Discovery Channel

Wheeler Dealers - Porsche 944 Turbo at DiscoveryChannel.co.uk

Porsche 944 Turbo

SOLD FOR £6,650

For those in the know, the Porsche 944 is an iconic Porker. Never mind that the classic car’s engine is front-mounted and the bodywork is inspired by the unloved 924 - this is one hell of a motor. In 1988 it was the fastest four-cylinder production car on the planet, achieving 0-60mph in 5.5secs. The engine has 220bhp and loads of torque. It was a favourite city boy car, which dented its image, so values are relatively low for a car from such a thoroughbred marque.

Mike went looking for a 944 to do the classic Wheeler Dealer job on – buy cheap, restore and sell. But the cars were all either no-hopers or way too expensive. Then he spotted an ad on eBay and kept an eye on it. He called the owner, who asked for 3 grand to end the auction. Mike decided to chance his luck and see if he could get it for less! The car was in great condition, a 2.5 Turbo in a discreet colour and very, very cheap. He decided to bid, and hey presto - great car, great price - £2,880.

But with so little wrong on the car, Edd wonders what he’s going to do. Mike’s answer is to ask him to prepare a fully race specced 944 track day car. Roll cage, 5 point harnesses, re-mapped engine, uprated brakes and suspension. The works!

Edd will probably be very sceptical of this plan to trash a perfectly good 944 Turbo. But many people are looking for a fun race car for under £10K, and this will be the market for the 944. Admittedly it’s a niche market, but Mike is sure he’ll make more money on this than if he’d left it in standard road spec. Will he be right?

Mike’s Porsche 944 Turbo 220BHP Model is painted Metallic Grey with Ruby Wine 'Half-Leather' Pinstripe trim. The car is tidy for its age and appears to have not been involved in any significant accidents - which is rare for one of these super quick machines (even by today’s standards)! Overall, the bodywork is pretty good for a 22 year old.

LINKS



PORSCHE TURBO FACTS

  • In 1985 Porsche introduced the 944 Turbo, known internally as the 951
  • Over 25,000 of these cars were made, and over 10,000 of those were shipped to the US
  • The acceleration of the Turbo made it extremely popular with racing enthusiasts
  • In 1988, Porsche introduced the 944 Turbo S, which had a more powerful engine
  • In 1989 the 'S' designation was dropped from the 944 Turbo S, and all 944 Turbos featured the 'S' package as standard
  • The Turbo was one of the first sports cars to offer both driver-side and passenger-side airbags
  • In February 1991 Porsche released the 944 Turbo Cabriolet, which combined the Turbo S's engine with the cabriolet body
  • The 944 Turbo made an appearance on Car and Driver's Ten Best list in 1986
  • The 944's final year of production was 1991, after engineers realised that so many parts were being changed that they had produced an almost entirely new vehicle

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