So Good Porsche Were Forced To Sabotage It - 944 Turbo
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 29 ก.ย. 2024
- The Porsche 944 Turbo was supposed to be even faster than it was, Porsche artificially made it slower.. why? It was derived from the 924, itself a car that many say is not a real Porsche but it is supposed to be one of the best handling cars of all time, why did Porsche handicap it and how? Today I drive this late 250hp 944 turbo and explain how it drives and the unusual history
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Drove one of these home for a guy who had 1 too many back then.
As I drove down a country road I knew well in Ireland he noticed that I knew the potholes and camber changes and said "You know this road well?"
"Driven it a thousand times" I answered.
"I can see that, go on then."
"You sure"
'Yea gwan."
What a drive!
The handling was sublime and he laughed his head off as we roller coasted down that lane.
"Boy you know this road better than me and I live here!"
Little did he know it was my favourite road and I'd go there for a fast night time drive.
It was religion to take every new car and bike I got there and I knew the perfect line for every corner and just how fast I could take them.
Never forget a long right hand bend with a left and a sneaky kink right on the end of it.
I knew from experience that I could stay full power through the 2nd bend and come out straight if I took a perfect line with a little slide.
On the way in he thought we were done and said "F**k! Woah oh YES YES gwan kid no way!" as I managed to make the perfect exit.
As a 20yr old it was the perfect drive and I was buzzing for days.
Never felt the same driving that road in anything else after that though.
Bittersweet.
Older cars man they just felt better, near 2010 that feeling died in cars this is why our Porsche 944 feels great and same with my 1990s corolla, old but gold. ❤
@@erikbritz8095 I'm currently looking for a clean Volvo 850 or V70.
That will be my next wheels.
Just bought a S2 and I'm in love with both the way it looks and the way it drives.
Well done, you will enjoy it! I had a late model S2 - get a short shifter (944online) mod, Koni sports and 968 comp front springs. Check the top cam chain too...!
I have 3 x S2s, my wife uses one a her only car, I normally drive one except to work and we have a cabriolet, they are great cars.
I was given a spin in one of these in 1987. I was stunned at it’s acceleration and cornering grip. I had little else to compare it to but I’ve never forgotten it. The Cayman is dynamically better than the 911 but like the 944 has never been allowed full development.
Cayman never been allowed to fully develop? What about the GT4?
Lovely car and lovely owner for letting you take it out in less than ideal conditions!
You can get outstanding exhaust sound with a Borla muffler and 3in pipes. Mine sounds very aggressive. Mine is a base model with standalone ECU and m45 Eaton super off a Mercedies, kept it German.
When Porsche asked Derek Bell which Porsche he would like to have for his personal car, they were somewhat surprised that he chose the 944 Turbo.
Great car,they had one on wheeler dealers that they got dirt cheap and ruined 😢
Always loved 944 Turbos, even though I own a 964
I really enjoyed porsche when I had it. I need another, God willing 911 turbo
I almost bought one of those back in the 1988, I had a Mitsubishi Starion Turbo , that was chipped , ( 150 mph Max) wanted something a little faster Cosworth was no quicker , so I looked at one of these ,,, it was nice but kept the Starion
I have a 1989 944 Turbo with only 75k miles. It runs so smoothly and feels great to drive. This is one of my favorite cars of all time. The prices also keep going up.
I'd sell it and buy an Esprit turbo.
@@hoobaguy yikes
Love the 944
Same, my father had one before I got my license. It's always been my favorite.
Lol spoken like someone who never driven a 911
@@k3V2181 Love for a car is subjective. Did you ever drive a Koenigsegg?
Especially with the klu klux clan turbo
My absolute favorite classic Porsche ever, thank you for doing this video! Love you, Jack!
A white 944 turbo was the longest toy I kept. Until I had kids and it was broken.
@@benpenagonzales6014 I still have my 944, although N/A. I love it as it is, lightweight, stock, with standard suspension, as the Car God intended :-) It is so much fun and i don't miss 1hp on our tiny shitty roads in CZ :-D
But I have kids as well so i understand. No time to maintain or drive it. And i have another 924 supercharged track project in the garage, that i dont have time for :,-|
I will only sell them when i am fired, broke, divorced and homeless :-D
The 944 is Totally underrated. Great video 👍
not for much longer!
I saw one parked in Brooklyn on the street a few months ago. I was struck by how cool it looked and how small it was. Back in the day I thought the flares were massive but they are quite refined and demure. I think the design has held up incredibly well. Also love the 924, such a cool little car.
I was close to buying a 924 back in the day. I test-drove it zipping up and down Jamaica Avenue in Queens and when I returned to the lot my wife said, "you aren't buying that car!" Lol. Needless to say I still regret missing out on it.
@@anthonyriche552 friends father bought a brand new silver one. I remember my exact kid thought at the time…he’s definitely having an affair. Hahaha?! I guess it looked so cool I just assumed he was living a sexy life or something
I had a Turbo-S, he left off one of the most important features of the "S" - the Turbo Cup brakes. The wastegate problem was easily solved by using a "boost machine" that fooled the wastegate into thinking the boost was lower. It would pull massively all the way to redline in 5th, still pulling at the rev limiter. Compared to the 911's off/on turbo, it was a dream to drive.
The 911's of the same era were fucking scary, my uncle had one and sold it after it tried to kill him twice, lol.
It's not hard to cut and weld the mounting for the 911 4piston calipers. The rear bolt right up. Both front and rear will fit inside the factory 15in cookie cutters. Thats how mine is set up. With the thinner rotors an aluminum heat sink can fit between pads and pistons. Never had fade from this set up. Noy sure about radial mounted calipers.
I used to work for Avis sport/luxury car hire in Belgravia. Was able to take home anything that wasn’t out on rent, Mercs, RR, Porsche, etc. This was usually my choice. Drove it faster than anything else as it felt so planted at very high speeds
exactly...seriously dymamic...super quick without drama... err yes I had a lot of them in the 80s
Porsche has always manipulated performance and numbers with their lesser models.
Caymans/Boxsters exhibit the same characteristics of tuning limitations and performance numbers that are strangely convenient for sales.
Add in insane mark-ups on upper models and this is the reason many enthusiasts are asking for more transparency and an end to dealerships.
I owned two, one was nearly identical to the one you’re driving. Mine had a brown interior. In the late 90s these were sought after as track car builds. They were infinitely tunable and reasonable to obtain. Of the many cars I’ve owned I miss my 951s the most.
I was a professional car photographer back in the 70s and 80s and, having driven all the Porsches that were around in those days, I found the trans-axle models excellent cars. Derek Bell's favourite car was his 924 Carrera GT and Jackie Stewart thought that the 928 was the best car of its day when the S came along. Having owned both trans-axle Porsches and 911s as daily drivers though, I have to say that there was just that special something about the 911s and I miss my 1978 SC Sport more than any other car I've owned.
The 928 S manual was by far the best 928 model of them all I also owned the S2 and later a couple of the S4s (GT GTS) but I always considered the S as the model to own, it had less to go wrong and I still think it was the fastest !!
Miss my ‘82 SC as well.
My 1986.5 928S was to me, an absolutely almost perfect car to drive. Working on the back of that relay/fuse panel was a nightmare, though; all the wires were the same color gray, and not marked at all.
There is no doubt that the 911 (especially old air cooled versions) were extremely tactile and involving. Thing was that you only had to go 60mph to feel like an F1 driver. The transaxle cars were much better balanced and had the potential to be quite a lot faster on the hwy, twisty roads or the race track. At the same time that the 930 was capable of about 160mph, the 944t was faster in a straight line and through medium to high speed turns. The rear engine 911's were always fast out of a corner. But that wasn't enough. However the 911 is a unique product and well worthy of it's place in history. Pity the 944t wasn't recognised for it's performance let alone potential.
I have an 86 with the same upgraded turbo and stage 2 tuning. Really quick and nimble car. Love mine and couldn’t agree with you more in this review. Great channel to follow 👍
Don't forget that once they started playing with 16v heads the opportunity to extract a lot more power was there to be had. However even in the very rare 968 turbo the factory went back to an 8v head. It would seem that they knew the writing was on the wall for these fantastic cars to be retired. Had the deal been done with Audi instead of Porsche I think these cars would be considered classics today. Many enthusiasts have modified their engines to produce well over 500bhp. Accompanied by modern suspension systems and upgraded brakes, these now can compete with all but the Ultra level of very expensive cars for the rich.
Safety might have been a concern. Also. Back in the day. And rdurability of the whole package,..... Swedes have the same thing going on with 16valve TurboSaabs. That can be tuned right at the factory door by just adjusting the engine management.
