engines. In line with making the 944 unique, the Audi sourced 2.0 L inline-4 engine was dropped for the 2.5 L engine developed by Porsche.
The Porsche 944 was on Car and Driver’s Ten Best list from 1983 through 1985 in the same vein, the Turbo made the list for 1986. In 1984, Car and Driver named the Porsche 944 the Best Handling Production Car in America. Its styling and performance were so endeared to enthusiasts who could not but just keep loving the car. Over 163,000 units of this award-winning sports car were produced.
The Exterior design
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The 944 featured a box-flared exterior design, the wide fenders with clear enlarged wheel-arches both front and rear gave the 944 an aggressive look. The pop-up headlights were carried over from its predecessor, and in those times that was considered an ultimate reflection of a sports car. An integrated, hard-rubber, the spoiler was added at the back of the car, on the lift-gate. It featured body-colored bumpers, with a rubber strip on the one in the back. A single exhaust was mounted. The slightly angular wings clearly distinguished the 944 from the 924.
The Interior Design
Inside, the 944 featured two bucket seats in the front and two tiny seats in the back. The dashboard featured only three dials, unlike the 911, which featured five. Two additional dials were mounted on the center stack, for the clock and oil pressure. Later on, a four-dial layout with six gauges was installed.
The engine and Performance
Under the hood of the 944 lies a new 2.5-liter, water-cooled, inline four-cylinder engine that was designed as an approximation of half of the 928’s V-8. The six-cylinder engine with the Mitsubishi balance shaft gave the inherently rougher inline-four a smoother revving character to help justify its premium price tag. Weight was evenly distributed with the rear-mounted five-speed transaxle.
The Porsche 944 Turbo, with a turbocharged version of the 2.5-liter engine, delivered a massive 217 hp turning the 944 into a world-class performance car in 1986. The engine featured multi-piston Brembo brakes from the 911 Turbo. The 944 Turbo and Turbo S are expected to make a 0-60 mph under 6.0-seconds while the 944 S2 does the same in about 6.5 seconds.
In 1987, a 16-valve version of the 2.5-liter four powered the new 944 S variant, raising power from 147 hp to 187. In 1989, a new 2.7-liter, eight-valve engine with 163 hp came in with the base 944, and the 944 S2 replaced the 944 S, with a new 3.0-liter, 16-valve naturally-aspirated engine making 208 hp, plus all the benefits of the Turbo-style body and chassis. By now the Turbo model was up to 247 hp, and a Turbo S variant, launched the year before.
The legacy left behind by the departing 944
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Desiring to stand out in motorsport, 944 S2 models competed in the IMSA Firehawk Endurance Series in the late 1980s and a global Porsche 944 Turbo Cup series, often run as a support race to more established race series. The Porsche 944 Turbo Cup models were specially built as spec racers and it’s believed some 192 were produced. Today, some racing organizations have created spec racing series for the base 2.5-liter 944 as a relatively inexpensive way of racing competitively in a Porsche.
Safety measures
The 1987 Porsche 944 Turbo was the first vehicle to be fitted with both driver and front passenger airbags as standard equipment. This system, standard on all 944 Turbos destined for the U.S, was also available as an option on 1987 944s and 944Ss. Dual airbags became standard on all Porsche, as they have been on every production Porsche since the 1990 model year.
Though I haven’t had much luck finding official safety ratings for the 944, what I’ve heard from people who’ve had the unfortunate experience of crashing their cars, is that they’ve come out relatively unscathed (depending on how bad the wreck was, of course).
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