PORSCHE 944
The PORSCHE 944
It was also true that the 924 hadn't been universally acclaimed. Nobody doubted that the Harm Lagaay-styled body looked pretty, albeit in a rather bland, delicate sort of way, and nobody doubted that it went very well (especially the 924 Turbo) or handled properly. The problem was that everyone knew the 924's engine was essentially the same as the one in a contemorary VW van, and everybody also knew that the car was assembled for Porsche by Audi. Somehow, it just didn't sem like a proper Porsche.
So when Zuffenhausen decided to plug the gap above the 924, the company knew exactly what it needed. Chief engineer Helmut Bott explained the problem to journalists when the 944 was launched in 1981. 'We wanted to get away from the volume car image that still affects the 924. And we needed a car that was better suited to the crucial American market; it takes over a third of our production. On the other hand, we could not afford to produce a completely new model. It was clear from the beginning that the 944 would have to use as many components from other models as possible, but that it should differ visually from them as much as possible.'
So the 944 was in many ways a grown-up 924, with virtually the same side profile, the same front-engine/rear-transaxle powertrain layout, and the same 2+2 passenger cabin. But it had a much more muscular appearance thanks to its wider track and extended wheelarches, which were visually similar to the plastic extensions on the limited-edition 924 Carrera GT, but were actually made of steel. Inside, the dashboard was pretty much the same as the 924's, too, but both the upholstery and trim materials were more up-market to suit the car's pricing. And under the elegant, sloping bonnet, of course, was the 'proper' Porsche engine the 924 never had.
The first plan had been to make this engine a V6, a shortened 3.5-litre derivative of the 928's V8. Prototypes proved rough and thirsty, however, and the anticipated cost of the new cylinder block and heads caused a rethink. During 1977, Paul Hensler's engine team began to reconsider a big four cylinder, essentially half of the 928's V8. This would provide much of the parts commonality that Weissach wanted in order to save costs. Although considerable extra design work was needed, not least to incorporate a pair of contra-rotating balance shafts to give the big four-pot acceptable refinement, the engine was actually close enough in its final form to the V8 to use its cylinder-block and cylinder-head blanks. It also used much of the 928's valvegear.
The original 944 (always sold as a 944 Lux in Britain) slotted neatly between the 924 and 911 in terms of price, and offered a very respectable top speed of 137mph. A 924 Carrera GT might indeed have been quicker, but it was also more expensive and less refined and anyway, Britain was officially never allowed to have more than 75 examples. Minor improvements were gradually introduced in the car's first few years, but the first major changes came in 1985.
The basic cars picked up smarter upholstery and a new dashboard, the famous 'telephonedial' light-alloy wheels similar to those of the 928 and, with the battery relocated to the luggage compartment, they also gained slightly better weight distribution, too. But the really big news was that a turbocharged model would now be available alongside the basic 944 Lux.
Porsche-watchers had guessed that a 944 Turbo would be coming ever since a prototype car had competed in a race in Ohio in the USA - and won it convincingly during June 1984. The production car's engine incorporated redesigned combustion chambers, a relatively high compression ratio to give good off-boost perforrnance, a KKK turbocharger and an air-to air intercooler to lower the temperature of the intake charge and so increase its density for maximum efficiency. Maximum power shot up from 163bhp to 220bhp - an astonishing 35 per cent increase - and maximum speed increased to well over 150mph. The car handled like a Porsche should, and was docile enough to be perfectly acceptable as a town runabout as well.
Weissach let the effect of that one sink in for just 12 months before following through with yet another blockbuster. This time the car was called the 944S, and its principal innovation was a completely new top end for the engine, with twin overhead camshafts and four valves per cylinder. Power went up to 190bhp, maximum speed was over 140mph, and the yardstick 0-60mph sprint could be covered in around seven seconds.
The 944S was available alongside the 944 Lux and the 944 Turbo for two years before there were any more major changes. But it would be only a year before a fourth model would join the 944 line-up in the UK. This was the 944 Turbo SE, marketed as a limited edition and painted in a fetching metallic lilac known for some reason as Rose Silver, but in reality a taster for the more powerful mainstream Turbo which would arrive in September 1988. That car which boasted 250bhp instead of the 220bhp of the original 944 Turbo - came with a number of other improvements to make it easily the fastest and best-handling 944 variant yet.