Well I don't know about safety. I mean you had their top of the range car with big lag, heavy motor behind rear axle and relatively small brakes. Not to forget future widow makers like the GT2's that came out later.
Absolutely love this series of quirky cars and their history. Well done Jack 👏🏽👏🏽👏🏽
Jack, Let’s not forget the 1-2-3 Class win at LeMans for the BF Goodrich 944 with a seventh overall because the car was fast, but it just kept running, all other makes were breaking down, but not the 944CGT!
I have an '86 951 that I've owned since 1990. Upgrading the two computer chips made a huge difference in power, it was like a 50hp increase if I remember correctly. I still have my 951, its guards red and has about 65k miles on it.
I don't know how you can drive into the low winter sun on a snowy day and not use the visors. I'm hurting just watching you. Also, great video. The 944 is one of my favorite Porsches, though the 928 is my all time favorite. Both cars still look fantastic all these years later; why can't today's carmakers make something that looks this good?
I had a late model 944 Turbo, bridge spoiler model with M030 and LSD, and it was a proper laggy old Hector, and the suspension was way too hard. Previously I'd had a 944 S2, and whilst being way down on power, the engine was a lovely thing, torquey, revvy and oh so progressive and smooth. Coupled with the standard suspension, it was a much nicer driving car IMO.
I had two S2s in succession, a coupé and cabriolet. Loved their feeling of unburstability, smooth and linear power delivery, perfect driving position, and sheer practicality. Also, the best-looking cam cover on any 'four'! However, with the hood down, the cabriolet suffered from scuttle shake, while the rear deck looked very much the victim of a cut-and-shut operation to make it open-topped.
@@shanehnorman Agree 100% on the cam cover, it's a lovely thing. I don't know if you're aware, but it kind of IS a cut and shut, originally converted from a coupe by Bauer, the contract to productionise was given to the American Sunroof Corporation (ASC) in Germany. Part complete coupe bodies were taken from the production line and shipped to ASC for conversion, then back to Porsche for rustproofing/paint, then back to ASC for the roof fitment. The very top of the rear wings were plastic, mounted over cut down steel. IMO the very worst part of the conversion.
Agreed! I bought a 944 S2 after trying the Turbo's, a much better motorway car.
I had a 2.7 , under powered skinny tyres and great fun especially in the wet. Loved it. People underestimated how practical the 944 was, with the back seats down ,like a very low van,would take a mountain bike with the wheels on , but an oap decided to drive through it so I got an S2. After the 2.7 it was definitely faster but the lithesome nature was lost in my opinion. More of a GT. Test drove 968s and turbos . Looked for a good turbo for over a year travelled hundreds of miles looking at dross then gave up. Got a z4 coupe years later , as the nearest modern equivalent . Porsche can make sports cars with relatively compliant suspension , bmw not . Still wish I’d got a turbo though. Strange how people can have such different opinions, I wonder if I hadn’t had the 2.7 , would I have liked the S2 more?
@@purangesmith9053 I've had a 2.7 and 5 S2s the S2 is certainly faster and much quicker.........
For the people in the back, 944T is faster than a 930.
Great review Jack - apologies for the length of this anorak post - I lusted after one of these when at college in Cambridge back in the early eighties after seeing a Guards Red one constantly being driven around the city. What I didn’t realise was that that was actually a 924 Carrera GT - however in 1985 I was lucky enough to be able to afford a new 944 and went off to AFN in Guildford who at the time had a showroom in the back streets that would accommodate about 4 cars!!! - unlike the glass and steel luxury dealership they have today - the only 944 demonstrator they had was a secondhand Auto - and the sales manager (Nigel) looked disdainfully at me but reluctantly took me out for a drive saying that there was a problem with their insurance and they could not allow me to drive it!! - Anyhow I went home determined to prove that I could afford one and promptly ordered it over the phone - not a good idea as I ended up with most of the options list on the invoice (including a passenger door mirror and LSD) - anyhow a few months later my Guards Red 944 arrived and I enjoyed many years of fun with it - however the itch for a 924 Carrera GT never left me and 28 years ago I came across one being advertised by a dealer, again near Guildford - I went over and he told me it was a 924 Turbo with a body kit - the last one he had sold was green (all of the 75 proper UK 924 CGT’s were either Black, Red or Silver)- I realised what it was haggled him down to about £9k and still have that car today….
