1988 Porsche 944 Turbo 'S'

In 1986, Porsche launched the new 944 Turbo featuring a 220bhp, 2.5-litre four-cylinder engine which was essentially a turbocharged standard unit but with strengthened internals to cope with the increase in power. The 944 Turbo was well received and sold well, prompting Porsche to revamp the model in early 1988. The 'Turbo' had been the basis of the highly successful and entertaining F1-supporting 'Turbo Cup', similar to today's 'GT3 Super Cup'. A decision was made to uprate the power of the full-race cars, and it was decided that the power upgrade should be passed on to the road cars culminating in the launch of the Porsche 944 Turbo 'S' with 250bhp.The Turbo S was undoubtedly the fastest 944 and was introduced in 1988 as a limited production run, with a specification the emulated the "Turbo Cup" race cars. Improvements included the M44/52 engine (with a new turbocharger, modified turbine vanes and enhanced DME mapping), a stronger clutch, transmission and limited slip differential, plus larger 12" front disc brakes (similar to the 928 S4), adjustable Koni suspension (via the M030 option package) and special 'Club Sport' alloy wheels.Initially, there were 1,000 Turbo S cars built of which 77 were sold in the UK. All these cars had the same Silver with a hint of Pink paintwork (affectionately called "Silberrosa" or Silver Rose) and the Burgundy Studio Check cloth interior and all were equipped to Option Code M758. Following the initial run of Silver Rose cars and in response to customer demand, midway through 1988 any colour from the Porsche catalogue, along with any interior option, could be specified instead of the 'Silver Rose' scheme. All the cars featured a stylised 'Turbo' script on the wing as a gesture to earlier high-performance Porsches, and cost a huge 10% more than a standard Turbo.

The car presented here is very special indeed and is a genuine, UK-supplied, 1988 944 Turbo 'S', having been first registered on the 1st August of that year. The chassis and engine numbers conform to the specific ranges for these limited-run cars. It's also one of only a handful produced in Guards Red and has covered just over 86,000 miles since 1988, in the hands of its three fastidious owners. Included with the car are the original driver's manual and maintenance booklet, which contains stamps from various Porsche specialists throughout its life. Our vendor has owned the car since 2005 and has entrusted the car to CMS Porsche during this period and they have stamped the booklet between 2006 and 2008, and more recently in 2016 for a re-commission service, as the car had remained in storage, on SORN, in his collection for nearly 10 years. There is also an invoice from CMS Porsche in the history file detailing the work involved in the recent re-commission to prepare this cherished Porsche for its new owner. The MoT Certificate is valid until October this year.

Presenting superbly, this is a lovely example of this rare 1980's classic Porsche and these limited edition models are much sought-after by marque enthusiasts for good reason, so don't miss out!