Meanwhile, Weissach had not forgotten the basic 944. At the same time as the uprated Turbo appeared, the 944 Lux was given a big-bore 2.7-litre engine, which put out little more power than the earlier 2.5-litre type but certainly felt crisper on the road, whatever the figures suggest. For the remainder of 1988 there were, therefore, three different engines in the 944: the 2.7-litre eight-valve in the Lux, the 2 5-litre 16-valve in the 944S, and the turbocharged 2.5-litre eight-valve in the Turbo.
Rationalisation was bound to follow and it did, From January 1989 the 16-valve 944S was replaced by the 944S2 (also with a 16-valve engine), and then the basic 944 Lux was discontinued that summer, leaving only the S2 and the Turbo available. Even so, there were still three models on offer, because the S2 could be had not only as a 2+2 coupe but also as a gorgeous cabriolet with an electrically powered soft-top.
The essence of the 944S2 was a further enlarged and even more powerful engine, although the car was also distinguished by somewhat smoother and more integrated front-end styling, This time, the stroke of the big four-cylinder motor had been lengthened in order to give a capacity of 3.0 litres (2990cc to be precise). And thanks to the 16-valve cylinder head of the earlier 944S, power went up to 211 bhp to give performance not too far off that of the original 944 Turbo.
Further realignment of the range followed in 1990, when the Turbo went out of production. However, the top model did not disappear altogether, for the turbocharged engine re-emerged early the following year in the cabriolet body to create what was undoubtedly one of the most charismatic and desirable 944 variants of them all.
And so the 944 range - S2 coupe, S2 cabriolet and Turbo cabriolet - continued into 1992, until it was in turn replaced by the 968 (itself discontinued in 1995). And by that time, the car that a decade earlier had started life as a mid-range Porsche had become the entry-level model, for the last 924 had been built in 1989.
Key 944 dates
The 944 was announced in Germany in July 1981. The dates and other information given throughout this feature refer to UK models only
April 1982 944 Lux introduced
September 1982 Econometer added to tachometer
October 1982 Colour-coded body-side mouldings added
September 1983 Power-assisted steering becomes standard in cars with automatic transmission, optional in manual-transmission vehicles, brake-pad wear indicator and electric release for glass rear hatch added; Porsche seat logo in black; optional seat inserts in brown, grey and beige
September 1984 Power steering now standard in all models; electrically heated screenwash nozzles added
September 1985 Battery relocated at rear; fuse box relocated in engine bay; new telephone-dial alloy wheels; flush-fit windscreen with integral radio aerial; three-speed windscreen wipers; heated electric door mirror on nearside, grey and black pinstripe seat inserts; electric height adjustment for drivers seat; new fascia with four main gauges; 'gear selected' indicator within tachometer in cars with automatic transmission
October 1985 944 Turbo introduced
September 1986 944S introduced; electric height adjustment added to passenger seat in Turbo
September1987 Central locking added; new cassette- and coin holder for all models; underbody spoiler added to 944S; new disc-style forged light-alloy wheels for Turbo; launch of 944 Studio, a limited edition of 30 cars based on 944 Lux manual, with silver paint, split rear-seat backrest, luggage cover and automatic heating control
October 1987 Launch of 944 Turbo SE, a limited edition of 70 cars based on 944 Turbo, with 250bhp engine, disc-style alloy wheels (7.0-inch front. 9.0-inch rear) and Rose Silver metallic paint
September 1988 944 Turbo power output rises to 250bhp; 2.7-litre engine for 944 Lux, ABS standardised; new automatic heating control; alarm standardised; stronger five-speed transaxle with exterior oil cooler for Turbo, plus limited-slip differential and wider rear wheels; electric height adjustment for both front seats now standard in all models
January 1989 944 S2 introduced
July 1989 944 Lux discontinued
September 1989 Catalytic converter standardised; 959-style rear spoiler added to Turbo; 7.5-inch-wide front wheels added to Turbo
September 1990 Turbo coupe discontinued; Turbo-style spoiler added to rear hatch of S2; split rear-seat backrestnow standard; courtesy-light delay added
February 1991 Turbo cabriolet introduced (100 right-hand-drive cars only)
September 1991 RDS radio now standard, with provision for optional CD autochanger
May 1992 944 range discontinued
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