Unlike the 944 the 924 CGT has no power steering and thus has much more feel and feedback it has 210bhp, 0-60 in around 6.5 seconds and is so much fun to actually play with - I am very fortunate to have some other faster and much more powerful cars but cannot exploit their capabilities one the road in the same way that i can in the CGT. I also have a few base 924s including a turbo and a race prepped one and feel that the whole range is much underrated. I took my CGT to a local Porsche Club meeting a few months ago and hardly anyone knew what it was, as it was the only transaxle car there - I then took it to the Le Mans Classic and got mobbed in the car park!!
In real terms so much better than the 930 Turbo (would you have wanted to drive one about on cold/frozen roads?), just didn't have the aura. I don't think ANY 911 would be able to keep with a well driven 944 CS. Great video as always!
I love all older Porsches, even the 924!!! Air-cooled 911 and 928 are top of my list.. But a 944 turbo with the sunroof would certainly do!!!
Brave man, Jack, flogging a car on that road! Love the 944 turbo, great review. Owners know how great they are, a pity that they are underappreciated in the wider car world.
Couldn't agree more! Thanks for watching Eoin!
Agree, old school turbo is a fun way to drive. Don't know why ALL modern cars try to dial out the turbo effect
Also a shame that this was filmed on wet narrow icy roads. No chance to show this car's best features off.
My first car was a 1981 924 Turbo, slightly modified, probably putting down a little over 200HP to the rear wheels. This was in the mid 90's, so 200 HP wasn't too bad, it was actually a good bit faster than a friend's new -ish 1994 Mustang GT which was a 5 liter and slightly faster than another friend's 1992 Eclipse GS-T. I miss that car.
I've owned the 944 and the 911. Both have their pros and cons, but if I had to chose one again the 944 is sooooo much better to drive all around. Just a fantastic car, the balance is sublime
Was your 911 air-cooled? If so, I have no relevant experience. I think the 996 blows the 944 away, though. I’ve had both. Just my opinion.
@@lebojay 996 C4 6spd
jep, had one the early models 951 and it was wonderful. (bought a 991 3.2 carrera after that and that tried to kill me several times....) the 951 was defenitely the better, safer and more comfortable car, even without lsd. sold it for 2500 euro... (but bought the 911 for 10k so that's not to bad)
I have a Silver Rose that I collected late one January night and drove on misty, damp empty A roads from Derbyshire to Dorset - what a machine. Chipped and modified to give ~300bhp I think its an absolute weapon on the right road. Astonishing as it is to drive, there is little drama, it just goes..and goes..and goes.... I also have a 928GT and whilst it's not as Agile as the 951, it has much more muscle and sense of occasion with that V8 growl and power delivery. Lucky to have both and no intention of getting rid of either!
I have to agree I had one 25 years ago and was underwhelmed at day to day driving. It never felt enything special. But I had an Escort Costworth at a similar time and it was amazing in every way....
I had a 1987 944 automatic in ibiza and I loved it.
It was burgundy.....bought it in Germany and brought it to ibiza
Typical of Porsche, they come up with better cars than the 911 but they hamstrung them so that they don’t make the 911 obsolete lol
See Cayman
What will they do about the Taycan, I think that's now their best seller.
Love a 944 turbo. 3.0 Four Pot - how special. They are small by today’s bloated standards.
They are 2.5 but a 3.0 would rip!
The 944 was IMO such a game changer but I always loved the 924 body shape as I find it a more clean design. That's why IIRC the 924S was the car to have as it had the 924 body but the 944 engine (non turbo). Then again the 968 is just a monster in looks and performance. Loving the cars you're selecting Jack. Keep it up, mate.
Agree! But the 924s are'nt really much faster than the 2Ltr. 924. Ok 125 is less than 150HP, but the 2Ltr. engine can be tuned quite simple. You can change the throttle by the Audi 100 5Zyl. throttle! And there is a hot camshaft made by Schrick. Both together gives you more than 15HP in addition. So on Autobahn the 2Ltr. can beat the 924s. But for me the main reason to take the "old" 2Ltr. version are the cheap spare parts! Especially the timing beld can be changed in the 2Ltr.-version very cheap and fast.
@@bernhardtsuballa5341 or just do an engine swap with a turbo. :) Light weight + fast engine = faster car. And as you say, the other parts are cheap.
