Lot Ended
Description
Ordered new for the MD of Porsche Cars (GB) under the Exclusive
Programme; special Brilliant Red Paintwork; LSD; cruise control; air con;
effectively three owners, the first for 23 years; impeccable service
history; a pampered example of this 250bhp Bahnstormer
Jump into a 944
Turbo today and initially you wonder what all the fuss is about. Below 3,500rpm
it just feels like any other car – but once that boost explodes it surges
forward with relentless ferocity to the 6,500rpm redline, hitting 30mph in 2.2
seconds, 60mph in 5.6 seconds (faster than a Ferrari Testarossa) and 100mph in
16.8 seconds as you snatch gear after gear to the 162mph maximum.
“This is the fastest A to B car on the market
today”, said Automobile Magazine in 1989, while Car &
Driver declared it: “By far the strongest performing four-cylinder car in
the world, and only a few cars of any stripe can match or beat its
numbers.”
Launched in 1986, the Porsche 944 Turbo
tore up the rule book on four-pot engine performance. Beneath its wide body
and pop-up headlights lived a turbocharged 2.5-litre inline-four of
unparallelled power and refinement, paired with a rear-mounted 5-speed
transaxle. This gave it perfect 50:50 weight distribution, blessing the 944 with
such precise handling and poise that it outmatched the rear-engine 911 on
challenging roads.
Initial models produced
220bhp, but the 944 reached its peak with the introduction of the 1988 Turbo S
which featured a larger KKK turbocharger that bumped output to 250bhp;
strengthened 5-speed transaxle with hardened gears; transmission oil cooler;
uprated M030 sports suspension; uprated Brembo brakes from the 928 S4 and a
limited-slip differential.
By 1990, Porsche
dropped the ‘S’ suffix and the flagship 250bhp spec became standard for all the
Turbo coupes, although the Sports suspension and LSD were now extra cost
options. Fitted with a distinctive bridge-style rear spoiler, these
last-of-the-line Turbos were half-a-second quicker to 60mph than their 220bhp
siblings and had a top speed 10mph higher, hence the 180mph speedometer rather
than the 170mph of the earlier cars.
First
registered in August 1990, this 250bhp Turbo has an interesting back-story as it
was originally meant for the Managing Director of Porsche Cars (GB) as his own
personal car and was prepared under the Exclusive Programme with special order
Brilliant Red Metallic paintwork (code 831) and Pearl White Metallic alloy
wheels, as related in correspondence on file (see photos).
Options included: Limited-slip differential (220); headlight washers
(288); 8-way electrically adjustable Sports front seats (437/438); Koni Sport
dampers (474); alarm system (533); air conditioning (573); Bosch ABS braking
system (593); detachable/tilting electric sunroof (650).
As things panned out, the MD decided to have a new 928 S4 instead so,
for one reason or another, the 944 Turbo was put into the name of a Miss Lim of
Northolt, as recorded on an old V5. In June 1991 it was sold by Sytner of
Nottingham to a Mr M Reader of Huddersfield, still with zero miles on the
speedo, the invoice showing that it cost £28,650 (a big saving on the c.£44k
list price for a new 944 Turbo Coupe at that time).
Mr Reader had cruise control specially fitted to his new car by
Sytner and was to keep the 944 Turbo for the next 23 years, using it extensively
and keeping it meticulously maintained. He also fitted his private plate to the
car, 8 MRR.
It now
shows 164,480 miles on the clock and comes with an excellent service history
including 31 stamps in the book, the first 10 by Porsche main agents JCT600 of
Bradford and the next 20 by renowned specialists Strasse of Leeds, the last
of which was at 152,850 miles in September 2008 and
cost £4,445 which included a new cam belt, new camshaft drive and balance
shaft belts, new front wings and all four wheels refurbed. No longer painted
Pearl White, these are staggered fitment 17" Cup Design alloys shod with a
matching set of Bridgestone Potenza tyres, 215/45 at the front and 255/40 at the
rear, all with plenty of tread.
There is one more
stamp by Porsche Centre Solihull in April 2017 at 163,817 miles for another
oil and filter service and a new turbo sealing ring at a cost of £431, plus
an invoice for another service not stamped in the book at 163,223 miles in
May 2015 which included a new set of cylinder head gaskets, new timing belt and
tensioner and new balance shaft belt and tensioner.
That gives 32 services in total which equates to an average service
interval of 5,100 miles. There are also stamps for regular brake fluid and
coolant changes (see photos).
Mr Reader finally
sold the car in May 2015 to a Mr Parsons of Staffs, retaining his 8 MRR plate,
so the car reverted to its original registration number, H86 FLE. He kept the
car for 10 years but hardly ever drove it, the MOT history showing that it
barely covered 500 miles during this time.
When
Mr Parsons sadly passed away, our vendor bought the car from the family who had
been keeping it for sentimental reasons. Although we don't currently have
the invoices, he tells us that he has changed the oil and filter, fitted a
new electric cooling fan and a new gearbox oil cooler as the original was
weeping slightly. He has now bought himself an air-cooled 911 and does not have
space to store them both, hence its appearance in this
catalogue.
Driven to the sale from Malvern, we
are told that the car drives as well as it looks, with an MOT until
17th September with no advisories recorded. There are also no fewer
than 25 old MOTs on file, along with various invoices to support the service
history, old logbooks recording all three previous owners, the original
handbooks and an instruction booklet for the Panasonic radio/CD plus two books
on the 944 range (see photos).
As you
can see in the photos, this pampered 944 Turbo is in outstanding condition for
its year/mileage and has been starting promptly and running well as we have
moved it around on site, with healthy oil pressure and no warning
lights.
Porsche’s 2.5-litre M44/52 engine is a
famously robust unit with great tuning potential, as demonstrated in the 410bhp
944 GTP Le Mans car. It is also remarkably smooth thanks to the use of two
counter-rotating balancer shafts. If properly maintained, as this car has been,
it can clock up stellar mileages with ease.
For
those seeking the lowest recorded mileage, there are other 250bhp
Turbos available but these are scarce and can easily fetch £30k+ at
auction. For those who value originality, provenance and the
confidence imbued by decades of expert care and conscientious
ownership, H86 FLE looks mighty tempting at the sensible guide price
suggested.
Consigned by James Dennison – 07970 309907 –
james.dennison@brightwells.com