Lee Noble's old 944 Turbo | PH Private Area
Any transaxle Porsche is a cool old classic now - this 944 Turbo even more than most
For so long the bargain basement option - who can forget the £1,500 Porsche episode of Top Gear? - the transaxle models are now enjoying their moment as bonafide Porsche sports cars. Whether four-cylinder or V8, naturally aspirated or turbocharged, 924 or 928, 944 or 968, all are being appreciated (and valued) as they should be, albeit still without the air-cooled, rear-engined tax.
With good reason, too. The layout meant that era of front-engined, rear-drive Porsche sports car drove brilliantly, and with the larger engines they were pretty fast, too. And while there won’t be many out there that lust after a 968 cabrio, plenty of the transaxle cars - think early 928 in particular - were fantastic-looking Porsches. There’s plenty to recommend all of them.
On the face of it, this is another very nicely presented and very desirable 944 Turbo, but there’s a little more to it than that. Like so many classics, this old Porsche has a story to tell. It was reputedly owned by Lee Noble of Noble Automotive fame, which is quite interesting; nowhere near as interesting, however, as what he did to this car. With another 944 (a Turbo S) in his garage - but damaged beyond economic repair - this Garnet Red car became the recipient of some very desirable donor parts. From the Turbo S this 944 got lighter wheels, adjustable M030 suspension, a limited-slip diff, bigger turbo, larger brakes and improved cooling. Some serious upgrades, basically. That was in addition to some nice cosmetic stuff, too, including new and resprayed panels, electric leather seats and an RS wheel.
It's lived quite a life since 1986, this 944 Turbo, and has accrued something like 170,000 miles in the process. (The exact number isn’t clear, what with a 2013 engine swap and a malfunctioning odo.) Perhaps the most important aspect of its life for anyone looking to buy this Porsche, however, is the love and attention (and money) that’s been lavished on it by the current owner since taking it on in 2019. Indeed, it was to sent to us by them as a potential Brave Pill given what upkeep has cost. Nobody said keeping old Porsches was a cheap hobby, even the four-cylinder ones. So, if you’re sitting comfortably…
We won’t go into all the detail here, because the advert is too nicely written for us to steal its glory. But what we will mention are bills from some of the most renowned Porsche specialists in the country (including Tuthill and RPM) as well as those in bodywork (SGM Racepaint), dynamics (Center Gravity) and upholstery (Aldridge Trimmers). Nothing but the best has sufficed to get this 944 as good as it can be. Looking on the bright side, moreover, while additional bills will certainly follow, a lot here has been sorted in just four years.
Experience suggests it’s always a good ad (and seller) when the less positive points are mentioned as well. For this Turbo it’s stuff like a bit of paint on the headlight covers, the digital clock and the mirror movement. Inconsequential bits, really, and nothing that should detract from the drive of what sounds like a really well-sorted 944.
The asking price is £18,500; the seller reckons that £28,000 has been spent on it in the past decade. And look at where 944s have now reached: immaculate Turbos are anything up to £40k. There are 924 Turbos for sale at thousands more than this. This is never going to be a prize-winning car - its mechanical spec rather precludes that - but for enjoying the very best bits of the 944 package, this Turbo arguably holds even more appeal than most. Just be prepared for some bills, clearly…
SPECIFICATION | PORSCHE 944 TURBO
Engine: 2,479cc, four-cyl turbo
Transmission: five-speed manual, rear-wheel drive
Power (hp): 255@6,000rpm
Torque (lb ft): 258@4,000rpm
MPG: 25ish
CO2: N/A
Year registered: 1986
Recorded mileage: c. 170,000
Price new: N/A
Yours for: £18,500
By the sounds of it there's more work to come, but we probably have to accept that the 944 is now into the realms of the not-so-modern classic and keeping one in really nice, useable condition is going to be a rolling process.
That said, as others have mentioned, price seems sensible, as long as there's no rot lurking in them thar sills.
No where near this league, but I ran a 924 lux as a classic for around 5 years and it was a great fun car to drive, not fast but hugely tactile and fun, a lot of their parts are VW based so a fair bit cheaper than the Porsche parts fitted to the 924S and 944 etc, but it still wasn't that cheap to own, mainly because of its age and age related repairs.
I ran a ropey S2 for a couple of years a decade ago, was a nice car. Cost a tenth of this, but at the time you could get a 993 or a nice turbo (like this one) for £10k. "only" doubling in price in the recent crazy years doesn't seem so bad
I ran a ropey S2 for a couple of years a decade ago, was a nice car. Cost a tenth of this, but at the time you could get a 993 or a nice turbo (like this one) for £10k. "only" doubling in price in the recent crazy years doesn't seem so bad
I think this is a really well priced classic for what you get. Look at the prices of humble hot hatches from the same era and compare the "as new" prices. The 944 offers good value. Also compare the price of this with a typical Carrera 3.2 from the late 80s. They were a similar price when new I think, but the Carrera now will cost you a lot more. Its a thumbs up from me. I have always had a soft spot for the 944 and the 968 for that matter. The wife and I both fancied the 968 CS, still do.
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