1988 Porsche 944 Turbo S

Believed to be the only right-hand-drive Ocean Blue Metallic 944 Turbo S produced, ‘F890 OYO’ also benefits from having had its front seats reupholstered using the correct Porsche leather, an investment that makes this one-of-a-kind classic sportscar even more desirable.

And this is a very desirable car.

As a Turbo S as opposed to a standard Turbo, the factory upgraded it with lightweight magnesium wheels, wider tyres, and Koni adjustable dampers to make better use of the stiffer chassis that came by way of strengthening brackets.

The ‘S’ was also treated to a bigger turbocharger and a shorter final drive ratio for better acceleration – and because Porsche’s engineers are among the most diligent on the planet, they also gave it four-piston Brembo front brakes, serious stopping power you would previously have had to buy a 928 S4 to experience.

Well-presented, this one also comes with a full service history – the ‘Documentation’ section alone runs to 111 pages and two service history booklets – plus a Certificate of Authenticity from Porsche that confirms its top-of-the-line specification.

Shortly after buying it the seller realised it would need a sympathetic restoration if it was to fulfil the potential he saw. He rolled his sleeves up and opened his cheque book, eventually spending more than £20,000 on it - and it spent it with all the right people, as you’ll see.

But it worth every single penny and he regrets nothing – and nor should he because our man, a chap known for his acerbic assessments and eagle eyes says of it: “Overall, really put together and well sorted”, which is about as fulsome a praise as we’ve ever heard leave his lips.

We believe that Ocean Blue Metallic was only used for the 1988MY cars, which is a geek-fact you can astonish your mates with.

After they’ve finished congratulating you on your good taste that is because this really is a very lovely colour indeed.

It’s also in an astonishingly good condition with an almost complete absence of stonechips and scratches, even on the vulnerable front end and rear wheelarches.

(Speaking of which, as afficionados will know, all four wheelarches are prone to rust, but not here, not on his shift.)

Mind you, it has been refreshed over the years including having the offside rear wheelarch repaired and painted in 2022, the lower rear bumper spoiler painted in 2019, new decals fitted in 2018, new sills and a rear wheelarch put on in 2017, and miscellaneous paint and badges applied in 2008.

The shutlines are good too, as is the panel alignment. There are no dents, dinks, or ripples in the metalwork either, the four corners are free of scuffs, and the door mirror casings are unblemished.

The 16-inch lightweight magnesium wheels, which are unique to this model, are also, of course, in a fine condition. Free of scuffs, scrapes, and other kerbing damage following refurbishment, they’re fitted with matching Continental ContiSportContact tyres. All have decent tread, but they are date-stamped 2017, so are coming up for renewal.

Nonetheless, as we will never get tired of telling you, experience shows that matching high-quality tyres are an infallible sign of a caring and mechanically sympathetic owner who is prepared to spend the appropriate amount in maintaining their car properly.

The rubber seals are good too, as is the rear spoiler, which has survived the ravages of almost four decades of sun-exposure remarkably well.

The fabric flap inside the fuel filler cap that folds down to protect the paintwork is still present and correct too, which is amazing. The tyre pressure sticker is still under there too, as is the one that tells you which petrol to use.

The headlamps pop up and down as they should, although the vendor tells us that he had them rewired so they only pop up when the headlamps are actually deployed, removing the dim/dip feature.

As for flaws, we picked up some slight paint flexing on both door mirrors, minor bubbling around the base of A-pillar, and some orange peel on the nearside A-pillar and roofline, the front bumper, and along the driver’s side.

The windscreen is also delaminating along its bottom edge. More seriously, it has a chip and a crack in front of the driver.

Finally, the finish to the top of the tailgate isn’t to the same high standard as the rest of the car.

The front seats were reupholstered using genuine Porsche leather that had to be imported from Germany, which seems like a lot of effort to go to given the factory leatherette was already pretty convincing.

But the fact the seller went to the trouble and expense of doing it reveals a fastidious mindset, a mindset that simply won’t accept compromise, which makes the conversion priceless.

And it’s been done very well, with the soft and supple leather elevating the cabin by a surprising amount – and yet, if you didn’t know better, you’d swear they were factory, which is high praise indeed.

And this is borne out by the condition of the rest, which our man says is “very, very good” with indicator fittings like the lid for the cubby box on the transmission tunnel and the sliding cover for the mirror in the passenger’s sun visor both being excellent.

It’s the same story for the door cards, carpets, headlining, rear seat, and dashboard. All are in a remarkably good condition and we’re struggling to find anything to criticise.

This is not a fixer-upper.

Other than the seats, the only non-standard item we can see is the head unit, which is a nice Panasonic radio-cassette player, so while it isn’t period-correct, it’s not far off.

The boot is every bit as good as everything else and even still has the Porsche compressor to pump up the space-saver spare wheel. The tool kit and scissor jack are in there too, and the metal boot floor is solid.

Oh, and the retractable blind that keeps your luggage out of sight of prying eyes is both present and working.

The 944’s service history is remarkable, both in its scope and the fact that the vast majority of the work has been undertaken by either main dealers or independent Porsche specialists.

