Sold: Porsche 944 Turbo

The 944 was Porsche´s first step into real volume, based around its late 1970’s concept of a range of front-engined, water-cooled GT cars, 924, 944 and 928. It seems strange to contemplate now, but the rear-engine air-cooled 911 was regarded at the time as anachronistic, expensive to produce and limited in its appeal, so the front-engined route was a logical avenue to pursue.

Introduced in 1982, the Porsche 944 took the basic architecture of the 924, a well-executed and modern 3 door coupe, with gearbox mounted in a rear transaxle for perfect weight distribution and mated it with an engine which was pure Porsche. The 2.5 litre 4 cylinder 944 engine was unusually configured for its time but brilliantly executed, soon winning a volume following which the 911 could not achieve. As all Porsches, the 944 also acquired an enviable reputation for quality and reliability, which took Porsche into a volume market without scarificing its reputation for engineering excellence.

Although quick in standard form, Porsche introduced a Turbo version of the 944 in 1985, by which time the company was a world expert in turbocharging. These early cars produced spectatcular performance from their 220bhp. Later versions went to 3.0 litres for the S2 version in 1988, final versions of the 944 being produced in 1991, giving way to a new development designated 968.