Porsche 944 Turbo Review

Porsche launched the 944 Turbo in January 1985 as the top of the 944 range, and it reached America as a 1986 model. Motor Trend's November 1985 test gave the base price as $29,500, roughly $7,000 more than a regular 944. Internally it was the 951, and it made Car and Driver's 10Best list in its first American year. The Turbo got a smoother nose with integrated fog and main-beam lights in place of the 944's black rubber buffers, a body-colored rear diffuser, four-piston brakes and a strengthened gearbox.

The engine is the 944's 2.5 liter four with its compression lowered, a KKK turbocharger and an intercooler, making 220 PS, or 217 hp in American trim, at 6,000 rpm. It was the first Porsche production engine with ceramic port liners to keep heat in the exhaust, and the first car to make identical power with or without a catalytic converter. Car and Driver measured 5.9 seconds to 60 mph in 1987, and the top speed is 152 mph.

Hagerty's buyer's guide calls early Turbos laggy, with the boost arriving just past 3,000 rpm, but the chassis is the reason to own one: near-perfect balance from the transaxle layout, well-weighted steering and a precise five-speed gearbox. From 1987 ABS was standard, and the American 944 Turbo became the first production car with driver and passenger airbags as standard.

It is a cheap Porsche only until something is neglected. Hagerty's guide says the belts that drive the camshaft and the balance shafts must be renewed every four years at most, with the water pump, because a failure is expensive, and it names the rear main oil seal as a weak point to renew with any clutch. The bodies are galvanized, yet nearly all show some rust at the arches, fenders and sills, and the guide notes reliability concerns specific to the Turbo. Parts are plentiful and fairly priced. Values have turned: Hagerty puts a good early Turbo at $40,000 to $55,000 in excellent condition, with the very best approaching $80,000, above the original list.

The 944 Turbo is not the most refined 944, and Hagerty prefers the later 3.0 liter S2 for smoothness, but it is the one that answered the charge that the 944 was slow. It joins the transaxle car's balance and hatchback practicality to real pace, and its middling marks for reliability and running costs describe a car that rewards a thick service file and punishes a thin one. It is a very good car rather than a landmark, and the market has only lately caught up.