Porsche 944: the four-cylinder that outsold the 911

The Porsche 944 is a two-door sports car made from 1982 until 1991. A front-engined, rear-wheel-drive coupé based on the platform of the 924, it came as a coupé or cabriolet with naturally aspirated or turbocharged engines, and with over 163,000 built it was the most successful sports car in Porsche’s history until the Boxster and the 997 Carrera.

Porsche 944 at a glance

History of the Porsche 944

The 944 was a development of the 924, which itself came from a cancelled Volkswagen project. The 924 was well reviewed but criticised by Porsche enthusiasts for its Audi-sourced 2.0-litre engine, and the Turbo version of 1979 was expensive. Rather than drop the model, Porsche developed it as it had developed generations of the 911: the number changed, but the 924 remained the basis of a new mid-level car.

The prototype appeared at Le Mans in 1981, an unusual strategy at the time. Called the 924 GTP Le Mans and based on the 924 Carrera GT that had raced there, it abandoned the Audi 2.0-litre four for a new 2.5-litre engine developed by Porsche, mounted at 45 degrees to the right with a double overhead camshaft and counter-rotating balance shafts. A single KKK turbocharger at 1.1 bar gave 420 PS at 6,800 rpm, and Bosch’s prototype Motronic managed ignition, injection and boost. The car proved far more economical than its predecessor, stopping only 21 times in 24 hours, finished seventh overall behind the winning 936 and won its GTP class before being retired to the Porsche museum.

The production 944 followed in 1982 with many of the same technologies, including the balance shafts and the engine management, though power was reduced. The new all-alloy 2,479 cc inline-four, with a 100 mm bore and a 78.9 mm stroke, was in essence half of the later 928’s 5.0-litre V8, though few parts were interchangeable. The four was chosen for economy and size, because it had to be fitted from below on the Neckarsulm line. To smooth out the vibration of an inline four, Porsche used two counter-rotating balance shafts turning at twice engine speed, a system invented by Frederick Lanchester in 1904 and patented in improved form by Mitsubishi in 1975. Porsche tried to develop its own version, found it could not improve on Mitsubishi’s, and paid the licence fee of about US$7–8 a car, roughly US$100 to the customer. The engine was rated at 150 hp in United States form.

The body was revised with wider wheel arches similar to those of the 924 Carrera GT, and there was a new interior and upgraded brakes and suspension. The 944 was slightly faster than the 924 despite a poorer drag coefficient, better equipped and more refined, with better handling, stopping power and comfort.

The 944 was built until 1991. Extensive revisions for the 1992 model year were enough for Porsche to drop the 944 name and rebrand the car as the 968.

Design and features

• Half a 928 V8: a 2.5-litre all-alloy four of 100 mm bore, fitted at an angle under the bonnet.
• Balance shafts: Mitsubishi-licensed counter-rotating shafts that made a four feel like a six.
• Motronic management: prototype electronics from the 1981 Le Mans car, refined for the road.
• 924 Carrera GT arches: a wider, more purposeful body than the 924’s.

Porsche 944 versions

• 944 (1982–): the original 2.5-litre car.
• 944 Turbo: turbocharged version with wider bodywork.
• 944 cabriolet: the open body style.
• 924 GTP Le Mans (1981): the racing prototype that previewed the engine.
• 968 (1992): the renamed and heavily revised successor.

The 944 grew out of the Porsche 924 and used half of the Porsche 928’s V8, and it became the Porsche 968. More cars are in the Porsche collection.

Video: PS Profis – Porsche 944 S2

Video by PS Profis on YouTube.

Sources

• Porsche 944, English Wikipedia: origins, engine, balance shafts, production