1988 Porsche 944 S "16 Ventiler"

First registered here in the UK on the 14th of April 1988, this stunning Porsche 944S benefits from the power and suspensions upgrades that came with that extra letter. Finished in the classic colour combination of Guards Red and black half-pinstripe interior, it’s 190bhp means it’s a genuinely quick sports car.

In the care of the vendor since June 2020, COVID means that he simply hasn’t been able to use it in the way he thought he would. Still, the lockdown did give him time to refurbish the alloy wheels, get the steering properly aligned, and the passenger seat retrimmed before having it serviced and MOT’d, so not a total loss then.

Interestingly, he bought it from a chap who had had it in the family for a couple of decades, and it had originally been his grandfather's pride and joy. The vendor tells us that he isn’t aware of it ever having been restored only very well maintained, which makes it even more desirable in our eyes because a car is only original once.

Being offered with no reserve, this is your chance to get your hands on an unmolested and unmodified Porsche 944S that not only looks stunning and drives brilliantly but also offers its lucky new owner the chance to add value with every minor job they complete.

Look, if you’re going to buy a Porsche from the 1980s then it’s got to be Guards Red, surely? And now we’ve cleared the small matter of the colour up there’s the condition to consider.

Which is a bit of a no-brainer too because this one looks gorgeous. Porsche has always done decent shutlines and this one is as good now as it’s ever been. The panels are all straight and free of dents, dinks, and scrapes too and the flanks are free of the sort of ripples that betray a car that’s lived a hard life. Interestingly, the car still wears the clear protective stickers in front of the rear wings, which is another pointer that seems to confirm the car is as original as it looks.

With no chrome to worry about, the black trim looks lovely too as do the optional ’16 Ventiler’ wing badges; it’s a classic colour combination for a very good reason and this one looks spot-on.

As do the ‘teledial’ alloys, which are not only iconic but in great shape thanks to their recent refurbishment. With no marks, dinks or other damage, they’re also shod with unfashionably tall tyres, all of which match and have good tread.

And yet, their 60-series sidewalls look utterly perfect in this context and help endow the 944 with its trademark predictability during on-the-limit maneuvers. The observant will have noticed that the 944 has option code ‘64’, which means it is fitted with the slightly wider 215/60R15 tyres instead of the more usual 195/65R15.

As we will never tire of explaining, our 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. Their presence does not, of course, preclude the need for a thorough inspection - something the vendor would welcome, by the way – but it does perhaps give you a shortcut into their attitude towards maintenance.

The large metal sunroof, which is the factory installed original, seals tightly and opens and closes as it should.

Despite not having been restored to the best of the vendor’s knowledge, it has had some localized repairs to the paint at some point. These look like the work of a caring and meticulous owner to us rather than anything done with an intent to hide. There are still a few stonechips and minor marks of course but there’s nothing there that would worry us at all.

The seats are in good shape; the passenger side was recovered only recently and while there is a little split to the base of the driver’s side (#15), the underlying structure is still firm and supportive. The rear seats are excellent.

It’s much the same story with the door cards, carpets and headlining, all of which are very good. The rest of the dashboard and fascia is free of splits and cracks as well, which aficionados will know is very unusual. There’s a modern Alpine headunit too, plus the retractable vinyl parcel shelf that’s almost always damaged or missing.

Speaking of the boot area, it still wears the original factory options sticker (#81) which suggest that the car hasn’t had any rear impacts in its life. It also still has the lightweight alloy jack, which is a nice touch. As you’d expect, the metal floor is utterly solid still and while the carpet might have a hole in it getting a new one made up would be straightforward.

Other faults are minor: The gear knob is a bit frayed (#229); there's a light missing on the row of switches in front of the gear stick (#10); as we mentioned there's a split in the base of the driver’s seat (but he’s included the correct material to have this repaired, which was left over from when he had the passenger seat recovered); the steering wheel is a little faded in places (#14); and there's a very small, barely noticeable crack in the fascia around the hazard warning light (#23).

Oh, and there is evidence of a mobile phone having been mounted in there previously (#72). Still, this is a very yuppie car, so what do you expect? If it were ours we’d be tempted to embrace its history and get a period Nokia and cradle to hide the holes.

In the vendor’s words: “I've got a stack of bills showing annual maintenance with Nelson Porsche. In September 2016 and 97,000 miles it had a new clutch plus all the belts and tensioners replaced at SCS Porsche. However, from the perspective of time rather than mileage, I think the belts will need to done again now.” Our vendor has also had the dashboard LCD clock repaired during his ownership, as well as the oil pressure sender, meaning that the oil pressure now reads accurately.

With much money spent on it in the past, including that new clutch only 10,000 miles ago, it’s running beautifully and driving as it should – and this is, you’ll recall, a car that was regularly feted for its handling when it was new.

Please take a look at the video to hear and see it starting and running.

The clutch can sometimes be a little slow, to spring back up when moving around at slow speeds, but operates as it should when at normal speeds.

The underbonnet is clean with only a little alloy corrosion to the camcover (#19) letting it down. Everything else is surprisingly clean and a credit to the vendor although we can see that a fastidious owner might like to source the missing screw for the airbox cover…

The 944’s underside is solid and looks terrific. Not perfect of course – this is a 33-year-old car but it is in a remarkably solid state and is free of the sort of rust and corrosion that many others have succumbed to.

The Porsche’s MOT certificate, which is valid until August 2021, was gained with just a single advisory point, for a dodgy washer nozzle. A hose had fallen off, and was swiftly repaired following the MOT test.

It has a number of expired MOT certificates, a sheaf of invoices and bills to confirm the work that has been done to it over the years and two keys.

Please visit the documents section of the gallery of this listing where you will find photos of this and other paperwork to support our claim that this car has been maintained to a very good standard.

If you’d like to inspect the car prior to placing a bid – something we would encourage – then please use the Contact Seller button to arrange an appointment.

Many argue that cars like the Porsche 944 are the sweet spot of the classic car world; old enough to be largely analogue in their response and repairability but still new enough to benefit from the sort of reliability and safety features like anti-lock brakes we’ve all come to take for granted. Most are still fairly cheap too, adding to their already considerable appeal.

Ah, we hear you ask: but how cheap? Well, at a time when the very best Porsche 944 is still going for in excess of £30,000 we think this one will sell for between £8,000 and £12,000.

Viewing is always encouraged, within Govt. guidelines of course, and this particular car is located with us at The Market HQ near Abingdon; to arrange an appointment please use the Contact Seller button at the top of the listing. Feel free to ask any questions or make observations in the comments section below, or try our ‘Frequently Asked Questions’.

Best of all, it’s going to be offered with no reserve, which means it’s going to sell from the very first bid no matter how derisory that might be. In the car world that is known as having your cake and eating it.

Viewing is always encouraged, and this particular car is located with us at The Market HQ near Abingdon; to arrange an appointment please use the Contact Seller button at the top of the listing. Feel free to ask any questions or make observations in the comments section below, or try our ‘Frequently Asked Questions’.