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Porsche 944
Time to Replace the 924
The Porsche 944 was Porsche's largest-selling front-engined coupe. The project was greenlighted in 1980, in response to dropping sales of the Porsche 924. The 944 was to feature new styling based upon the Porsche 924 Carrera GT, along with a brand-new Porsche designed and developed 2.5 litre four cylinder engine. The car was the brainchild of the newly appointed Peter Schutz, the CEO of the Porsche company.
Immediate Success
The launch of the 944 traded heavily upon the new car being a 'brand new Porsche model', in an attempt to bury the image of all front-engined Porsches not being 'real' Porsches - a fate which had befallen the 924. The car was released for sale to European markets in November 1981, with the UK getting their quota in April 1982, and the USA in May 1982. Sales of the 168BHP coupe went through the roof, with a massive 26800 944s being produced by the end of 1982. To put this figure into context, the entire Porsche company made just 28000 cars in 1981.
The 944 was given an entirely new marketing plan - with the emphasis on new Porsche owners, not existing enthusiasts. The new Porsche owners came in the form of the 'yuppie', young, cash-rich city-dwellers attracted by the stunning looks and presence of the model.
The 944 is quite rightly termed as the saviour of Porsche - the massive cash reserves that this model made during the 1980s kept the company afloat (just) during the world recession of the early 1990s.
Improvements over the out-going 924 were plain to see - beginning with the flared front and rear wheel arches. These became the trademark of the 944, and pulled in the buyers due to the butch stance and powerful presence they gave the car. Other differences were small but significant - on US models, the ugly 924 side reflectors were replaced with smooth, bumper-line examples. A rear spoiler, lining the lift-glass, made the rear-end look more functional and sporty. Drag coefficient was reduced to 0.35 over the 924, and the body panels were zinc-coated in all markets to prevent corrosion.
Models
Throughout the life of the 944, many models were produced to slightly change certain aspects of the car - be it performance or looks, or purely to produce more sales. They are highlighted below.
Pre-1985 - The Early Years
The pre-1985 vehicles were the first 944s produced, and as such are the most basic of the entire expansive model range. Externally, the cars were supplied with electric mirrors and the rear spoiler, along with the distinctive 'Cookie Cutter' alloy wheel design, which could be painted with black or white centres, or just left normal silver. Black-centred Fuchs forged alloys, as seen on the 911, were optional.
Two types of front-valance were available - one with a simple twin line grille, or one with driving lamps inset to it. A rear under-valance was optional - this was colour-coordinated to the bodywork, and featured a series of vertical slats, each covered by black-painted mesh. A major improvement over the 924 was the fitment of a flush windscreen.
Interior-wise, very few changes were made over the 924 - the square dashboard was retained, however new fabric colours and leather options were available. Interior noise was greatly reduced over the 924, mainly by adding more sound proofing but also by Porsche choosing to change the engine mounts.
The engine itself, although not quite living up to the rife rumours of a V6, was a flat-four plant, in essence half of the Porsche 928's V8 powerplant. Particular attention was given to refinement - one of the Porsche 924's great bugbears. A breakthrough came in the form of TOP - Thermally Optimised Porsche.
