944 S2 article
Discussion
I'm very high on mine. Most people put too much weight on the 0-60 run, when in reality, few ever push their cars that hard on startup, nor do they need to.
Once underway, however, the breathing ability of that 4-valve head and those 3-liters really comes into play. Mine is so smooth it is deceptive. If it made more noise, had more vibration, sounded like a hair dryer about to explode, perhaps I'd think I was moving at a faster clip, ha ha. Actually, the over the road performance is very quick. There are few cars out there that would be able to put much distance between a S2 and their car, unless they were on an open stretch of interstate and they were willing to get up into speeds way over 100-mph to prove a point. Normally if we get caught on radar going that fast in the US, we go to jail. A S2 can get to 100 very quick, from say, 60, 70, 80-mph. I can't imagine anything getting there quick enough to really embarass a well driven S2.
I've had owners of new Porsches see my 928 (another car) in their rear view mirror, and they got spooked and thought they needed to prove a point on the road. One guy beat his car unmercifully, leaving large clouds of unburned fuel in the air, phew it was stinky, but he and his passenger were unable to leave my 20-year old 928S far enough behind that I couldn't read their license plate. When I saw the attempt to flee, hey it was a wide open stretch of interstate, and I was at the wheel of the fastest car sold in North America in 1983, so I gave chase. Yes the other car was fast, and it had an obvious edge in power, but in real world "street" driving, once you get up into the fast and very fast category, there's not really all that much room to really prove who has the better car on the public highways. In his mind, he should have been able to get away. In my mind I was pleased my old car kept a reasonable pace with the new one. Yes, I pushed mine to keep up, ha ha. It was a frustrating experience for the "new" Porsche, seeing my old battlewagon still there in the rear view mirror, albeit a little smaller than before. I think the S2 could have paced that car too. The S2 is not as solid on the road as a 928 because it isn't as heavy, and it doesn't have the highly engineered rear axle. This is good and bad. It makes the S2 an absolute superb car for the lower ranges of speed where it can show off it's lighter weight, say in anything up to the 120-mph range, etc. The 928 by comparison, is just as solid as a rock at any speed, as they should be for what they cost to build (the 1995 models were pushing $100,000 with options here in the US). They would run 170-mph out of the box with catalytic converters, as Al Holbert proved on the Bonneville salt flats with a stock 928.
My point in mentioning this, is to lavish all due praise on the S2. I think they are superb cars, under-rated by many, but deceptively fast in true over the road performance. Forget the 0-60 numbers, they are generally meaningless. I honestly think I could have paced that new Carrera with a S2, up to a point.
The S2 is a beautiful machine, anyone having one better hang on to it, and take good care of it, because you really do have something special. Many people think they are better cars than the 968, due to a preference on style, and the fact that the 968 is more technologically complex with it's vario cam, etc.
Dogsharks
Once underway, however, the breathing ability of that 4-valve head and those 3-liters really comes into play. Mine is so smooth it is deceptive. If it made more noise, had more vibration, sounded like a hair dryer about to explode, perhaps I'd think I was moving at a faster clip, ha ha. Actually, the over the road performance is very quick. There are few cars out there that would be able to put much distance between a S2 and their car, unless they were on an open stretch of interstate and they were willing to get up into speeds way over 100-mph to prove a point. Normally if we get caught on radar going that fast in the US, we go to jail. A S2 can get to 100 very quick, from say, 60, 70, 80-mph. I can't imagine anything getting there quick enough to really embarass a well driven S2.
I've had owners of new Porsches see my 928 (another car) in their rear view mirror, and they got spooked and thought they needed to prove a point on the road. One guy beat his car unmercifully, leaving large clouds of unburned fuel in the air, phew it was stinky, but he and his passenger were unable to leave my 20-year old 928S far enough behind that I couldn't read their license plate. When I saw the attempt to flee, hey it was a wide open stretch of interstate, and I was at the wheel of the fastest car sold in North America in 1983, so I gave chase. Yes the other car was fast, and it had an obvious edge in power, but in real world "street" driving, once you get up into the fast and very fast category, there's not really all that much room to really prove who has the better car on the public highways. In his mind, he should have been able to get away. In my mind I was pleased my old car kept a reasonable pace with the new one. Yes, I pushed mine to keep up, ha ha. It was a frustrating experience for the "new" Porsche, seeing my old battlewagon still there in the rear view mirror, albeit a little smaller than before. I think the S2 could have paced that car too. The S2 is not as solid on the road as a 928 because it isn't as heavy, and it doesn't have the highly engineered rear axle. This is good and bad. It makes the S2 an absolute superb car for the lower ranges of speed where it can show off it's lighter weight, say in anything up to the 120-mph range, etc. The 928 by comparison, is just as solid as a rock at any speed, as they should be for what they cost to build (the 1995 models were pushing $100,000 with options here in the US). They would run 170-mph out of the box with catalytic converters, as Al Holbert proved on the Bonneville salt flats with a stock 928.
My point in mentioning this, is to lavish all due praise on the S2. I think they are superb cars, under-rated by many, but deceptively fast in true over the road performance. Forget the 0-60 numbers, they are generally meaningless. I honestly think I could have paced that new Carrera with a S2, up to a point.
The S2 is a beautiful machine, anyone having one better hang on to it, and take good care of it, because you really do have something special. Many people think they are better cars than the 968, due to a preference on style, and the fact that the 968 is more technologically complex with it's vario cam, etc.
Dogsharks
Got it, response sent.
I'm enamored with the S2, in case you haven't noticed. I looked at a 968 a while back, and would have loved to get it, but it was selling for over twice what I paid for my S2, which was $9,900 US, with 84,000 miles. I consider that a good deal, but I'm sure the guy could have sold it for much more, as I snagged it on a Sunday eve before he had a chance to get all the telephone calls during the following week. You have to move fast when the time comes!
regards, Dogsharks
I'm enamored with the S2, in case you haven't noticed. I looked at a 968 a while back, and would have loved to get it, but it was selling for over twice what I paid for my S2, which was $9,900 US, with 84,000 miles. I consider that a good deal, but I'm sure the guy could have sold it for much more, as I snagged it on a Sunday eve before he had a chance to get all the telephone calls during the following week. You have to move fast when the time comes!
regards, Dogsharks
Gassing Station | Porsche General | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff