When I was 24 years old back in 1987, A Porsche salesperson saw me looking over a red 944 Turbo with a beige interior. I was out running errands on a Saturday afternoon and I just stopped by the dealership to have a look at the 944 Turbo. A salesperson came up to me and casually asked me if I'd like to test drive it-none of that pushy car salesman BS, he just asked. I, of course, said yes. He told me something I'll never forget: "Don't worry, there's nothing you can do to hurt this car." He wanted me to relax and enjoy the car. I proceeded to fall in love-the handling, the brakes, the amazing shifter, and smooth as silk clutch-the whole truly was greater than the sum of its parts. On an expressway in the middle of Silicon Valley, I got the car up to 110 MPH before I had to slow for a red light. The car was so stable and solid that it felt like 25 MPH on a residential street. At the end of the drive, the salesperson never asked me if I wanted to buy the car-that wasn't his goal. His goal was to introduce a young man to Porsche and create a future Porsche customer. That's the day I fell in love with Porsches. The 944 Turbo will always have a special place in my heart. There truly is no substitute. Thanks for the memories, Damian.
Took delivery of a white one in Silicon Valley then. Did over 150 on Dumbarton Bridge right out of the dealershop. This car was way too fast for daily use u couldn"t keep in under double digit speed on Hwy 280. It just wanted to go and go.
@@wingtang1180 Since you know the Bay Area, it was Central Expressway in Sunnyvale where I got the car up to 110 MPH. I have no doubt that if it wasn't for the traffic light I would have hit 150 as well.
@@carlrebeiro we were lucky to have had first hand experience. Not too many people now have an idea how unbeatable a stock 944 turbo was on the road, for that time period.
I worked for the West Australian Porsche dealership in '86 when the 944 Turbo was launched. The first here was a metallic maroon colour. I was involved in its sale to Kim Ledger, father of Heath. He bought it the day after it was given serious 'beanage' at Wanneroo Raceway on a customer drive day. He bought even though the front discs were warped after that event. Naturally, new brakes were fitted before delivery!
Great memories. A chum of mine bought a turbo, after we had a Porsche day at Milbrook and Tim Harvey took us out in them, before we had a drive. Only regret is I didn't buy the car from his widow after he sadly died too young from cancer. Thank you.
Thanks for putting this video together. Being a 944S2 owner, I don’t share your lack of enthusiasm and overall somewhat negative review. For an 80s Turbo to be sub 6 or 5 seconds even, that is remarkable in my books. I think they are one of the most affordable and underrated quality pieces of engineering and a future investment. Absolutely love them for what they are.
I had a 944 s2 20 odd years ago , I’ve found myself looking at the Turbo in the last few weeks . I was surprised at how much they have appreciated in the last few years . I still think they look great ! Edit : the sunroof lifts out altogether, definitely not pointless , it’s almost like a targa .
The sunroof on these is actually removable. So you end up with almost a targa type experience. If working properly you just need to hold down the sunroof closing button and it will unlatch in the back and you can lift it right out. Quite a cool feature really.
Agreed- when the mechanism works. Owned an ‘87 Turbo - roof would work one and not the next; clock would come and go, after 2 mos of the clock being out, I was ready to replace it from Automotion, just then it started to work again== I chalk it up to VW electrics!!
Took to the comments section to say great vid (as always Damien!), but did you know the idea of the sunroof was that it lifted out altogether and was designed to perfectly fit (in a purpose made bag) in the boot - then saw your comment 🤣! Well said ✅
The problem is that when the roof is out there is no device to flick the air over roof and hence it’s very noisy. The engine was a good performer, but the lag is poor and four cylinder sound is dull!
@@kevinwirga6021 Actually, there is a spring-loaded wind deflector that pops up all along the front lip--IF the springs still work...but, they're a five-minute replacement if they're worn out.
I owned a 1986 944 turbo in the early 1990, what a car. The handling was nearest at the time to perfection. 2 things the model you tried didnt have the sports seats which were fabulous and much better than standard. Also Porsche lied about the performance of the 944 turbo deliberatetly to make the 911 Carrera look better in brochure, but contemporary independent tests had 0-60 at 5.6 seconds as standard and better than 911 of the time.
You had me at turbo porsche except I'd need to sell one of my other porsches or get more space... one day... one day I'll have a turbo for every day. That's the dream.
Had a 944S2 in 89, great fun car. Great balance and fast for it's time, on and off track! Brother and I did 1550kms in 10hrs, inc stops, in Outback Oz. What a blast we had. I took it up to 250kms/hr on the highway (legally, not anymore), but cruised at 200. :-)
Boy this brings back the memories !! Got a turbo new in '87. Alpine white, burgundy leather and color matched BBS wheels. Loved that car. Thanks for the review !!!
What a memory come back. The 944 was my 4th car. Fabulous car without any problems. I remember it being bulletproof. I had 911 wheels/rims on mine and had it tuned. Later I sold it on and purchased the 928GTS. Another bulletproof auto....