@@johnandrews3568 Yes a turbo could boost the power up to 170 (177) HP. But the 924 turbo have had totally different breaks and wheels. In fact we will have problems to pass the official inspection body. Anyway. in my eyes these cars are made for average speed of 160km/h / 100 miles/h. Not more.
I REMEMBER the 944 TURBO S it put out so much power it could out run cars with v8s
Not far from where I live there is a red 944 rotting in someone's from garden...... Every time I see it I think what an absolute waste of a truly great car! Cracking stuff as always Jack 👍
The feel of old-school turbocharging is unbeatable. When learning to drive in the '80s I had the opportunity to practice in my Dad's Renault 18 Turbo (yes - far inferior to a Porker) and the way that it felt when pushing on through the boosting zone (the noise and the way that the car literally picked itself up and threw itself down the road) - was addictive. I'm a diesel man nowadays and there are some great turbodiesels around, but you don't get the same sense of 'no-no-no-YESSSSS' as with the old petrol turbos.
I’ve had 3 so far. Excellent daily driver. Simple to maintain in the driveway. I would love to have another one someday. They used to be cheap and readily available- those days are gone.
Hi Jack, I had the limited edition 'motorsport' variant, the 758 Silver Rose for a number of years
Despite looking like it was sitting on the deck, the fully adjustable suspension coped with any road. as did the brakes.
Handling was of course of high order too
The turbo lag was however monstrous, needing the driver to greatly anticipate overtaking gaps and pinning the throttle whilst still holding overtaking position behind the car in front and before the gap actually opened..!
It blew its head gasket right on the 3 yr warranty limit and Roger Clarks / Porsche failed to agree with my diagnosis of leaking gasket over the previous months - Yes they fought honouring it
Later it dropped a chunk of one of the sodium filled valves. meaning I had to do an out of warranty engine rebuild ...icl 16 motorsport sodium valves....
Cloth wore through on drivers seat and rust started around the screen.....
Low / medium miles, but I thought it was time to move on...having considered for a while putting a tuned Chvevy V8 in
Bought a Griff 4.3 that was still being run in :)
U could thrash the 758, yump it, flames thwacking from the red hot exhaust on upshifts etc...however I still much prefer the Griff (which u Cant thrash down a back rd!)
Very interesting.
I currently run a Cerb alongside a C4S and GT3 and whilst the Cerb wouldn’t see which way either of the other cars went, it feels way more special.
'U'?
@@I999-g2s About sums up the wonderful TVR brand......Above all else, they are the best seats in most (sensible budget) fleets ;)
Always a sign of a great drive when you harder you push the better it gets.. that’s pretty rare. Any other nominees?
Well done for featuring the 944 turbo; I have always loved them and the early 220bhp model was an absolutely superb car to drive. Compared to the 250bhp model they didn't require you to get over 4k revs to really get moving. They're a great car and can be daily driven with no issues whatsoever. They eat up miles and are really comfortable. They're an unsung hero in the Porsche world but definitely a very esoteric choice 👍👍
unsung ?it was the most popular Porshe car in the 80´s
@@RUfromthe40s It's all about context, the 944 turbo was an amazing car but it never got the love (even from Porsche) that the 911 got. The 911 was celebrated by Porsche during every anniversary, the 944 simply wasn't. This is particularly ironic because from a financial perspective , the 924 / 944 range saved the company from bankruptcy in the 80s.
@@DJWenlowe yes but the 911 model is the main car from the company and yes when people stoped buying 911´s because everybody was sick of the design and the new cars with this designation allthough the carrera was considered a 911 but in reality was the 930 in production for a lot of years ,at least that i remenber than there was the first water coolded engine that the ones who wanted more of the same didn´t agreed to see the "911" with a water cooled engine, but what to do and yes new models at the time had success ,now people talk of them like it didn´t matter and the 90´s carrera 4 ,i remenber for some reason not feeling atracted by it´s design but the first time i drove it ,i had to buy one and i did a spectacular 4x4 .A woman i knew worked in Egipt and instead of buying a regular 4 wheel drive like a Jeep she also bought the carrera 4 to drive most of the days on dirt roads and not forget that porshe did win some real Paris-Dakar in the 80´s wich were "at your own risk competition"some drivers in the 80´s and earlier did disapear and never were found
@@RUfromthe40s You sound very passionate about the range and rightfully so. That's the thing about Porsche, they have a range of cars that bring out the enthusiasm in all of us. Long may it continue 👍👍
@@jmccoy96jm Sorry but I think you need to do your homework. There was indeed an early 220bhp turbo which in the UK was a 1986 model, later models were 250bhp and I can assure you that they drive very differently.
