1988 Porsche 944 2.5 Lux – 5,130 Miles

Following the international success of their nimble 924, Porsche designed an all-alloy, 2.5-litre inline-four for their new 944 which they planned to introduce in 1982. Their talented engineers were able to produce a very smooth running four-cylinder engine by utilising two counter-rotating balance shafts running at twice the engine speed. The result is a large four-cylinder engine that feels as turbine-smooth as a six.

Cosmetically, the 944's bodywork was revised with wider wheel arches (similar to that of the 924 Carrera GT), a fresh interior and upgrades to the brakes and suspension. With greater visual presence and the performance to match, better handling, stopping power and more creature comforts, the 944 was a natural step forward. Reliable, hugely popular and eminently driveable most examples available today have very high mileages and a low-mileage car from single ownership is incredibly rare.

Offered here is a simply remarkable UK-supplied right-hand drive 944 that had covered only 5,126 miles at the time of cataloguing, in the hands of its two private owners. It’s a Series 1 post-facelift car with the 160bhp, 2.5-litre, 8-valve M44/40 engine mated to a 5-speed manual gearbox and was purchased new by the first of those owners in 1988. We presume the car wasn’t in daily use as it didn’t require its first service until 1991, and was only used occasionally after that prior to being put on SORN and committed to long-term storage where it remained for the next 30 years in, judging by its current condition, a perfect environment.

It was purchased and then recommissioned and painstakingly detailed in late 2022 by its current owner, who used Porsche Centre South Lakes to carry out the maintenance. This recommission included a full service, fluid change and fresh cam belt at a cost of over £2,000.

Finished in Guards Red with a beige pinstripe velour interior, Café au Lait carpets and sitting on its original tele-dial alloys, it presents in a lovely, original, virtually out-of-the-box condition that would surely be very hard to repeat. We find it hard to believe that there is a better example anywhere. We welcome and encourage interested parties to view this gleaming 944 for themselves at our Supercar Fest sale in order to truly appreciate the quality on offer.

We conclude that this delightful 944 would make a perfect first ‘classic’ Porsche or alternatively would be a great addition to a collection of Transaxle models as one of the best examples available.