Viewer from Japan here. I've owned 964 Carrera 2 Manual, and 996.2 GT3 Clubsport, and currently drive an mildly tuned R32 GT-R (550bhp), but 944 turbo is one of my favourite Porsches. Of course, the GR86 is wonderfully close in spirit, and comes with none of the headaches of owning a classic car. But if you don't have a FR turbo car? this may be great fun.
@@TheCarGuysTV Pleasure is mine - I've been following your channel a lot - back when you had all the rats eating your GT3 touring cables and all! Always great content☺
I owned a 944 S2 and when Porsche cut the prices of the turbo to around £29k in 1992, I thought about an upgrade to a turbo cabriolet. They only had white ones left, so I passed on that. About a year later I met an old friend who had driven both on a test drive and he went for the standard S2, preferring the driving experience. A colleague borrowed mine once to take to the south of France in convoy with another S2 and and S2 turbo. He said the turbo was like a car on a piece of elastic. The S2s would accelerate and overtake immediately, then the turbo would be left behind and then catch up and then go zooming past. Therein lies the issue with the S2 turbo, the 2.5 engine took a while to get going, while the 3 litre S2 had torque on tap. A turbo 3 litre would have been an interesting car.
I have a 1988 Turbo S and I find the brakes to be very very good. Not sure about the 1989 model, but the Turbo S uses the "Big Black" calipers from the 928s and relatively massive front disks. I suspect that the RHD cars lose quite a bit of brake feel as the master cylinder and booster remain on the left side and are actuated via a pivoting bar behind the firewall that transfers the force from the pedal on the right side to the master cylinder on the left.
I didn’t really like it all that much back in the day but it’s aged incredibly well and now looks pretty cool. I drove one once and it was awful but it was in the days when they were extremely cheap and I’m willing to accept it might have been a poorly maintained example, as happened with many cars while they went through a period of under-appreciation.
I bought a late model 944 turbo in black with cream leather for myself as a 25th birthday day present. Saved up hard and bought with cash and I loved that car. Far more practical than a 911 and many other sports cars. On a trip to Scotland for a friends wedding it carried 2 mountain bikes, clothes for a week including wedding outfits, all inside the car :-). It felt fast back then!!
Hi Damien, I followed your suggestion at the end of the video, went out and bought the best one I could find. Only slight difference being that this was in 2008! Got myself eventually a twin car of yours, also in white, July 1990 model and therefore the later 250 PS version with the bridge spoiler, no sticker on the front though. I still own the car and everything you said in your review is spot on. It's a lovely car made at the time at in an Audi plant and pretty much bullet proof, if well looked after. How is the search going in terms of 964 RS? I hear that you are also after a 993 Turbo S. Take care. Nice watch by the way, that's two 944 Turbos on your wrist then. Great stuff.
I had a 1990 Baltic Blue 944 Turbo in the late 90's in an almost identical spec to this one with the M030 suspension option and some mild tuning which pushed the power to around 300bhp. Great car and fast when on boost though very laggy but that's part of the fun. I'd always wanted a 911 and was sold after a brief drive in late 80's 911 Carerra Club Sport but sadly the stock '89 911 3.2 I bought felt a bit below par compared to the CS I drove and nothing like as fast as my 944 Turbo. Should really have sourced a CS as they weren't silly money back in 1999/2000. My love of 911's was restored a few years later when I bought a 996 GT3, by far the best car I've owned.
That was my first crush on Porsche - I remember that I saw it in a journal - my doctors waiting room as a kid - it was a red Targa - which I owned myself - loved it!
I have been lucky enough to have 3 944 since 2016, 2 early NA cars (which are also great) and more recently a 2 owner Turbo S Silver Rose. The previous owner made some mods to the fuel, exhaust & ECU so I would guess it is pumping out about 300bhp now rather than 250, so plenty quick enough for me. I echo your comments on the build quality and driveability of these cars, and so practical if you can stay on top of the maintenance. They are epic machines. Mine shares garage space with my 928GT which is epic in other ways
Having concurrently owned a 944 and an air cooled 911 -- I always found the 944 just so nice, accessible and comfortable. You could just get in and everything was where it was supposed to be, it was comfortable, it looked cool. The handling was wonderfully intuitive (except for the merest hint of understeer on turn-in). The engine even sounded cool at idle. I never had a bad drive in my 944. And then I'd get in my 911 and my first response would always be "Wow!". The drive is much more of an experience, while the a drive in the 944 was wonderful. To me -- further up the rev band the 944 just sounded like a Golf engine. The 911 engine always sounded like a 911 engine. Ultimately I ended up selling the 944 and keeping the 911. I miss the 944, but if they were parked next to each other, I'd always take the 911. The Boxster I feel, really did a great job of merging the experiences of the 911 and the 944 together. Cheaper and more accessible than a 911. But still with 90% of the 911 experience. They're all excellent cars!
@garygarner9788 Actually, the opposite is true. All 3 cars cornered great in street applications, but differently. The 944 was always gentle with it's responses, if a tad overly stable. By this I mean that it didn't rotate immediately. The Boxster and air-cooled 911 corner similarly, but the 911 more-so. Both are fundimentally rear weight biased cars, but while the Boxster is "tossable", the 911 rewards getting the corner right. If your technique is right, the 911 seems to brake harder and claws it's way out of a corner like no other car. But where the Boxster will cover for less than ideal driving technique, the 911 demands that your technique be correct if you want to go fast in the twisties.
I love your reviews. The 944 was so much fun to drive. I remember driving those back in the 90's and the chassis and the balance of the car was perfect. You do not see many on the road anymore. There is such a big myth that Porsche is so reliable and they are not. I love Porsche, have owned and will own more. But they break as much as any other car. I think most Porsche owners just take their car in and get it fixed and don't advertise it. Where some Ferrari owners like bragging about their repair bill. I own Ferrari's also and they have been just as good.
Loving the Video & The Car....I've always liked the 944 Turbo...the Vid has come in good timing! I've just picked up My first ever Porsche. I got it New from Leeds...a really good experience...so far....apart from somebody giving the sills a wipe down when I brought it in after having it 3 days..looks like they've used to same cloth and wiped the screens and scratched 2 of the screens...they're sorting it, just took the shine off it a bit...... Keep up the good work Mate....
@@TheCarGuysTVupdate…..all is good in the world. The Garage have shown they are as good as I initially thought & are replacing the screen and having it PPF’d………….I’m not sure you will approve of the Car……….Taycan GTS😮 If you’re ooooop North Mr. B, at any point and you want to use it for a Vid, then, you only have to let me know buddy…….
@@TheCarGuysTVI’m keeping the RS6 Performance, interesting the other week jumping from one estate car straight into the other….that’s a good comparison, Me thinks……I enjoyed them different the experience….| So I’m oh so Green 1 min, though other, I’m creating my own hole in its O-Zone!…😂😂
Seems at last people have woken up on the 944 and realise they are really excellent! I owned two new 944 in 1988 and 1989...and yes they were soooo far ahead of other cars back in the day. Hard to beat in ALL situations...the longer you own one...the more you bond and realise that...IT IS NOT A 911 !! and not trying to be...
Good episode about a car I've always liked. I drove a red 944 N/A back in the mid 80s and it was a lovely thing to drive with nice balance and good brakes. @Damo...any chance you can get hold of a 924 Carrera GT to review? They are so nice but probably hard to find given their low build numbers and especially in RHD :/
Could not agree more. I owned an '87 951 that had unfortunately been blown up at the track by the prior owner due to oil starvation. He rectified the situation by purchasing an '89 model that had been re-ended and swapped the entire engine, suspension and transaxle plus wheels. It was an 89 Turbo S in an 87 shell. It then received some mild modifications and a full Guards Red respray. The best part? I bought it for only $6300 USD in 2007. I foolishly sold it to jump into an '88 928 S4 which was another car I had always loved but it's not the same fun and fling-able car that the 951 was. Sadly, really nice 951s are priced up in the range of giraffe genitals these days and I have a hard time justifying the plunge vs what else I could be buying for the same money. I still love them. Saw one the other night here in Minneapolis and wept a bit inside for selling mine. ;-)
Drove (and worked on) a lot of 944s back in the day, both NA and turbo cars, really well built car. The cockpit has lost none of its appeal, it really was a nice place to be.
Now that extra power is so easy to get out of the 951, the ‘86 is the one to get as a driver: lighter w/o abs and airbags, older offsets allow deep dish wheels, and more forged engine internals.
I had one, it was just okay. I hated the turbo lag. The horsepower was low by today's standards. I had a 1988 911 too and it was terribly under powered , but fun to drive on curvy roads.
If you move the sliders for upper and lower ventilation to the right, you get more air volume for either orientation. In your video both sliders are closed so it doesn’t make a lot of sense to turn the fan higher. 😎.
My Boss had a a Silver Rose Edition in 1991. I drove it from Hendon in North London to Haddenham up the M40 in North Bucks in 35 minutes one Sunday morning. Believe me that takes some doing even then....
I had a 944S2 Cabriolet for many years. Lovely balanced chassis that could handle way more power, yet its odd mix of Porsche over engineering with the VAG parts bin, meant reliability was compromised by daft things. And the sills were made of cheese. I took a then nearly new Cayman S out and it made the 944 truck-like by comparison so the 944 was sold. These aren't the cheapest to run, so I agree you must by the best available to avoid a draining current account.
One very minor quibble Damian - you might want to check your mic gain as your commentary in the last few episodes have sounded pretty distorted. Of course, it might be a technical gremlin at my end - but wanted to point it out. Only a minor distraction in an otherwise excellent video. Thanks again - as always!
These cars can be made substantially quicker than the one being tested here. Safely 450bhp without stressing anything too much. Switching the block/crank over to the 3lt version yields gobs more torque. Or if you can afford, switch over to the 968 16v twin cam head and 600bhp is similarly easy to obtain. You'll need bigger wheels, tyres and brakes of course and a set of KW coilover suspension to top it off. Not a cheap exercise but for substantially less money than a current Carrera you will have a much quicker and fun car.
I had a black turbo and it was set up with a tial wastegate and overboosted to about 20 psi. It was one fast b&stard and it changed directions just as quickly as it went front to back. It could make modern cars look stupid on the freeway. But don’t ever think these are cheap cars to run, they are very very finicky and parts are getting harder and harder to to come by. You need to be able to turn a wrench to own a 951 and actually drive it, and the costs are worse than a 911 and the car is not a 911. When you could get one for ten or twelve grand they were worth it but if you have to pay in the twenties as they approach forty years old it’s a hard pass.
Great that's this investment is being made. But just as I've said in a similar video, the weapon is a 60 year old platform regardless of how polished it is(NOT saying it's a rubbish rifle, especially for any Mericans who are watching/reading). Plus, the Americans are in the process of changing calibre! What is truly fantastic, is the investment in the sighting systems such as thermal.
I had an almost new 944 Turbo Silver Rose. Those brakes should try to break your arms when stomped on! as for performance...its is VELVET power..... smooth and got as a 911...but you are going fast! you won't 'get' these cars in one day...it takes time. As for sunroof shells....more rigid V non I read
I had an 83 944 86 turbo and 87 944s the best was the 86 the most relia le was the 944s probably the best a d middle fastest i throught the tech nology in 86 was not there to make the car reliable like they do now for four cylinder a little ahead of time
why not test the more special homologation road car that preceeded it and was the basis for the 944, the 924 Carrera GT of which 400 were made or the even rarer road car 924 Carrrera GTS with more power and lighter weight.
Great video. If you are open to an alternative but similar car, the 924 S is a great car with the same engine and transmission as the 944. I prefer the 924 because it had a sleeker less cluttered design.
Absolutely annihilated by the C4 Corvette. In the SCCA racing Corvette with its 0,9 g cornering bulletproof engine it beat Porsche 29-0 so much so the Corvette was banned and had to set up its own series the Corvette challenge.
When I was 24 years old back in 1987, A Porsche salesperson saw me looking over a red 944 Turbo with a beige interior. I was out running errands on a Saturday afternoon and I just stopped by the dealership to have a look at the 944 Turbo. A salesperson came up to me and casually asked me if I'd like to test drive it-none of that pushy car salesman BS, he just asked. I, of course, said yes. He told me something I'll never forget: "Don't worry, there's nothing you can do to hurt this car." He wanted me to relax and enjoy the car. I proceeded to fall in love-the handling, the brakes, the amazing shifter, and smooth as silk clutch-the whole truly was greater than the sum of its parts. On an expressway in the middle of Silicon Valley, I got the car up to 110 MPH before I had to slow for a red light. The car was so stable and solid that it felt like 25 MPH on a residential street. At the end of the drive, the salesperson never asked me if I wanted to buy the car-that wasn't his goal. His goal was to introduce a young man to Porsche and create a future Porsche customer. That's the day I fell in love with Porsches. The 944 Turbo will always have a special place in my heart. There truly is no substitute. Thanks for the memories, Damian.
Took delivery of a white one in Silicon Valley then. Did over 150 on Dumbarton Bridge right out of the dealershop. This car was way too fast for daily use u couldn"t keep in under double digit speed on Hwy 280. It just wanted to go and go.
@@wingtang1180 Since you know the Bay Area, it was Central Expressway in Sunnyvale where I got the car up to 110 MPH. I have no doubt that if it wasn't for the traffic light I would have hit 150 as well.
@@carlrebeiro we were lucky to have had first hand experience. Not too many people now have an idea how unbeatable a stock 944 turbo was on the road, for that time period.
What a cool story man, my old boss has a similar story when the first rx7 hit Mazdas floor
Make no mistake, the salesperson is always a salesperson, he was trying to turn a sale.
Just bought a 1989 turbo yesterday and it’s my start into Porsche vintage cars. Wish me luck guys
Congrats! They’ve surely picked up price the last 10 years.. keep it in good condition! 🙏🏻
Regarding sunroof, it's not pointless you can remove it and put in the trunk, there is also Pilkington glass roof available.
I worked for the West Australian Porsche dealership in '86 when the 944 Turbo was launched. The first here was a metallic maroon colour. I was involved in its sale to Kim Ledger, father of Heath.
He bought it the day after it was given serious 'beanage' at Wanneroo Raceway on a customer drive day. He bought even though the front discs were warped after that event. Naturally, new brakes were fitted before delivery!
Great story
Great memories. A chum of mine bought a turbo, after we had a Porsche day at Milbrook and Tim Harvey took us out in them, before we had a drive. Only regret is I didn't buy the car from his widow after he sadly died too young from cancer. Thank you.
Thanks for putting this video together. Being a 944S2 owner, I don’t share your lack of enthusiasm and overall somewhat negative review. For an 80s Turbo to be sub 6 or 5 seconds even, that is remarkable in my books. I think they are one of the most affordable and underrated quality pieces of engineering and a future investment. Absolutely love them for what they are.
I had a 944 s2 20 odd years ago , I’ve found myself looking at the Turbo in the last few weeks .
I was surprised at how much they have appreciated in the last few years .
I still think they look great !
Edit : the sunroof lifts out altogether, definitely not pointless , it’s almost like a targa .
The sunroof on these is actually removable. So you end up with almost a targa type experience. If working properly you just need to hold down the sunroof closing button and it will unlatch in the back and you can lift it right out. Quite a cool feature really.
Agreed- when the mechanism works. Owned an ‘87 Turbo - roof would work one and not the next; clock would come and go, after 2 mos of the clock being out, I was ready to replace it from Automotion, just then it started to work again== I chalk it up to VW electrics!!
Took to the comments section to say great vid (as always Damien!), but did you know the idea of the sunroof was that it lifted out altogether and was designed to perfectly fit (in a purpose made bag) in the boot - then saw your comment 🤣! Well said ✅
The problem is that when the roof is out there is no device to flick the air over roof and hence it’s very noisy. The engine was a good performer, but the lag is poor and four cylinder sound is dull!
It's even better than I thought then. Thanks. I love this car. Did they describe it as needle design? All cars should have minimum sunroofs.
@@kevinwirga6021 Actually, there is a spring-loaded wind deflector that pops up all along the front lip--IF the springs still work...but, they're a five-minute replacement if they're worn out.
For my money, one of the best looking cars ever made.
I owned a 1986 944 turbo in the early 1990, what a car. The handling was nearest at the time to perfection. 2 things the model you tried didnt have the sports seats which were fabulous and much better than standard. Also Porsche lied about the performance of the 944 turbo deliberatetly to make the 911 Carrera look better in brochure, but contemporary independent tests had 0-60 at 5.6 seconds as standard and better than 911 of the time.
You had me at turbo porsche except I'd need to sell one of my other porsches or get more space... one day... one day I'll have a turbo for every day. That's the dream.
this car has got character . beautiful yet timeless
I have ovned mine for 7 years, just love that car.
Had a 944S2 in 89, great fun car. Great balance and fast for it's time, on and off track!
Brother and I did 1550kms in 10hrs, inc stops, in Outback Oz. What a blast we had. I took it up to 250kms/hr on the highway (legally, not anymore), but cruised at 200. :-)
Boy this brings back the memories !! Got a turbo new in '87. Alpine white, burgundy leather and color matched BBS wheels. Loved that car. Thanks for the review !!!
Thanks for watching
This was a nice review. I love that you mix the old with the new on your channel.
What a memory come back. The 944 was my 4th car. Fabulous car without any problems. I remember it being bulletproof. I had 911 wheels/rims on mine and had it tuned. Later I sold it on and purchased the 928GTS. Another bulletproof auto....
Yes more of this please Guvenour...
Viewer from Japan here. I've owned 964 Carrera 2 Manual, and 996.2 GT3 Clubsport, and currently drive an mildly tuned R32 GT-R (550bhp), but 944 turbo is one of my favourite Porsches.
Of course, the GR86 is wonderfully close in spirit, and comes with none of the headaches of owning a classic car. But if you don't have a FR turbo car? this may be great fun.
Great to hear from you 👍🏻 Thank you for watching
@@TheCarGuysTV Pleasure is mine - I've been following your channel a lot - back when you had all the rats eating your GT3 touring cables and all! Always great content☺
I owned a 944 S2 and when Porsche cut the prices of the turbo to around £29k in 1992, I thought about an upgrade to a turbo cabriolet.
They only had white ones left, so I passed on that.
About a year later I met an old friend who had driven both on a test drive and he went for the standard S2, preferring the driving experience.
A colleague borrowed mine once to take to the south of France in convoy with another S2 and and S2 turbo.
He said the turbo was like a car on a piece of elastic.
The S2s would accelerate and overtake immediately, then the turbo would be left behind and then catch up and then go zooming past.
Therein lies the issue with the S2 turbo, the 2.5 engine took a while to get going, while the 3 litre S2 had torque on tap.
A turbo 3 litre would have been an interesting car.
I used to hate on the 944....now I'd love to have this alpine pearl sitting in my garage.
Great video Damian. A blast back to the 80s. Will likely be the greatest decade of my lifetime.
I have a 1988 Turbo S and I find the brakes to be very very good. Not sure about the 1989 model, but the Turbo S uses the "Big Black" calipers from the 928s and relatively massive front disks. I suspect that the RHD cars lose quite a bit of brake feel as the master cylinder and booster remain on the left side and are actuated via a pivoting bar behind the firewall that transfers the force from the pedal on the right side to the master cylinder on the left.
I've had my white 1987 944s 25 years...cool cars.