I have N/A 2.5 944. In white. To be honest I could have bought 996/997 at the time but I didn’t want to have that much money sitting in a Sunday car.
The 944 gets positive responses from all that are bothered. I suspect in a 911 you do get the negative hand gestures whereas the 944 is a friendlier car.
Mine has 95k on the clock and is squeak and rattle free, interior is holding up well (except the dash top cracks). Can’t say it was pampered before I got it but it is now.
Ride and handling are great especially on speed bumps and rough roads. It’s quick enough in the real restricted world (for me) and i thoroughly enjoy driving it. All for a 4 figure amount too!!
Great vid Jack as always! They are getting slicker !!😂
The 951 ((944 turbo) is possibly the best Porsche ever, in real world conditions and every day use, the 911 couldn’t hold a candle to the 944.
I had a US spec 944 16v. Made 180hp which was e30 M3 territory. Wonderful for track events. Loved the car.
One might say that ALL cars are artificially made slower...in the sense that they all could have been given more power than they were given. Every manufacturer could dial up the boost, or supply a bigger cam, or whatever. The only thing unique here might be the reason that they set whatever limit they decided to set.
I’m miss my 89 944 Turbo. While it was painfully pricey to get back to fighting shape I wish I never sold it.
Great review and excellent info on the wastegate. My block on my 944s blew up 10 years ago but I'm raising my guards red machine from the dead to become a 948 with a 5.7L ls1 with the turbo transaxle with LSD. Looking for first start in a couple months. Beautiful cars. Should be 385hp and 365 tq
I totally agree with you so underrated and it was a Porsche they tried something different like Ferrari did and it looked far better than the 924 and 968 sometimes some car companies just don't make sense and don't know what they've got to be honest.
Great video as always! I recently bought a white 944 S2 that I'll be restoring shortly. Thinking of fitting ITBs to it which should make it a bit more interesting! Plus it has the 3 litre 16 valve engine to begin with.
Be sure to post the videos.
An S2 with ITBs and a decent tune, suspension, tires, guards LSD plus the usual MO30 spec mods would make an absolute beast of an N/A 944. Im Interested to hear what power it makes… already looking
Up ITBs and Link G4 the etc
924,944,928 and 968.They are the forgotten Porsches.But they are cracking cars in their own right.
A friend sold me his 1987 944 Turbo, it was white just like this one but it had the oxblood interior. Most comfortable car I have ever driven a long distance, once my 6"4" frame got in. Once in however, it fit like a glove; the only drawback was when I was getting out, that was cumbersome. The car wonderfully "woke up" when you approached 90 mph, it was breathtaking handling; second gear would push you back in the seat, I got her to 165 before you could feel the restriction. I was informed I could reconfigure the exhaust restriction but I figured why mess with the life of the motor, 250bhp was more than adequate for a car that weighed 2600 lbs. Most fun car, by far, that I've ever owned.
If the 944 was any brand other than Porsche, it would have been legendary.
Love the 944! Schoolmate's Dad drove one way back when, in silver. Also much love for the 924 come to think of it 👍
Could be national pride, meaning designer Harm Lagaay. Thank you very much Jack, fun video of a cool car in white :)
The original 924 design is beautiful.
You must be Dutch.
@@TheMICMusicInspirationChannel Wholeheartedly agree and yes, I am Dutch indeed. Thank you kindly for a good car conversation 👍
@@scalecrawlnl 👍
I have to stand up for the 968. As you say, on the limit, they are excellent BUT I love the fact that you can blast down the autobahn at high speeds in 6th gear without ruining your bank account. It's also more than fast enough for me and comfortable and quiet..I love them. We'll have to argue about the loss. The 968 looks superb.
I had a 1986 951 while I was in college 1992-1995. It had the short throw arm on the shifter and adjustable wastegate which would boost 2 BAR. I loved the car and it handled so nicely.
The 944 gets better with age. Looks better every year!
Your the guy I wish I had for a neighbor. Love your videos and in-depth analysis. Your a man with tremendous patience too!
