ColinB

Hello 944 bretheren. I'm a refugee from the 928 board seeking asylum over here since I wrote off my much loved 89GT last month. I'm in South Africa and although I might be able to get hold of a 928S4 to replace my first love the chances chances of me finding another GT in this country are very slim. I'm looking but not optimistic and the withdrawal symptoms are acute.

However, in my searching I've stumbled upon what appears from photos to be a genuine 944 Turbo Cab, which I understand is quite a rare beast, at a very reasonable price. I'm still waiting to get the VIN and engine number and have not yet seen it in the flesh but I'm trying to find out more about this 944 variant. From Wikipedia it appears that only about 650 were made, and only 100 of those were right-hand drive. (SA is a RHD country). Can anybody confirm this and/or offer any advice please.

EG. What years were these cars produced. What range were their serial numbers. What was their HP and engine capacity. Did they have the 6-speed gearbox like the 968. What are their strengths and (more importantly) weaknesses???

All and any wisdom very gratefully received.

Thanks
Colin Beard

samluke

Turbo Cabs continued in production through 91 for the Rest of the World markets, ie not US. There are quite a few in the UK RHD. They were all TurboS equivalent ie 247HP. In my opinion the best and newest 951's there are.

ColinB

Thank you Richard. This one is advertised as a 3 litre which I assume is incorrect since I'm told that all the turbos were 2.5. I believe all the RHD turbo cabs went to the UK which makes this one, (if it has not had an engine conversion) quite unusual here.

As a die-hard 928 enthusiast of many years I am not very familiar with other types. I really need some 944 input here. Is there any more info available?

Colin
928GT R.I.P.

Thom

Sorry for the loss of your '89 GT ;-(

944 cabs were either S2 (NA 3.0 16V) or turbo (2.5 8V). They shared the same shell.
Same 5 speed gearboxes as found in the S2/turbo coupé.

According to Morgan's book, the VIN should read something like this : WPOZZZ95ZMN13xxxx
with xxxx ranging from 0001 to 0625, regardless of steering wheel location.

They shared some features with 90/91 944 turbo coupé, such as wheels (D90 in sizes 7.5" ET 65 and 9" ET 52.3, same as 90/91 S4/GT D90 but minus RDK sensors) and final exhaust pipe with two mufflers instead of one on previous years.
Same brakes as 928 S4/GT too.

sayporsha

Check with Luis de Prat. He may have some info on that model:
http://registry.rennlist.com/registr.../Luis_de_Prat/

ColinB

Gentlemen
Thank you all for your advice. Unfortunately the car turned out to be a 3litre cab with a retrofitted turbocharger. It also had evidence of poor bodywork repairs. Not something I would be prepared to take on. But my interest in the 944 cabriolet has been sparked and they are much easier to find here than the 928GT so I will be keeping an eye open for a good S2 cab too.

(BTW I did find a 928GT but the owner is asking the equivalent of $37 000. That probably sounds outrageous to Americans but it's only about 20% too much here. There are said to be only 11 in this country)

So, thanks again for your help. Depending on what my searches turn up I may be back on this board in the future.

Colin
928GT R.I.P.