Lot 202: 1984 Porsche 944 Coupé

‘Here was a model much more in the Porsche tradition, a 217km/h (135mph) coupé with sparkling acceleration and superlative handling. Some 90,000 were built during a 10-year manufacturing life.’ – Jonathan Wood, ‘Porsche – The Legend’.
Announced in 1981, the 944 was the third of Porsche’s new family of front-engined sports cars. The first of the line, the 924, had arrived in November 1975 and drew heavily on Volkswagen/Audi components: the 2.0-litre, four-cylinder, overhead-camshaft engine being a development of the Audi 100's and the four-speed transaxle transmission a VW unit. Six years later, along came its close relative - the 944 – which was constructed along similar lines and from a distance hard to tell apart from its 924 progenitor. Beneath the bodywork (50mm wider than the 924's) was a 2.5-litre, 163bhp overhead-camshaft 'four' - in effect half of the 928's V8 bored out - fitted with twin balancer shafts to counter the vibration often encountered in such units. The rear transaxle - a five-speed affair this time - was retained, while the 924-type running gear was suitably up-rated to cope with the 944's superior performance. Subsequent developments included a Turbo, 16-valve 944S/S2 and a cabriolet.
Finished in red with black cloth interior, this right-hand drive example is a recent purchase by the vendor, who has taken the trouble to return the Porsche to its former glory. A nicely presented and apparently solid car in very good overall condition, it represents a great, value-for-money, ‘turn key’ entry into the exciting world of Porsche motoring. The vehicle is offered with sundry maintenance/service invoices, Swansea V5 registration document and MoT to June 2009.