Thank you 🙏, that’s very kind. Happy new year!
Wished you remembered the correct information pertaining to this vehicle
At 1:50; I'm not 100% sure the clutch is mounted to the transaxle or engine?
You keep referring to a 968, is that a later evolution of the 928 (Europe vs. U.S.)? ;-)
The clutch is on the engine.
The 968 was the last model of the 924-944-968 transaxle evolution from 1976 - 1995. The 928 was it's own separate transaxle model 1978 - 1995.
Those 944s are a fantastic looking car. The Cayman of the 1980s. The 924 was a disappointment though, and back in the day my 205gti would leave the 924 in the dust. I went to trade-in my 205gti for a 924, but changed my mind after driving one
Having owned a 968 and a 996, I think Jack is right. The 944 and its derivatives are overrated as sports cars. They’re excellent as a GT or daily driver.
Hi Great video. I used to own a 944 Silver Rose I think there were only 75 right hand drive built. The main feature was the fully adjustable suspension for track use. I had mine for about 5 years and it was totally reliable but I sold as it only used ultimately for very short journeys which was not good. It’s one of the many vehicles I wished I had been able to keep .it had this unique interior cloth upholstery which distinguishes it from any other models but was not very hard wearing. A great car
I always thought they didn't like the Turbo being so close to it's flagship 911. Great car but since I don't care for anything Turbocharged (my mechanical prejudice) I sprung for the 3 liter S2 after wanting something faster than my 1984. To me the Turbo is the open road "Le Mans" version where you can use the Turbo to good effect while the S2 is the "Moonshine" running version using the 3 liter's low end grunt to advantage on twisting turning roads with short or no straightaways to keep the Turbo spooled up plus we have the Turbo's brakes for slowing. Nice video, keep up the good work.
I’ve had a few, it will always be my favorite model. It’s nice to see that they are going up in value, keep them out of the hands of children modifying them.
Hello Jack, I have owned two models of the Porsche 944 and learned to love them both. I miss them!! I was going to move on to the 944S for the engine and then the 968 but never quite got around to it. I really regret that . Your assessments of the 944/968 series is so completely right on. I felt like it was me talking throughout! I once took my Mother on her first Porsche drive and kept bouncing the engine off its 7000 RPM rev-limiter. When we got home she said...........are you hungry? ! . Great review and it brought back memories of sunny days in the curves. Thanks.
A few days ago I asked for a 944t review.. and yes. Do a number on the waste gate and your golden. Same as mk2 vw. Drill a hole in the injection plastic box access a screw and opps it comes alive.
These are really coming there own lately, a basic na 924 also weirdly appeals
Awesome car. Nice to see the owner fixed the wastegate leak. Thank you for showing this car. Keep up the good work.
The 944 before Turbo was even More awesome as the significant 924 Turbo and Limited edition 924 Turbo Carrera versions were. The American Robert L McNamara and Henry Ford II concept of 'decontenting' the lower price cars, that's what was done. Even before Turbo, the best 944 was really a well torqued, sensational improvement on most other 928 or 911 or 930 Turbo. How do you make a torsion bar rear transaxle handle so well. I'm really not a a fan of longitudinal or transverse torsion bars....I don't know how the Weissach Geometry 928 with its passive understeer handles exactly on the limit, but my VERY rapid fang on my workmates non turbo 944 on the waterfront in Dunedin in 2018 tells me, Porsche Really did a great job of making sure it didn't do the see-saw waltz up and down on the throttle around corners like the 911 and 930 Turbo does. I'll bet they had to wind that wick back 🔙
Porsche have been careful over the years to not let any of the "lesser" cars be faster than their "flagship" 911 model. Back as far as the 914, they put "last year's motor" into the 914-6 to keep the power of the lighter and better-handling car less than that of the 911.
The Boxster was introduced with a smaller-displacement motor than the 996, and even the larger-displacement Boxster S still was smaller than the 996. It's only in the most recent years that the Boxster platform received an engine the same size as the 911-platform equivalent--and even then it wasn't turbocharged, so the power was still less.
The only exception, arguably, was the 928. It was apparently planned to replace the 911 (until Peter Schultz extended the life of the 911 indefinitely) so they did not seem to feel the need to hobble it artificially.
'Designed to be "Race-competent" and not "road-entertaining-fun" : In road form, a a truly fast and refined GT car - having driven one, back in the day, for 2k miles!
