1986 Porsche 944 Turbo

Tony’s Take: The Porsche 944 Turbo was an affordable dream car, a heady brew for the beer budget Porsche lover. No surprise there. The 944 started as a replacement for the cheap and cheerful VW/Porsche 914 ($40k in today’s money). VW ditched the 914 for the Scirocco. Audi stepped up to help development – and bailed. Porsche bought the design, fitted Audi’s powerplant and the 924 was born. Porsche built a race car version with a smooth-running Porsche 2.5 liter four-cylinder engine, detuned it and introduced the car to the world as the 944.

The BAT car is an evolution of the evolution, on the right side of the 1985 refresh. Improvements included 911 brakes, sleeker aerodynamics, integrated front and rear bumpers, stronger gearbox, stiffer suspension and 30 engine mods. The “new” 944 Turbo was a lot faster than its predecessor, hitting 60 from zero in 5.9 seconds (vs. 8.3). The above is not the car for sale and it’s been chipped, but the front/rear balanced machine dispels the old notion that the 944 isn’t “a real Porsche.”

Today, Porsche 944 Turbo’s have done $85k+. In February, an example blessed with a Certification by Porsche with less miles than the BAT-mobile did $32,500. This one has 74k miles on the clock and the iconic 16″ phone dial alloy wheels. I can see this 944 Turbo hammering for $25k to $28k. The red hot Porsche market hasn’t shown any signs of softening, so if might bring the base car’s original msrp: $29,500 ($107k in today’s money). Downside: it’s not a 911.