· 09.09.1988 and 1,402 miles – service by AFM Guildford

· 06.03.1989 and 9,622 miles – service by AFM Guildford

· 06.07.1989 and 15,020 miles – service by AFM Guildford including fresh brake fluid

· 23.02.1990 and 22,605 miles – service by AFM Guildford

· 28.07.1990 and 26,770 miles – service by AFM Guildford

· 28.12.1990 and 31,882 miles – service by AFM Guildford

· 04.09.1991 and 38,261 miles – service by Chris Turner Porsche

· 31.08.1992 and 44,447 miles – service by Chris Turner Porsche

· 05.05.1993 and 50,460 miles – service by Chris Turner Porsche

· 04.05.1995 and 56,370 miles – service by Paragon Porsche

· 30.10.1995 and 62,422 miles – service by Rivervale Porsche including fresh brake fluid

· 01.05.1996 and 67,716 miles – service by Rivervale Porsche

· 12.08.1996 and 73,804 miles – service by Rivervale Porsche

· 29.01.1997 and 79,832 miles – service by Rivervale Porsche

· 15.09.1997 and 86,659 service plus a new cambelt by Paragon Porsche

· 01.10.1998 and 92,747 miles – service by Dick Lovett Porsche including fresh brake fluid

· 20.10.1999 and 100,492 miles – service plus a new cambelt by Ian Studley

· 21.09.2001 and 114,359 miles – service by Ian Studley

· 26.09.2002 and 118,395 miles – service by Ian Studley

· 20.04.2004 and 122,363 miles – service by TWG, an independent Porsche specialist

· 12.07.2005 and 127,011 miles – service by Tech9 Motorsport

· 05.07.2006 and 130,034 miles – service by Tech9 Motorsport including fresh brake fluid

· 17.08.2007 and 133,834 miles – service by Tech9 Motorsport

· 27.10.2008 and 135,623 miles – service by Tech9 Motorsport including fresh brake fluid

· 27.11.2009 and 138,301 miles – service by Tech9 Motorsport

· 14.11.2017 and 139,400 and 139,400 miles – service by Pro-9, an independent Porsche specialist

· 07.10.2019 and 139,662 miles – service by Autofarm plus the work we discuss below

· 28.11.2020 and 140,217 miles – service plus a new cambelt, fuel injectors, and rebuilt front brake calipers by Autofarm

· 03.03.2022 and 140,379 miles – service by Autofarm

· 05.12.2023 and 140,850 miles – service by Autofarm including a Waxoyl treatment to exposed pipework

· 12.11.2024 and 140,915 miles – miscellaneous fettling including a new cambelt and coolant hoses and coolant by CavendishPorscha

The gearbox was rebuilt in 2019 at 139,662 by Autofarm, and the marque experts took the opportunity to rebuild the limited-slip differential and fit a new clutch while they were at it.

All-in-all, the seller estimates he’s spent around £20,000 on restoring it since buying it in 2017 – and if you need any further proof of his determination to get his beloved Porsche 944 Turbo S absolutely right, the work was put on hold for nine months while he and Autofarm waited for Porsche in Germany to remanufacture one particular washer they needed.

One washer. Nine months. That’s dedication for you.

It was all worth it though because our test drive revealed that it now changes gear very nicely. In fact, our assessor reports that “it performs very well, the car runs very smoothly, the brakes are very good, and it feels very well put together. The unassisted steering is heavy, but not so much that it is a problem.”

The video shows the engine also starts very well and shows good oil pressure right from the off. It also revs as it should and does it all while making all of the right noises and none of the wrong. Mind you, he took it all the way to CavendishPorscha simply to have a different cambelt fitted because the one Autofarm said was fine made a bit of a whine.

That was another four-figure bill just to make a whine that was probably perfectly normal go away, making him exactly the sort of chap you want to buy your classic sportscar from.

It also means that the only mechanical issue we noticed is the offside reversing light doesn’t work.

Cosmetically, the engine bay is good with only the usual and inevitable light surface rust to some of the components.

As for the underside, the last mention of rust and corrosion during an MoT was back in 2012 and it’s had a clear run since then, partly thanks to a professional Dinitrol treatment and a few repairs in September 2022 that set the seller back almost £2,000.

Heck, it’s so clean that even the new exhaust system is free of surface rust and y’all know that’s something that’s virtually impossible to maintain.

The Porsche’s MoT certificate is valid until October 2025 and it, like every single one it’s ever had, was issued with no advisories.

The recent Vehicle History Check is clear, and the Porsche comes with a Certificate of Authenticity, a well-stamped service history booklet, the full book pack, a V5 registration document in the seller’s name, a bunch of expired MoT certificates and tax discs, a Haynes workshop manual, and a thick wad of old invoices.

In all, the ‘Documentation’ section of this listing runs to 111 pages.

The 944 Turbo S is a rare car anyway but finding one in such a sublime colour AND that boasts such a comprehensive service and restoration history is like stumbling across the proverbial needle in a haystack.

Which means it isn’t going to be cheap.

But if you’ve made it this far then you probably understand the difference between how much something costs and the value it represents.

But, enough of the waffle: How much is it going to take to make it yours?

Our best estimate is that the bidding will end somewhere between £20,000 and £25,000, which might seem like a lot, but we reckon you’ll look back in a few years and thank your lucky stars you bought one while they were still (relatively) affordable.

Viewing is strongly encouraged, and this lot is located at Bonhams|Cars Online HQ. Viewings are STRICTLY BY APPOINTMENT and we are open weekdays between 10am - 12pm or 2pm - 4pm. To make a booking, please use the ‘Enquire About This Vehicle’ button on the listing. Feel free to ask any questions, or try our ‘Frequently Asked Questions’.