The Porsche 944 was Porsche’s largest-selling front-engined coupe. Fabled for its exquisite handling and almost perfect weight distribution (don’t tell the Porsche guys, but the car actually had a nearly perfect front to rear weight distribution of 50.7% front/49.3% rear) these cars have really come of age and values are soaring as a result.
The 944 was based on the earlier 924 platform, but in terms of components, very few were shared, and despite the visual similarities, the two cars are very different animals. The 944 had a nine year lifespan (from 1982 – 1991) before it was replaced by the Porsche 968. During that time over 80,000 units were produced.
The most desirable cars are the Turbo’s which featured a turbocharged in-line four engine with nearly 220bhp. The later 944 “Turbo S” introduced in 1984 featured some engine tweaks upping the power to 250bhp. Another desirable 944 is the “944 S” with only 8800 units produced. These “944 S” cars were naturally aspirated but featured a high-performance version of the 2.5 litre, M44 engine with 16-valves and double overhead camshafts, giving them just short of 190bhp.
Brad’s car is a super rare “944 S” and it’s an absolutely beautiful looking thing. Brad has upgraded the car in a range of areas, but one of the most striking (and successful in our opinion) is the addition of flared bolt on arches which are subtle enough to give the car a hugely aggressive stance, whilst looking as if they could have been a factory option. We caught up with Brad to find out more…
Please note photo credits go to: @m2_rek, @carfocused, @lew.snaps, and some are Brad’s own!
Porsche 944S 2.5L 16v Ventiler (1987)
Modifications
- The engine has been treated to and ECU Chip, Magnacore Leads, a K&N panel filter, and full stainless exhaust.
- Suspension-wise the car sits on KW Coilovers, Poly Bushes and has a Strut Brace.
- Brad has fitted Fender flares and cut inner arches – these look absolutely brilliant and give the car a wide aggressive stance.
- It sits on custom CCW LM5 3-piece split wheels. These are 12.5J X 18" at the rear, and 10.5J X 18" at the front – stretched rubber to suit of course!
- Inside, the car has an OMP deep-dish steering wheel, and a "Built by Basil" custom gear knob.
Interview with the owner
- Well Brad, we LOVE this car – when did you buy it?In July 2020.
- What made you go for a 944?I have always had a passion for pop up headlights and 70's/ 80's coupes. My dad had a Datsun 260z years ago and since then I have dreamed of owning one. With the price of the Datsun's continuing to rise it became an unobtainable car and the hunt was on for something similar.I started to look for older RX7's such as the FB and FC but this also proved difficult on a relatively tight budget. I wanted something mechanically sound and with fair bodywork to modify. After searching for a few weeks the 944 popped up and it ticked all the boxes apart from being Japanese. You can see by the way it's started its modification journey that it plays homage to Japanese styling!
- What's it like to drive?When first purchased it was on standard suspension and tyres. The ride and handling was fantastic for a 30+ year old car. The transaxle creates an almost 50/50 weight distribution.Since the modifications I have to avoid potholes at all costs making the driving a little more interesting to say the least.Power delivery is slow until you reach around 4,000rpm, where the 2.5L 16v 4 cylinder engine comes to life. It isn't fast but the noise and hard cut limiter make it fun to drive.
- Has the car been restored / rebuilt?Yes, partly.
- Tell us more about that…Well a fair bit of work had been done when I bought the car including…– New uprated throttle cam– Bigger HT leads– ECU chip– Full stainless exhaust– Fully poly bushed suspension– K&N panel filter– Red strut brace– Some minor restoration to the body and sills years ago which need more attention now!
- And you've done some more to it since by the looks of things?Yes, I've also done…– Fender flares and cut inner arches– KW Coilovers– CCW LM5 custom 3 piece split wheels– 30mm hubcentric spacers– Extended wheel nuts– Stainless 4" exhaust tip (to compliment the full stainless system)– Genuine OMP deep dish steering wheel– Built By Basil custom wood gearknob– 4 wheel alignment– Pin dents removed
- The wheels are stunning – what exactly are they?They're custom CCW LM5 3 piece split wheels. These are 12.5J X 18" at the rear, and 10.5J X 18" at the front.They're wrapped up in stretched rubber to suit!
- Do you plan to do any further modifications to it?Yes, I've got a bit of a list actually….– Full audio upgrade– Full retrim of original seats or bucket seats– I'm toying with the idea of air ride but not 100%– I would love to run the engine on individual throttle bodies if future budgets will allow!– The bodywork also needs a tidy up or full respray if budget allows.
- Is the car a "keeper" or will you sell it one day?Never say never!
- Ok final question – ignoring cost, and assuming you couldn’t go and sell it for profit… what’s your dream car and why?This is a very difficult question, If I had to narrow it down to one car right now it would be a tastefully modified Datsun 240z. The car is beautiful and nothing today can compare to it's design and body lines. Plus, the nostalgia for my dad would be priceless.