I didn’t really like it all that much back in the day but it’s aged incredibly well and now looks pretty cool. I drove one once and it was awful but it was in the days when they were extremely cheap and I’m willing to accept it might have been a poorly maintained example, as happened with many cars while they went through a period of under-appreciation.
I bought a late model 944 turbo in black with cream leather for myself as a 25th birthday day present. Saved up hard and bought with cash and I loved that car. Far more practical than a 911 and many other sports cars.
On a trip to Scotland for a friends wedding it carried 2 mountain bikes, clothes for a week including wedding outfits, all inside the car :-).
It felt fast back then!!
I’m in my 50s now
Hi Damien, I followed your suggestion at the end of the video, went out and bought the best one I could find. Only slight difference being that this was in 2008! Got myself eventually a twin car of yours, also in white, July 1990 model and therefore the later 250 PS version with the bridge spoiler, no sticker on the front though. I still own the car and everything you said in your review is spot on. It's a lovely car made at the time at in an Audi plant and pretty much bullet proof, if well looked after.
How is the search going in terms of 964 RS? I hear that you are also after a 993 Turbo S. Take care. Nice watch by the way, that's two 944 Turbos on your wrist then. Great stuff.
Thank you very much 👍🏻👍🏻
I had a 1990 Baltic Blue 944 Turbo in the late 90's in an almost identical spec to this one with the M030 suspension option and some mild tuning which pushed the power to around 300bhp. Great car and fast when on boost though very laggy but that's part of the fun. I'd always wanted a 911 and was sold after a brief drive in late 80's 911 Carerra Club Sport but sadly the stock '89 911 3.2 I bought felt a bit below par compared to the CS I drove and nothing like as fast as my 944 Turbo. Should really have sourced a CS as they weren't silly money back in 1999/2000. My love of 911's was restored a few years later when I bought a 996 GT3, by far the best car I've owned.
That was my first crush on Porsche - I remember that I saw it in a journal - my doctors waiting room as a kid - it was a red Targa - which I owned myself - loved it!
Thanks for the video, love these old Porsches.
Glad you enjoyed it
16:58 😮 Great shot of the 5271P! Amazing watch! (at least I’m pretty sure that’s what it is 🔎 )
I had a convertible turbo years ago.had it tuned by John Mitchell porches in Dorset.
414 bhp what a hoot !
I have it now ! It's still great, will be putting a sleeved 3.0 turbo in it next year.
Great choice for a video. I have a ‘77 924. These older Porsches let the driver feel one with the road, albeit at snale speeds 😊
Great review..fond memories of that model Porsche!
Glad you enjoyed it
I have been lucky enough to have 3 944 since 2016, 2 early NA cars (which are also great) and more recently a 2 owner Turbo S Silver Rose. The previous owner made some mods to the fuel, exhaust & ECU so I would guess it is pumping out about 300bhp now rather than 250, so plenty quick enough for me. I echo your comments on the build quality and driveability of these cars, and so practical if you can stay on top of the maintenance. They are epic machines. Mine shares garage space with my 928GT which is epic in other ways
Having concurrently owned a 944 and an air cooled 911 -- I always found the 944 just so nice, accessible and comfortable. You could just get in and everything was where it was supposed to be, it was comfortable, it looked cool. The handling was wonderfully intuitive (except for the merest hint of understeer on turn-in). The engine even sounded cool at idle. I never had a bad drive in my 944. And then I'd get in my 911 and my first response would always be "Wow!". The drive is much more of an experience, while the a drive in the 944 was wonderful. To me -- further up the rev band the 944 just sounded like a Golf engine. The 911 engine always sounded like a 911 engine. Ultimately I ended up selling the 944 and keeping the 911. I miss the 944, but if they were parked next to each other, I'd always take the 911. The Boxster I feel, really did a great job of merging the experiences of the 911 and the 944 together. Cheaper and more accessible than a 911. But still with 90% of the 911 experience. They're all excellent cars!
Thanks for your awesome comments
You must not like cornering then...
@garygarner9788 Actually, the opposite is true. All 3 cars cornered great in street applications, but differently. The 944 was always gentle with it's responses, if a tad overly stable. By this I mean that it didn't rotate immediately. The Boxster and air-cooled 911 corner similarly, but the 911 more-so. Both are fundimentally rear weight biased cars, but while the Boxster is "tossable", the 911 rewards getting the corner right. If your technique is right, the 911 seems to brake harder and claws it's way out of a corner like no other car. But where the Boxster will cover for less than ideal driving technique, the 911 demands that your technique be correct if you want to go fast in the twisties.
Another great vid Damian, thanks, always hankered after the turbo….
Glad you enjoyed it
I love your reviews. The 944 was so much fun to drive. I remember driving those back in the 90's and the chassis and the balance of the car was perfect. You do not see many on the road anymore. There is such a big myth that Porsche is so reliable and they are not. I love Porsche, have owned and will own more. But they break as much as any other car. I think most Porsche owners just take their car in and get it fixed and don't advertise it. Where some Ferrari owners like bragging about their repair bill. I own Ferrari's also and they have been just as good.
