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Tag: 951

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10K Friday Poor-sche Edition: 928S4 v. 944 v. 944 Turbo v. 924 v. 944 S2 v. Boxster v. Boxster S

Published August 1, 2014 by Carter

“Poor Man’s Porsche”; while it’s a moniker usually attached to the 924 series, the reality is these days it applies to everything outside of the 911. The surge in 911 prices has been so great, that it has also pulled other lesser alternatives to the 911 up as well – try to get into a clean 912 and you’ll be surprised by the price. Even the lowly, forgotten 914 is in the mid teens for a really clean example of a flat-4 model up towards $100,000 for original 914-6 models. So does this mean you need 6-figures to be a true Porsche enthusiast? I don’t believe that’s the case – I think there are a plethora of great options at or around $10,000, so I’ve lined up an assortment. Which do you think is most worthy of wearing the crest of Stuttgart?

CLICK FOR DETAILS: 1988 Porsche 928S4 on eBay

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1987 Porsche 944 Turbo

Published July 31, 2014 by Carter

Everyone wants a perfect car, let’s be honest. But I often feel that I could accept a reasonable amount of flaws to have a car that I felt completely comfortable driving. Make that car a classic Porsche, and you’d still be talking big bucks, right? Well, not so fast – if you look around, you can still get some remarkable deals on 944 Turbos, one of the best driving cars from the 1980s. Present that car in the rare shade of Nautic Blue with tan leather, and you’ve got one heck of an understated looker with performance to back up the badge. Would you drive it?

CLICK FOR DETAILS: 1987 Porsche 944 Turbo on eBay

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Motorsport Mondays: 1988 Porsche 944 Turbo Rothmans Cup

Published July 28, 2014 by Carter

Last week, I wrote up a 944 Rothmans Cup car, a model that introduced the idea of a factory-backed, one marque race series as an opener for larger races. In truth, this was no new concept; the unused M1 race cars got turned into the “Procar” series in the late 1970s/early 1980s and run with F1 drivers before races, as well as prior forays by Porsche in the IROC series. But the 944 Rothmans Cup was an effort that any gentleman driver could partake in, and that made it a bit more special. While the racing was close for sure and generated plenty of great action, the lightweight 944s really weren’t particularly fast in the grand scheme of things. Having launched a new Turbo model of the 944 in 1985, Porsche nearly immediately started development of the Cup version of the 951. With sealed motors pushing a bit more power that stock thanks to some revised engine mapping, catalyst-free exhaust and a revised magnesium intake, the real gains came in further use of exotic materials to lighten the cars. While the regular 944 was a bit lighter, the Turbo Cup went the next step; lightened suspension, magnesium wheels, stripped interior and plastic pieces. Undercoating was never installed on these cars and as a result of many small changes, the 944 Turbo Cup weighed in some 400 lbs less than the roadgoing version. Even with a modest power increase, this made for one potent and very special race car:

CLICK FOR DETAILS: 1988 Porsche 944 Turbo Rothmans Cup on Race-Cars.com

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10K Friday Performance Edition: M3 v. 944 Turbo v. CLK500 v. S4 v. GTi

Published July 18, 2014 by Carter

Well, I hope this will stir some interest, as I think this is a bit of an interesting comparison. What level of performance can you buy for $10,000 (give or take) these days? Surprisingly, there are a lot of options – and those options vary pretty seriously in their execution and packages; there’s a wagon and a sports car, two sedan-based coupes and a hatchback. Engines range from a 2 liter turbo to a V8, with a bit of everything in between. Yet, what appears to be a very strange comparison linked only by price is revealed to be much closer when you look at performance figures:

E36 M3: 240 hp, 0-60 6.0 seconds, 3,200 lbs
944 Turbo: 220 hp, 0-60 5.9 seconds, 2,900 lbs
CLK500: 302 hp, 0-60 5.7 seconds, 3,800 lbs
S4 Avant: 250 hp, 0-60 5.6 seconds, 3,700 lbs
GTi: 200 hp, 0-60 6.6 seconds, 3,200 lbs

The range is much closer than you’d expect – especially when you consider that these figures could easily be equaled in margin of error, driver skill and reaction time. In the twisties, the lower powered cars like the GTi catch up to the higher power CLK and S4. All are, in one way or another, practical choices. Some are destined (or already) classics, while others will likely fade away. So what would be your choice? Let’s start with an M3 we’ve already seen:

CLICK FOR DETAILS: 1999 BMW M3 on eBay

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1989 Porsche 944 Turbo with 38,000 Miles

Published July 16, 2014 by Carter

I suppose it’s beating a dead horse just a bit, but it’s astounding what a good deal the overlooked 944 Turbo is these days. You can get a very clean early 86 944 Turbo for around $10,000 – significantly less than what an equivilant E30 M3, Quattro or 190E 16V will cost you. Performance from the turbocharged inline-4 will surprise the other three legends, too. Even in early 220 horsepower specification, the 944 Turbo will easily out accelerate, out turn and out brake the other three. The most aerodynamic of the three, it will also return the best fuel economy on a long trip. The only downside is that, unlike the others, the rear seats are mostly useless to anyone who has legs; but they’re there in a pinch, and the versatility of the hatch in part makes up for some of the downside. But for Porsche, it wasn’t quite enough to have a car capable of besting its contemporaries, so in 1988 Porsche upped the ante with the “S”; an additional 30 horsepower, trick M030 Koni suspension, limited slip differential and forged Fuchs wheels led the list of changes that were carried over into 1989:

CLICK FOR DETAILS: 1989 Porsche 944 Turbo on eBay

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