Looks a nice car 🚘🚙🚗👍👍👍⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Looks horrific
my dad had his Porsche 924 for 30 years, drove it until almost his 80th b-day :-D - in my student times, in my 4-ppl student flat one guy had a 924 around the same time (mid 80ies). On the other side of the street, a neighbour friend had a 928S for almost 10 years, and yet another friend had a 911 SC. All of these friends let me drive their cars every once in a while and it was a great pleasure, but I spent my own money on loads of camera and music equipment, not enough left for an own Porsche :-D
I had a 1986 Guards Red Turbo with a Promax level 1 Performance kit which gave soo much boost and it was soo good on Euro road trips especially on the Autobahn, would sit at 155mph all day long and it would be soo comfortable, great allrounder and still looks great.
The review mentions lag at low RPM. This is due to the air flow meter. When I replaced the ECU with a Megasquirt on my 944S, the AFM was replaced by a bar sensor. Now the car has loads of power at low RPMs.
Top gear ridiculed Porsche massaging performance data years ago. Nowadays many manufacturers understate performance data just as they overstated them forty years ago.
The 944 turbo was no performance bargain. It cost as much as a base 911 and they had to protect their icon.
Had a mint ‘87 n/a 944 for a couple of years. Gutless as a n/a car, but I still loved it. I really wish I had it back, or a turbo in its place.
The only Porsche I have ever wanted to own.
The 944 can be summed up in one word. As can a Fulvia. SUPERB! Bw from Germany Jack. Mike.
And…..The most comfortable seats of any car I’ve owned
I thought the standard seats like the car reviewed were brilliant in my first few 944s (I've had 7), but the Sports versions are absolutely amazing. My wifes 91 coupe and my 91 convertible both have them - 10 hours in a day, no problem (I'm 5'10 shes 5'2")
Seeing both you and Harry using the same test road, makes me look for other cars, that you meet.
There might just be a Bugatti or Range rover in your videos, and a 1980 sports car in his videos, with you behind the wheel. 😊
When I was a kid. I had the luck to ride in the back of one. Tight as hell in the back for me and I was only a kid at the time. The seats were comfy though and it felt like it was hovering on the road as it was so smooth as a ride. Just a shame about the knee-jamming legroom that was tighter than on a Class 700 train. Although being no plastic backs unlike the Class 700 trains. As I got older, I got to ride in the front seat of one that a friend had and it was comfortable and Porsche cars are very nice for comfort even right up to the newer cars. Upon reflection. Why Porsche bothered fitting rear seats must have been for a joke or something as the back seats are only suitable for small children or maybe for small baggage in the back. I don't think any adult could sit in the back and I definitely won't!
Jack, I would like to see you review an early 928 S at some stage and compare it to the Ferrari 400 you drove not long ago.
Perfect. YES!!!
Thank you for this brilliant and insightful video, I am really finding myself attracted to old 944s at the moment, in contrast to the larger ugly stuff that manufacturers churn out today. Happy New Year 👍
A positive note - after the mid 1980's they were made from galvanised sheet steel and resist rust into old age far better than most.
Wiedeking killed the transaxles!
The power situation vis-a-vis the 911 is similar to what happened in America with the Fiero and Corvette of the same era. The Fiero was on track to surpass the Sacred Cow. It's unfortunate.
Great cars, I had a 944 Turbo in the late 90's with similar mods to the Turbo ad this one so putting out about 300BHP. Very quick and handles great though quite a bit of turbo lag.
Had one of these years ago and it was an absolutely amazing car for the time. Once that turbo spooled up it was a beast. Had mine up to 160 mph once. Smooth as glass at that speed.
I drove a 968 Club Sport for some time on their release and absolutely loved the taught chassis & handling and the grunty engine.
I always liked the 944, however now that I own my own Porsche (a Cayman 2.9), I'm not sure I would want to 'compromise' for a front-engine car. And funnily enough pretty much the same has been happening over the years with the Boxster/Cayman range. Bottom line is, Porsche cars are sooo good that even their 'lesser' models can easily eat up in the venerable 911 market/territory...
As lovely as the 944 is, I think you have it right. It would feel like a very dull instrument indeed compared to your Cayman.
A 928, on the other hand, would be a lovely complement to the car you have now. A full-on sports car, and a full-on GT, with no in-betweenies. 😊