Loving the Video & The Car....I've always liked the 944 Turbo...the Vid has come in good timing!
I've just picked up My first ever Porsche. I got it New from Leeds...a really good experience...so far....apart from somebody giving the sills a wipe down when I brought it in after having it 3 days..looks like they've used to same cloth and wiped the screens and scratched 2 of the screens...they're sorting it, just took the shine off it a bit......
Keep up the good work Mate....
👍🏻👍🏻
@@TheCarGuysTVupdate…..all is good in the world. The Garage have shown they are as good as I initially thought & are replacing the screen and having it PPF’d………….I’m not sure you will approve of the Car……….Taycan GTS😮
If you’re ooooop North Mr. B, at any point and you want to use it for a Vid, then, you only have to let me know buddy…….
@@TheCarGuysTVI’m keeping the RS6 Performance, interesting the other week jumping from one estate car straight into the other….that’s a good comparison, Me thinks……I enjoyed them different the experience….|
So I’m oh so Green 1 min, though other, I’m creating my own hole in its O-Zone!…😂😂
It’s an awesome underrated car. I own a Porsche 944 S2 for 8 years now and still love it.
Seems at last people have woken up on the 944 and realise they are really excellent! I owned two new 944 in 1988 and 1989...and yes they were soooo far ahead of other cars back in the day. Hard to beat in ALL situations...the longer you own one...the more you bond and realise that...IT IS NOT A 911 !! and not trying to be...
Pop up headlights, instant cool points!
Good episode about a car I've always liked.
I drove a red 944 N/A back in the mid 80s and it was a lovely thing to drive with nice balance and good brakes.
@Damo...any chance you can get hold of a 924 Carrera GT to review? They are so nice but probably hard to find given their low build numbers and especially in RHD :/
The real test of a Euro sports car is can you fit skis in it. A great review well filmed and it feels like I've actually been in the car.
Nice motor! Just not sure I could learn to love that plasticky - looking switchgear? 🤔 928S more my cuppa. Great Vid Damian!👍🏻
I was never a fan of Porsche, esp. the 911 Range. But the 924/928/944/968 have won my heart as a child...
Thanks Damien, nice job! This era/design language is not my kind of Porsche Vodka, sorry, but a great informative video for those who do.
Glad you liked it!
I Absolutely love my 951! 50/50 perfect weight ratio and handling track/road carving beast.
The sunroof panel doesn’t just angle up at the rear. It actually lifts out and gets stored in the back hatch of the car.
What a credit to Porsche. 123k miles and the car (especially the interior) looks like new!
Looks great in white. One quibble: The 911 interior of this era is one of the best in any car. No faded digital clock…
Could not agree more. I owned an '87 951 that had unfortunately been blown up at the track by the prior owner due to oil starvation. He rectified the situation by purchasing an '89 model that had been re-ended and swapped the entire engine, suspension and transaxle plus wheels. It was an 89 Turbo S in an 87 shell. It then received some mild modifications and a full Guards Red respray. The best part? I bought it for only $6300 USD in 2007. I foolishly sold it to jump into an '88 928 S4 which was another car I had always loved but it's not the same fun and fling-able car that the 951 was. Sadly, really nice 951s are priced up in the range of giraffe genitals these days and I have a hard time justifying the plunge vs what else I could be buying for the same money. I still love them. Saw one the other night here in Minneapolis and wept a bit inside for selling mine. ;-)
I had a poster in my room when i was a kid in the begin 90ties,it was my dreamcar and now i have 1😊and i never want to sell it.
Drove (and worked on) a lot of 944s back in the day, both NA and turbo cars, really well built car. The cockpit has lost none of its appeal, it really was a nice place to be.
Now that extra power is so easy to get out of the 951, the ‘86 is the one to get as a driver: lighter w/o abs and airbags, older offsets allow deep dish wheels, and more forged engine internals.
I had one, it was just okay. I hated the turbo lag. The horsepower was low by today's standards. I had a 1988 911 too and it was terribly under powered , but fun to drive on curvy roads.
Interesting vid thanks for the honest opinion it’s appreciated 👏😊
No problem 👍
If you move the sliders for upper and lower ventilation to the right, you get more air volume for either orientation. In your video both sliders are closed so it doesn’t make a lot of sense to turn the fan higher.
😎.
My Boss had a a Silver Rose Edition in 1991. I drove it from Hendon in North London to Haddenham up the M40 in North Bucks in 35 minutes one Sunday morning.
Believe me that takes some doing even then....
V interesting video. I love the shape of those cars.
Glad you enjoyed it
This car looks better in person than in print. I liked it but was latter turned off by bad press and the 355. Now I will reconsider the 348. Thanks!
I like the turbos but the 3 liter non turbo later model is my favorite and if you do a turbo kid to those they are a beast.
Lovely example, same colour as my S2. This looks like a 1990 or 91 model year car to me though as it has the bridge spoiler fitted.
