1987 Porsche 944 Turbo

So, it’s clear that the 944 Turbo wasn’t a car one would take lightly. And now, three decades later, it lives up to the reputation of a junior sports car that has a lot of potential. Now, someone on the telly decided to showcase its potential. And not by ruining a perfectly running stock example but rather a Cat-C 944 Turbo. Quest’s Goblin Garage Works took hold of a 1987 944 Turbo and brought it back to life in the form of this highly focussed track weapon. That’s not only a great way to show how good a sports car the 944 Turbo actually is, but also with enough individuality, they’ve seemed to have made a one-off that’s bound to shock everyone.

Marmite. That’s what the car is. Some people love it for its looks, the efforts that have gone into making it, and the purpose-built nature of the thing. While others think that it’s a step too far from their idea of a perfect 944 or track car. Whichever camp you’re in, this mad-looking 944 Turbo is bound to draw all your attention.

The lasting impression is made by how it’s designed. The standard/factory 944 Turbo was a good-looking car. From the pop-up headlamps, sleek styling, very unique alloys (remember Teledials), to the large rear window, there was enough for it to have a prominent place in the Porsche line up. But today, the car, while still striking, does look a touch muted. For something making a statement, one might require a bit more than that.

The Goblin Works Garage 944 Turbo does have a bit more than that. Its white paint is complemented by a mix of camouflage-like geometric dazzle pattern, something World War ships used, to hide their presence and speed. This mightn’t be required on a friendly track outing, but it does leave quite an impression. What further helps it stand out is the non-standard front end; that’s actually a 924 GTP nose with custom arches and centrally mounted lights. The rear section also benefits from 924 GTP bits in the form of arch extensions. The sills have been custom made, too. In comparison to the standard car, this 944 Turbo is wide, said to be lighter, and ready for the battle.

Its battle-readiness is apparent on the inside, too, because the cabin doesn’t quite resemble that of the 944 Turbo at all. With the 944, Porsche had this big task at hand, to make the cabin look better and more premium than the early 924’s staid-looking one. All that’s gone back with this 1987 944 Turbo because it’s stripped off every luxury that the car originally boasted. In place of all that, you’d find a roll cage (essential for extensive track use), bare metal everywhere (because lighter the better, and who needs interior trim anyway), some track essentials like a race switch, boost controller, lap timer, and the original dashboard (with some bits missing, of course), and an aftermarket wheel.

Like the dazzle pattern on the outside (which also finds its way on the door cards; or whatever is left of the door cards), the attention grabber inside the cabin has to be the pair of aluminium seats. These made-in-Canada seats are undeniably unique, have a really tiny bit of padding on them, and are, as expected, thin and light. Exactly what you’d want in a race car.

Under all the extended panels, removable nose cone, and gloss white paint is a 944 that’s been upgraded to handle the extreme stress a track day can have on a car. Furthering the overall rigidity and safety of the structure is a roll cage. To give it better road-holding characteristics, it now gets GAZ Gold coilovers instead of the standard Porsche suspension, and the wheels are wider, OZ wheels no less, and have Toyo tyres on them. The stopping power had to be upgraded because no matter how good the stock brakes were, they’d fade and lose effectiveness as one drives the 944 Turbo hard lap after lap. The installed race-spec EBC discs and EBC Blue Stuff pads are less likely to suffer the same fate.

To improve the car’s performance, GWG made a few upgrades to the engine including a Stage-1 ECU and KLR chip, electronic boost controller, larger intercooler, high-performance air filter, etc. The 2.5-litre turbocharged four-cylinder engine, as a result, is now claimed to make 320 bhp. It, according to a detailed feature on the car in Practical Performance Car, has a scope of offering more power. Losing weight from every nook and corner meant that when Goblin Works Garage did a few runs around the Anglesey circuit, it turned out to be a whole 12 seconds quicker in comparison to the standard 944 Turbo. Which might not be the only benchmark, since there are too many variables involved, but is a clear sign that this car has a lot of potential.

In terms of the condition, for the parts that haven’t been replaced, it’s safe to say that it is a bit rough around the edges.

First registered in 1987, this Porsche 944 Turbo is a Cat-C car; the status was reported in 2012. Originally finished in red, the car has a little over 123,000 miles on the clock. According to RAC/DVLA data, its mileage in 2007 was just a little over 100,000 miles. It has had a total of 11 former keepers over the last 3+ decades. According to the Quest TV’s feature, they spent about £17,000 on the car.

Considering all of the above, an estimated price of £15,000 - £25,000 doesn’t seem a lot, because the car has some noteworthy modifications made to it. Although, let’s face it, it’s not the kind of car that appeals to everyone. Even as a track-focussed machine, it’s not difficult to see someone follow the purist route instead — and keep their Porsche 944 Turbo as original as possible. But for those who don’t mind experimenting, this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to own a car whose trump card isn’t just an appearance on the telly but also quite possibly an assured spot on the podium.

Viewing is always encouraged, within Govt. guidelines of course, and as stated this car is located at our Abingdon headquarters; we are open Mon-Fri, 9am-5pm and to arrange an appointment please use the ‘Contact Seller’ button at the top of the listing to make an appointment. Feel free to ask any questions or make observations in the comments section below, or try our ‘Frequently Asked Questions’.