1990 Porsche 944 Turbo

Okay, flick through the photo gallery below and you’ll see that this 250hp 944 Turbo has a dual service history – there’s a good reason for that. ‘In 2014, a mechanic put my original 944 Turbo into a ditch and severely damaged the roof,’ says vendor Ben Deegan.

‘I loved the car so much, that I sourced a 944 S2 – itself a very good condition car – and had Dublin-based independent Porsche experts Specialist Cars Ireland transfer all the Turbo running gear into the S2 body. It didn’t make financial sense, but I just wanted to build the car that I wanted.’

The outlay to do so was an eye-watering £5.5k and included the fitment of a new Sachs clutch and other consumables. Since then Ben has used it for long trips with the Porsche Club of Ireland, covering around 5000 miles in that time and just last year he had it professionally re-sprayed. ‘It was a proper (mostly) bare-metal, doors off and windows out job.’

He had every intention of keeping the car, but the recent softening in 964 prices has seen him finally acquire one. ‘It’s my dream car if I’m honest, and I’d been chasing this one for three or four years. I got it for a bargain price and couldn’t say no, so the 944 Turbo is now up for sale.’

‘Whoever buys it is getting a really nice car,’ he says. ‘It drives fabulous and has the nicest gear change of any car I’ve owned. The engine is perfect, and it’s had a few quid spent on it over the last few years including the replacement of most of the fuel system. The rear brakes have also all been changed, right down to the springs, levers and shoes.’

Originally a UK car and despite having a current Irish test certificate, we’ve just put it through an MOT for purposes of transparency. It failed narrowly, but as the certificate in the photo gallery shows it was with just three minor items requiring attention.

It’s also been re-registered in the UK (to a close relative of the seller), although the V5 shows it as a 3.0-litre S2 rather than a Turbo variant so the next owner may wish to correct that with the DVLA (the current correct engine numbers have been added to the V5 to ease the process).

It’s nice to see a 944 Turbo that’s not red or black, and as the pictures show it looks great in this hue. The paintwork itself is nice and even, with no evidence of any runs or blemishes. The lacquer looks to be very good quality and lends the bodywork a vibrant finish. Photos of the bodyworks are included in the Gallery.

Ben said that as he built this car for himself (as he intended to keep it for years), there are a few personal touches, which include deletion of the body trim mouldings on both flanks; removal of the rear window wiper; and the replacement of the original rubber rear wing with a body-coloured one.

They were done for reasons of personal aesthetic preference, and work to give the car a smoother, less busy appearance, but all could be easily reinstated. In fact, Ben still has the side trim parts and would be happy to forward them to the next owner, if required.

The five-spoke Porsche alloy wheels are in rude health and shod with good quality Firestone rubber that has plenty of tread remaining.

The original 944 Turbo dashboard – with running-gear-matching odometer – was fitted in this car. It has a few micro cracks up top, but nothing untoward. The leather seats have a nice patina, as does the rest of the cabin.

Fresh door seals have been fitted and have settled down well, allowing doors to shut cleanly with that a ‘thunk’ that signifies Porsche quality.

Most electrics – including the all-important pop-up lights – function, but there are one or two elements that don’t. These include the sunroof, clock, remote boot release and electric wing mirrors – although, we feel none of these jobs should overtly trouble a good automotive sparky. Ben confirms that the sunroof used to work, and will work again once the sacrificial gear wheel in the mechanism is replaced.

The engine bay is very nicely presented, but according to Ben the real benefit of the running gear removal/transfer can be seen (or rather, not seen) underneath. ‘It allowed us to get to all the inaccessible areas and ensure that they were cleaned up, and protected with a fresh coat of Hammerite.’

It still looks to be in good condition, with minor surface corrosion limited to one or two spots. The exhaust system consists of a newer stainless steel sports back-box, which under throttle sounds pretty meaty.

Please note that this is the more desirable 250hp model with the limited slip differential.

On the road, this car delivers. We can confirm it’s a tight, little powerhouse that delivers its wares with aplomb. The suspension feels sorted, the engine is a joy, brakes have plenty of stopping power and that gear change is every bit as good as Ben says.

He’s had it serviced annually five times in 6000 miles since the rebuild, so it’s been cared for, and it recently devoured the 300-odd miles to our Abingdon HQ with aplomb.

If interested then we thoroughly recommend visiting us at The Market HQ to view its condition and sample this car from inside and out.

There are two service books in the history file, each with a multitude of stamps showing how well cared for both the original and donor car were. Of these, the original 944 Turbo’s is of most interest (with 18 stamps) as it’s indicative of the care and attention the running gear has received.

The cambelt was changed at the same time as the conversion took place and the Sachs clutch kit was fitted. There are receipts for both included. As well as numerous Irish test certificates, there’s a huge array of invoices for both cars. The Gallery below is by no means exhaustive, the history file is huge and are many older invoices in the history file than we have photographed.

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 the very highest standard.

In recent times much has been made of a car having matching numbers, but in reality we think that’s only an absolute must if buying at the very top of the market.

In our opinion this car is an 8.5 out 10, but because of its history we think it’ll sell for between £11k and £15k. That’s significantly less than we’d expect for any other 944 Turbo in similar condition. That means that this car is definitely one for driving, and offers a bit of a performance bargain.

It goes like stink, is a sharp looker and should most definitely be bought on condition. If you’re in the market for a good value 944 Turbo (or track day car) to enjoy, then this could be it.

Viewing is always encouraged, and this particular car is located at The Market HQ in 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’.

If needed, please remember we have a network of trusted suppliers we work with regularly and can recommend: Classic & Sportscar Finance for purchase-financing, Thames Valley Car Storage for storing your car, AnyVan for transporting it, and Footman James for classic car insurance.

BORING, but IMPORTANT: Please note that whilst we at The Market always aim to offer the most descriptive and transparent auction listings available, we cannot claim they are perfect analyses of any of the vehicles for sale. We offer far greater opportunity for bidders to view, or arrange inspections for each vehicle thoroughly prior to bidding than traditional auctions, and we never stop encouraging bidders to take advantage of this. We do take a good look at the vehicles delivered to our premises for sale, but this only results in our unbiased personal observations, not those of a qualified inspector or other professional, or the result of a long test drive.

Additionally, please note that most of the videos on our site have been recorded using simple cameras which often result in 'average' sound quality; in particular, engines and exhausts notes can sound a little different to how they are in reality.