1988 Porsche 944S https://shiftgate.com/auction/1988-porsche-944s-5-speed/ The auction ends Friday, April 25th at 2:45pm Eastern Porsche nailed it with the hatch-backed 944, a sports car that earned all manner of praise over a nearly 10-year production run. The automaker called it “faster than schnell”, journalists said it was “terrifically slidable”, and enthusiasts have waxed poetically about the 944 ever since. When Porsche juiced up the 944 into S – for Super – form, it made an already excellent car even better. Today’s stunning Guards Red 944S is an all-original example of that very vehicle. History In a rare miss, Porsche introduced the 1976 924 with a weak engine that could also be found under the hood of Volkswagens and Audis, the latter of which developed the motor. Customers howled in protest at sharing running gear with such plebeian brands and so, the good people in Stuttgart went back to the drawing board. They returned with the 944, a car resembling the 924, but with a far more muscular body backed up by a heavily reworked chassis, suspension and engine. In fact, the engine was 100% Porsche, as was the transaxle and everything else on the 944, all of which was highlighted in period advertising. There would be no more confusing a Porsche with a VW. It featured near 50/50 weight distribution, earned awards like Best Handling Imported Car in America and sold record numbers. Five years into production, the 944S variant was introduced with a host of improvements to the suspension and transmission, but most notably the engine. Reworking the naturally aspirated 2.5L inline-four found in the standard 944, this new motor featured the first use of four valves per cylinder in a 944 along with a higher compression ratio, magnesium intake manifold passages and improved Bosch engine management system. This all led to a 40-horse jump in power and 6.8-second sprint to 60 mph. Porsche used “16 Ventiler” script in the engine bay to identify this new 16-valve setup, which meant “giving vent to your lust for speed sixteen ways from Sunday,” according to Car and Driver. Exterior Finished in the original Guards Red paint job, overall exterior condition of this 1988 944S looks to be very good. Pop-up headlights with clear lenses are shown operating in the gallery. The car features headlight washers, integrated fog lamps and a sunroof along with a rear wiper and integrated spoiler with embossed PORSCHE lettering. Black rubber bumpers look great all the way around as do the black tail light surround pieces. An interesting highlight are the original leather side mirror covers with embossed Porsche crests. Original 15” phone-dial wheels with Porsche crest centers are wrapped in Michelin Pilot rubber sized 215/60 all around, framing four-corner disc brakes. There is no rust present on the vehicle and no history of paint or bodywork. The passenger-side lower rear fender shows chipped paint and the seller notes minor marks and blemishes on the car but otherwise it shows very well with straight panels and a clean undercarriage. As detailed in the gallery, the driver-side windshield cowl is cracked. Interior The all-black cabin features leather upholstery on all four seats with power-adjustment on the front buckets. They show minimal signs of wear for a 34-year-old car. The leather-wrapped steering wheel fronts a 270 km/h speedometer with inset odometer and 7,600-rpm tachometer. These are flanked by analog dials for coolant temperature, fuel level, oil pressure and battery voltage. Automatic climate controls sit above the factory-original Blaupunkt stereo that, along with the dashboard and surrounding switchgear, are in all in very good condition. A sticker for the Porsche alarm system, along with the sunroof and rear wiper indicate this 944S was equipped with the optional Touring package. The original spare wheel and jacking tools are fitted in the trunk. Additional interior highlights include a dashboard-mounted digital clock, power-operated windows and side mirrors, floor mats with red Porsche lettering and a retractable cargo cover. The door panels are in clean, scuff-free condition that is in line with the original condition throughout this 944, all of which points to a high level of meticulous lifetime upkeep. As shown up close in the gallery, the leather on the shifter knob is pulling away. Mechanical Sitting in a clean engine bay is the original 2.5L M44/40 DOHC inline-four that made 187 horsepower and 170 lb-ft of torque when new. It features a Bosch Digital Motronic engine management system and is mated to the original 5-speed manual transaxle driving the rear wheels. Factory handling upgrades over the standard 944 included progressive rate springs and beefier anti-roll bars at both ends. Per the owner, the car runs strong with no known issues. Details Located in Stoney Creek, Ontario, the seller, and third owner, purchased this Canadian-spec 1988 944S in September 2021. Since then, 20 of the original 173,263 kilometers have been added. The first owner purchased the car on September 6, 1988, followed by the second owner’s purchase on May 22, 1998. To the seller’s knowledge, this 944S is a 100% original time capsule. It shows all the telltale pride-of-ownership signs in the extensive gallery, making it an ideal modern classic for the next caretaker. Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login
My girlfriends mother has the identical car - repainted and with ~ 100,000 miles on it. I'll be curious what this goes for. MDS
