1986 Porsche 944 Turbo

Unimpressed with 911 Turbo’s weight distribution and turbo lag (the owner is a talented racing driver so these things matter to him…) he liked the 944 Turbo so commenced his search to find the right car – and when he found it, he set about improving it. Like we said, these things matter to him…

Over the years he’s had it professionally resprayed, had the interior retrimmed using genuine Ferrari leather, fitted a set of genuine Porsche ‘Cup’ alloy wheels, rebuilt the engine and even replaced the battery immediately prior to him consigning the car to us, simply because he couldn’t countenance selling a car that had a known fault, a state of mind that also explains the new tailgate and bonnet struts.

The owner has added up all the invoices he has accrued for the car over the years and they total £22,285 – and that’s excluding the cost of the car itself. In his care since 1992, it shows a genuine and warranted 89,558 miles on the clock.

Coming straight to us from his dehumidified collection of a couple of dozen cars – the Jaguar MKII we’re selling is one of his too – this is a once-in-a-lifetime chance to buy a genuine one-off, discreetly modified, pampered example of a fast appreciating modern classic.

Black is a terrible colour – well, it is if you’re trying to sell a car because it shows every dink, scratch and mark. Which is why the condition of this example comes as such a surprise; after all this time it could still pass as a car with half-a-dozen birthdays under its belt rather than the 34 it has actually had.

It’s shutlines are still factory tight and consistent, its panels are free of ripples, dinks and dents, and the paint itself is glossy and even and looking fabulous; the owner’s claim to have pampered this extraordinary car is clearly no idle boast. In fact, our photographer describes the paintwork as “fabulous”, a description we think is fully deserved after reviewing the photographs.

The huge metal sunroof seals tightly and opens and closes as it should. It can, of course, be removed completely and stowed in its bag in the boot for the full open-air experience.

The rubber trim is in good shape too remaining pliable and black rather than grey and crumbly, and the rest of the exterior fixtures and fittings are in the sort of shape you’d expect given the car’s owner, mileage and careful curation.

As we mentioned earlier, the wheels are now 17-inch ‘Cup’ alloys, all of which are unmarked and shod with matching Goodyear Eagle F1 tyres. Obviously.

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 an insight into their attitude towards maintenance.

Oh, and in the interests of full disclosure, the car did have a few minor dents caused by conkers falling on the roof and bonnet. It won’t surprise you to learn that his dent man is no ordinary dent man, being the sort of chap talented enough to be flown to Germany on occasion to sort out bodywork niggles on high-end exotica. Anyway, he removed the dinks so well that there is no trace left of them. So, if you think you can see some marks in the photos then a) congratulations, you can probably safely set aside this year’s eye test, and b) the marks you can see are no longer there.

Genuine problems, aside from the usual smattering of stonechips, are restricted to a small area of bubbling on the headlamp plus a couple of minor rust spots under wheel arches. Please see the photos for details.

The cherished POR 77S, which the car has worn for the past 23 years or so will be replaced with an age appropriate registration. 

You remember when we said the vendor is a bit of a perfectionist? Well, he was unimpressed with the leather Porsche used so he used his contacts at Ferrari to get hold of enough of its trademark tan leather to have his 944 retrimmed – at a cost of £2,500 for the labour alone. Nice, huh?

It was money well spent because, as you can see in the photo gallery, it looks utterly sensational. Really, truly, mind-bogglingly sensational – and it’s all still in fine fettle with barely a mark or serious crease much less the sort of ratty patina you’ll see on almost every one of its contemporaries. Yes, there are a few marks on the outer edge of the driver’s seat but then these are deeply dished seats and the price for having all that lateral support is slightly restricted access.

The rest of the interior is just as impressive with good carpets, a clean and undamaged headlining, and retrimmed door cards. The dashboard is clean and as legible now as it was when it was first fitted and the switchgear still operates with an impressive precision.

A modern Sony headunit has been fitted along with a 10-disc CD multichanger in the boot.

The boot is very clean and neatly organised. There’s a steel spare wheel in there plus the battery and toolkit. The roller blind still works properly.

Problems are restricted to the outer bolster on the driver’s seat, which has lost a little colour. We think this could be remedied simply enough, although given the investment and condition of the leather we’d be tempted to entrust it to a professional.

The only other flaw we can see are some tiny cracks in the plastic surround of the cigar lighter and air-con switch plus a small area of dislodged headlining at the rear of the ceiling. Again, please see the photos for details.

The servicing regimen is as impressive as the rest of the car, and the history folder is chockful of old invoices to prove it - about £22,285s worth to be exact, not that he’s counting or anything…

The rear wiper motor has been replaced recently, as have the bonnet and boot struts and the battery – and who knew you can now buy Duracell-branded car batteries?

While the Porsche isn’t with us, our photographer describes it as driving “superbly, with virtually no rattles, squeaks or creaks.”

The engine bay is workmanlike and tidy rather than concours and detailed but then this is, despite its stunning condition and carefully judged interior upgrade, a car that’s more about driving pleasure than rivet counting.

The underside of the car is clean and strong with only very light surface corrosion marring an otherwise factory finish.

The Porsche’s MOT certificate, which is valid until January 2021, was gained without a single advisory point.

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 think that cars like the Porsche 944 Turbo are the sweet spot of the classic car world; old enough to be largely analogue in their response and repairability but new enough to benefit from the sort of reliability and safety features like anti-lock brakes we’ve all come to take for granted.

Ah, we hear you ask: but how much will it take to make it mine?

Well, the answer is that it isn’t going to be cheap. Well, not if you are only counting the up-front costs; with an estimate of somewhere between £21,000 and £30,000, you’ll only know the true cost of ownership after selling it – and given that the very best examples are always in demand and command the best prices, you might be surprised at how little it costs you over your time with it – and with a following wind you might even turn a profit. 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 the seller near Liphook; 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’.

This vehicle is not with us at The Market’s HQ, which means we have had to rely on the owner’s description of it, in conjunction with the photographs you see here, to compile the listing.

With this in mind, we would encourage potential bidders to contact the owner themselves and arrange to view the car in person, or to arrange a dedicated video call in which they can view the car virtually and ask questions.