1988 Porsche 944 Turbo S 'Silver Rose'

• In early 1988, Porsche revamped the 944 Turbo, uprating the power and creating the 944 Turbo 2
• Known as ‘Silver Rose’ by Porsche enthusiasts, this model had 250bhp, the ‘M030’ option of Koni adjustable suspension, 928-Brembo front brakes and 16-inch Fuchs magnesium forged flat-dished alloy wheels
• These initial 1988 Turbo S cars were supplied in Silver Rose (LM3Z) metallic paint, with a ‘Studio’ plaid cloth interior and stylised ‘Turbo’ script on the wing
• Only 77 ‘Silver Rose’ 944S arrived in the UK, out of approximately 1,200 examples worldwide
• One family owned from new, meticulous maintenance records and in standard specification
• Koni suspension all renewed just a few hundred miles ago at a cost of just over £3,000

The 944 is a luxury sports car that was built by Porsche from 1982 to 1991 and was a step-change evolution of the preceding 924 model. The car was the brainchild of the newly appointed Peter Schutz, the CEO of the Porsche company. The bodywork was revised with wider wheel arches (similar to that of the 924 Carrera GT), with a fresh interior and upgrades to the braking and suspension systems. With a brand-new Porsche designed and developed 2.5 litre four cylinder engine, the car had greater visual presence and the performance to match, plus better handling, stopping power and more creature comforts.

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 decreed that the power upgrade should be passed on to the road cars culminating in the launch of the Porsche 944 Turbo S (so-called 'Silver Rose' by Porsche enthusiasts). This model had a more powerful 250bhp engine and came with the ‘M030' option consisting of Koni adjustable shocks front & rear, 16-inch Fuchs magnesium forged flat-dished alloys wheels known as the Club Sport design (similar to the Design 90 wheel) and Brembo front brakes from the Porsche 928 S4. The uprated power plant of the Turbo S became standard for the Turbo from 1989 to the end of its life.

These early 1988 Turbo S cars were supplied in a distinctive ‘Silver Rose' (LM3Z) metallic paint with a complementing burgundy ‘Studio' plaid cloth and all cars featured a stylised 'Turbo' script on the wing, as a gesture to previous hyper-performance Porsches. The Turbo S cost a huge 10% more than a standard Turbo and to widen 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.

It is believed that only 77 ‘Silver Rose' 944s arrived in the UK (out of approximately 1,200 examples world-wide).

The car presented here is a genuine, limited-edition 1988 ‘Silver Rose' 944 Turbo, with the chassis and engine numbers conforming to the specific ranges for these special cars.

Bought new by our vendor’s father, who was then invited by Porsche to collect his car from the factory, which he duly did. He specified his car without the ‘choice’ burgundy Studio plaid cloth interior, and it was initially registered to his company, used and enjoyed by him every day for a number of years. He always ensured his beloved Porsche was fastidiously maintained, documented in its extensive history file. In the years ahead, he registered the car to himself, then his wife and now his son is the custodian of it – so for the whole 33 years, this car has been in the care of just one family.

It has been used and enjoyed, as these well engineered machines were designed to do, covering some 203,000 miles - however, we understand that the engine was replaced by Porsche AFN in 1997 at 143,774 miles, due to an insurance claim (this is mentioned in the service booklet, but there is no corresponding invoice, enquiries ongoing with AFN); it has always been endowed with the highest level of mechanical care and, cosmetically, the car's bodywork is in very good condition. With limited space to store a modern-classic sportscar, our vendor (the son) has taken the difficult decision to sell it and hopes an enthusiast will buy and cherish it. He did ensure that the Koni suspension was all renewed and set up properly, only a few hundred miles ago, costing just over £3,000. In original condition with its original Porsche book-pack and a spare key, finding a Silver Rose from this type of ownership is extremely rare.

The 944, the 968 and even the 928 are seeing their values rise in the wake of the '911 explosion' and the smooth and nimble 944 is now happily being recognised as a very desirable classic car. These rare, limited edition examples are much sought-after by Porsche enthusiasts for good reason! This car represents a very accessible route into owning an extremely limited-run Porsche.