Absolutely fantastic car and brilliant video.
I love that you made a video on the 944 turbo and looks like a very nice example but there are quite a few inconsistencies about that car .
I had a 944S2 Cabriolet for many years. Lovely balanced chassis that could handle way more power, yet its odd mix of Porsche over engineering with the VAG parts bin, meant reliability was compromised by daft things. And the sills were made of cheese. I took a then nearly new Cayman S out and it made the 944 truck-like by comparison so the 944 was sold. These aren't the cheapest to run, so I agree you must by the best available to avoid a draining current account.
Great video subject matter Damian. ❤
One very minor quibble Damian - you might want to check your mic gain as your commentary in the last few episodes have sounded pretty distorted. Of course, it might be a technical gremlin at my end - but wanted to point it out. Only a minor distraction in an otherwise excellent video. Thanks again - as always!
Agreed, I think the mics have been set way too high - I will rectify 👍🏻
It’s great….. but then you spot a 928 further up the showroom.
Lovely car, super video, really enjoyed it. Cheers.
These cars can be made substantially quicker than the one being tested here. Safely 450bhp without stressing anything too much. Switching the block/crank over to the 3lt version yields gobs more torque. Or if you can afford, switch over to the 968 16v twin cam head and 600bhp is similarly easy to obtain. You'll need bigger wheels, tyres and brakes of course and a set of KW coilover suspension to top it off. Not a cheap exercise but for substantially less money than a current Carrera you will have a much quicker and fun car.
My uncle bought one in 1990 and sadly sold it two years later when the game changing E36 M3 came out.
I had a black turbo and it was set up with a tial wastegate and overboosted to about 20 psi. It was one fast b&stard and it changed directions just as quickly as it went front to back. It could make modern cars look stupid on the freeway. But don’t ever think these are cheap cars to run, they are very very finicky and parts are getting harder and harder to to come by. You need to be able to turn a wrench to own a 951 and actually drive it, and the costs are worse than a 911 and the car is not a 911. When you could get one for ten or twelve grand they were worth it but if you have to pay in the twenties as they approach forty years old it’s a hard pass.
Nice car ! but not a 928 super cool !
A stunning example of a great car.
Any updates regarding the watchguys?
The wheels on this car are D90, not club sports! Great video
Great that's this investment is being made. But just as I've said in a similar video, the weapon is a 60 year old platform regardless of how polished it is(NOT saying it's a rubbish rifle, especially for any Mericans who are watching/reading). Plus, the Americans are in the process of changing calibre! What is truly fantastic, is the investment in the sighting systems such as thermal.
What’s the watch? You should do the watch update on all your videos.
I think it’s a fabulous Patek Philippe perpetual calendar . 5271P-001 but that is really for the other channel. 😊
I have a 1986 pristine 944 Turbo in guards red with the phone dial wheels.
I had an almost new 944 Turbo Silver Rose. Those brakes should try to break your arms when stomped on! as for performance...its is VELVET power..... smooth and got as a 911...but you are going fast! you won't 'get' these cars in one day...it takes time. As for sunroof shells....more rigid V non I read
Not sure if it's true, but back in the days, I heard that the headers on the 944 Turbos came right from the race cars
Itsa beauty the only thing I don't like about it is how untenable it is without having to absolute thousands on forged parts
Does this car has P Zero Assimetrico N5? How are they?
My Dad had one of these 944 Turbo Silver Rose and he had a tow bar fitted 😂
The 944 turbo S was the best
Porsche in the late '80ies
I had an 83 944 86 turbo and 87 944s the best was the 86 the most relia le was the 944s probably the best a d middle fastest i throught the tech nology in 86 was not there to make the car reliable like they do now for four cylinder a little ahead of time
So what are the upgrades to get to 300hp+
The car was registered August 1991
We have passed peak 944 prices now. 5 years ago maybe, but not now.
why not test the more special homologation road car that preceeded it and was the basis for the 944, the 924 Carrera GT of which 400 were made or the even rarer road car 924 Carrrera GTS with more power and lighter weight.
If my 944 could talk - the stories it would tell.
The 944 turbo is really nice 😊😊
Miss you guys hope everything is okay
Great car 👍👍👍
Imagine, back when this was new you could probably have got a discount on a GT product just so they could get rid of the bloody thing…
Great video. If you are open to an alternative but similar car, the 924 S is a great car with the same engine and transmission as the 944. I prefer the 924 because it had a sleeker less cluttered design.
Absolutely annihilated by the C4 Corvette. In the SCCA racing Corvette with its 0,9 g cornering bulletproof engine it beat Porsche 29-0 so much so the Corvette was banned and had to set up its own series the Corvette challenge.
If you have a little bit more money and you hate yourself, buy a 928. You won't have to wait for the little turbo to spool on these
You prefer the 993 turbo S? I'm shocked. It only costs 20 times as much
:)
If u one the hood you can see lotsa Audi logo on the engine and vw’s nice car tho