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Tag: M44/52

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1988 Porsche 944 Turbo S

Update 1/17/19: This ’88 944 Turbo S has been relisted at $27,000, down $2,000 from December.

Here’s an interesting one. At first glance, you’d be forgiven for thinking that this was one of the very special and very limited ‘Silver Rose’ 944 Turbo S models. All painted in unique Silver Rose Metallic (F1) with multi-tone maroon studio cloth, and ushered in a long list of revisions to the standard Turbo. The new option M758 “Turbo S” included a new turbocharger with redesigned vanes and a remapped DME which increased boost to a max of 1.82 bar. The resulting M44/52 had 30 more horsepower and 15 lb.ft torque to a max of 247 and 258, respectively. But the “S” package was far more than just more boost, as the cooling system was revised, the clutch and transmission were beefed up with hardened first and second gears.

Brakes were borrowed from the 928 S4 and now measured 12″ in front with four piston aluminum calipers. Wheels were Club Sport 16″ forged, polished and anodized units measuring 7 inches in front and 9 in the rear. Suspension was also beefed up with the M030 package; this included adjustable rebound Koni shocks and adjustable-perch coilovers in front. Limited slip differentials (Code 220) were not standard, but a must-select option. So too was a beefed up radio.

But the interesting thing about this particular car is that it’s not a Silver Rose. The original purchaser of this car ticked the $5,510 option box for the Turbo S M758 options, then paid a further $685 to have it painted Stone Gray Metallic:

CLICK FOR DETAILS: 1988 Porsche 944 Turbo on eBay

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Double Take – 25,000 Miles Total: 1988 Porsche 944 Turbo S Silver Rose

Update 12/2/18: The 16,000 mile example is down to $55,995.

Update 8/15/18: The ask on the 16,000 mile 944 Turbo S has dropped further to $59,995.

Update 6/1/18: The 16,000 mile Turbo S in this post has dropped $5,000 in asking price to $64,995.

We’ve managed to stick to a red interior theme so far today, and I’m going to further that just a bit more. But while red interiors in the 70s and 80s were super chic, few for me match the sheer audacity or execution of today’s twin 944 Turbo S Silver Rose models. And as I’ve spent the last few transaxle posts dancing around special models, it would seem fitting to cover what many consider to be the most special of all. Coincidentally, outside of some exceptional limited production models like the Turbo Cup, 968 CS or Turbo S, and 924 Carrera GTS, few are worth as much as this model either.

1988 saw numerous changes in the 944 Turbo lineup. The new option M758 “Turbo S” included a new turbocharger with redesigned vanes and a remapped DME which increased boost to a max of 1.82 bar. The resulting M44/52 had 30 more horsepower and 15 lb.ft torque to a max of 247 and 258, respectively. But the “S” package was far more than just more boost, as the cooling system was revised, the clutch and transmission were beefed up with hardened first and second gears.

Brakes were borrowed from the 928 S4 and now measured 12″ in front with four piston aluminum calipers. Wheels were Club Sport 16″ forged, polished and anodized units measuring 7 inches in front and 9 in the rear. Suspension was also beefed up with the M030 package; this included adjustable rebound Koni shocks and adjustable-perch coilovers in front. Limited slip differentials (Code 220) were not standard, but a must-select option.

Within the already limited edition S (of which about 1,900 were shipped to the US), there was another special edition. The “Silver Rose” launch cars took all of the special aspects of the M758 S package and added a unique color (Silver Rose Metallic, LM3Z) and a very unique Burgundy Studio Check interior. Outside of the Turbo Cup cars, these very limited (claimed 339) original models have become the most desirable of the 944 Turbos, and few are presented like these two today which have combined only managed to cover 24,494 miles in 30 years:

CLICK FOR DETAILS: 1988 Porsche 944 Turbo S Silver Rose at Porsche Warrington

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Litmus Test: 1988 Porsche 944 Turbo S with 37,700 Miles

Following up on Rob’s “presence” post about the 928, here we have the embodiment of presence and speed in the 944 Turbo S. But we have much more than that, too, in this particular example.

As I talked about at length in the last 1988 Turbo S post, there was a lot that made this car more special than the regular Turbo – and, arguably, more special than the 911, too. But the market on 944 Turbos has been all over the map, with nice examples struggling to break $10,000 at times and excellent examples three to four times that. So where does this Turbo S lie?

Well, we have a great combination of factors that make it quite desirable. First, it’s one of the S models. Second, it’s a claimed one owner car that appears to be close to 100% original. Third, it’s got very low mileage, with only 37,700 accrued. But the coup de grâce that beheads the typical unrealistic asks in the Porsche world is that this is a no reserve auction. Rarely do we get to see all of these things combine and get a real feel for the market.

CLICK FOR DETAILS: 1988 Porsche 944 Turbo S on eBay

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1988 Porsche 944 Turbo S Silver Rose

Porsche is famous for launching a special edition just about every six minutes, and in the late 1980s they launched quite a few for 1988. First off, they created a special edition of the 944 Turbo. The new option M758 “Turbo S” included a new turbocharger with redesigned vanes and a remapped DME which increased boost to a max of 1.82 bar. The resulting M44/52 had 30 more horsepower and 15 lb.ft torque to a max of 247 and 258, respectively. But the “S” package was far more than just more boost, as the cooling system was revised, the clutch and transmission were beefed up with hardened first and second gears.

Brakes were borrowed from the 928 S4 and now measured 12″ in front with four piston aluminum calipers. Wheels were Club Sport 16″ forged, polished and anodized units measuring 7 inches in front and 9 in the rear. Suspension was also beefed up with the M030 package; this included adjustable rebound Koni shocks and adjustable perch coilovers in front. Limited slip differentials (Code 220) were not standard, but a must-select option.

Within the already limited edition S (of which about 1,900 were shipped to the US), there was another special edition. The “Silver Rose” launch cars took all of the special aspects of the M758 S package and added a unique color (Silver Rose Metallic, LM3Z) and a very unique Burgundy Studio Check interior. Outside of the Turbo Cup cars, these very limited original models have become the most desirable of the 944 Turbos:

CLICK FOR DETAILS: 1988 Porsche 944 Turbo S on eBay

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1989 Porsche 944 Turbo with 28,500 Miles

It should come as no surprise that Porsche 944 Turbo prices are on the rise. In fact, in atypical Porsche form it’s quite late to the party. Considering the stratospheric rise of its ostensible competition from BMW and Audi, the 944 Turbo has remained quite affordable for a very long time. That has resulted in a glut of mediocre to poor condition examples; let’s not forget, after all, that this is a Porsche, and servicing a complicated 30 year old example can be beyond the budget of some available to leap over the entry price hurdle. However, one of the Turbo models that have traditionally retained greater value is the later run 1988 S models and 1989 S-spec models. Properly, 1989 models are not referred to as S models, but as they carry all of the same upgrades as the 1988 model many add the suffix to the name. Considering how limited they were in the U.S., at only a reported 1,874 1988s and 1,385 1989s with a handful of 89 spec cars shifted in 1990, it’s not as much of a surprise that they’re prized possessions for many and generally speaking they come to the market in better condition than the earlier ’86/87 models. But not many these days come to market having traveled only 28,500 miles since new:

CLICK FOR DETAILS: 1989 Porsche 944 Turbo on eBay

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