Peak transaxle Porsche? Well, it’s got to be the 944, has it not? And while most features celebrating the 944 would go full boost on the range-topping, 911-challenging Turbo, we are going to celebrate the 944 that really did the numbers for Porsche: the 944 Lux, the basic eight-valve, 2.5-litre, 163bhp ’80s coupé that shifted a none-too-shabby 111,500 units between 1983 and 1987.
Lest we forget, the 944 Lux was greeted with near 100 per cent approval on its launch. ‘A proper Porsche with a proper Porsche engine’ was the general gist of the acclaim, to further drag out the animosity directed at the 924. A slightly bizarre take from the 924 deniers, because there would never have been a 944 to get excited about in the first place without it.
But this is not a history piece. We all know the story of the Porsche that should have been a VW, but kudos to Porsche for rescuing what VW had thrown back and, in typical Porsche fashion, evolved over a 20-year period from the 924 to the 944 to the 968. Sure, by 1995 and the 968, Porsche had squeezed every last development drop from the transaxle platform and, with the Boxster and 996 on the horizon, its time was most definitely up. But, in its ’80s heyday, it was the 944 that looked like Porsche’s future, not the 911. Porsche even pitched the 944 Turbo directly at the 911 Carrera 3.2 in terms of performance and price in a marketplace survival of the fittest.
And the 944 did make the 911 look old-fashioned and a bit quirky, which of course it was. The 944 was a more contemporary machine for more modern times, its evolution starting in 1975 rather than 1963. Hop between a 911 and a 944 in 1983 and you would be forgiven for thinking that they had come from different manufacturers. For many who aspired to the Porsche badge but didn’t ‘get’ the 911, saw the 924 as tainted and found the 928 out of reach, the 944 was for them − as Porsche had intended.
And, as the numbers and longevity prove, Porsche clearly got it right. The 944 wasn’t cheap, but it wasn’t completely out of reach either. It helped that it was also a pragmatic choice, with Porsche making as much noise about its practicality and economy as its performance. As an everyday car, there were very few compromises involved in running a 944.
A place in history
But that was then and this is now. Exactly where does the 944 fit into the classic Porsche firmament in this 50-year celebration of transaxle cars? And should a 944 be on your ‘next classic Porsche’ shopping list as opposed to, say, a Boxster?
I should at this point ‘fess up to being something of a serial 944 owner over the years. No point in pretending otherwise. From 2001 to 2018, I ran a variety of 944s as my everyday wheels of choice, for all the same reasons that ’80s 944 man would have. Pretty much exclusively, they were of the 944 Lux variety. I am therefore, perhaps, a little biased.
I am also acutely aware that much of the praise for the 944 has so far not been exactly persuasive from a raw seat-of-the-pants excitement point of view, and that everyday usability is not necessarily high on the agenda for a car that doesn’t need to play that role.
Model behaviour
Time to change the mood a little. How about this from CAR magazine’s 944 Lux first drive feature published in December 1981: “Racing up the hill with no oncoming traffic to avoid and lots of road to use, I took heart and snatched into fourth. As the clutch gripped and the power went down, the tail leaned towards the hill sideways at 90mph. With the body’s right shoulder akimbo and the front wheels delicately held on opposite lock, the 944 flew through the bend, snapped straight as I changed into fifth, and stormed up the hill, accelerating hard…”
C’mon, that’s a bit more like it. Okay, so I’m not planning on replicating such behaviour on this near-zero-degree Friday morning in January, but I do fully plan to use this lovely 1985 944 Lux as the driving tool it is and put to one side some of the more worthy stuff that sticks to the 944, particularly in Lux form.
A 1985 944 Lux? Keen 944 spotters will have noted that this is a very early oval dash model, 1985 being the crossover year between the square and oval layout. We did deliberate on whether a super-early, square-dash 944 would have been more appropriate, not least because we love the dials with their yellow-on-black faces, but the truth is that the oval dash is so much better, particularly in terms of ventilation.
The later model also gets the Teledials over Cookie Cutters, which are no one’s favourite as Porsche wheels go. Fuchs were an option and give an instant 924 Carrera GT vibe, but hardly anyone ever specced them. And, to get really pedantic, the ’85 and ’86 944 Lux featured a deeper-dished Teledial than the flatter-faced Tele on the later ABS-optioned 944.
Fine-tuned performance
Bodykit? Ah, you noticed. Not everyone’s cup of Earl Grey, but the boxy side skirts and rear valence were factory options, which is exactly how this particular 944 Lux rolled off the line bound for Porsche Colchester, as specced by its first and current owner, Derek Price. Derek has been the custodian of this 944 on and off for the past 40 years.
Is the 944 a slice of pure ’80s coupé cool? Hell, yes. Flared arches, pop-up headlights − what more do you want? A proper Porsche, then? If the whole engine thing swings it for you, then okay, it’s a proper Porsche. After all, Porsche did make much of that but then, stung by the whole 924 van engine fiasco, it would. And there was much to shout about too. The canted-over, all-aluminium, 2.5-litre, four-cylinder used a lot of the 928’s top-end components and featured advanced Bosch L-Jetronic fuel injection. Numbers? Well, 163bhp at 5,800rpm was healthy if not heady, but 151lbs/ft at 3,000rpm of pulling power was more informative as to the engine’s character – torquey with a curve that’s long and flat from 2,500rpm to 5,500rpm.
Big four-pots are inherently lumpy and Porsche made a virtue out of a necessity by fitting counter-rotating balance shafts to smooth out the potential bad vibes. It also installed the engine on fluid-damped mounts to further isolate it. The engine and rear transaxle are connected by a torque tube, within which the slender propshaft spins. And, of course, that rear-mounted transaxle equates to the famed 50/50 balance we all like to bang on about.
Down to business
That’s about as techy as we’re going to get. The crucial and emotional question is: what’s it like to drive, particularly in a modern context? It’s been a good few years since I have actually driven one and my abiding memories of 17 years of 944 ownership are of a depth of character that really gets under the skin and a dynamic ability that’s never anything less than deeply satisfying. It’s not a car that wears its heart on its sleeve, but then isn’t that often the Porsche way?
Again, that doesn’t sound exciting, does it? But hang in there, because there are rewards to come and Derek’s car is as good as they get. A bad one, usually featuring knackered engine mounts, chattering torque tube bearings and tired suspension, is a truly horrible thing because all those vibe-supressing measures are as crucial to 944 enjoyment as its famed balance. Start the big four-pot and it churns slowly before catching, idling at a low rumble and kept in check by those engine mounts.
To drive, the 944 Lux feels perfectly modern, save for a higher degree of weighting in the controls. The steering is assisted but still has plenty of resistance and a distinct damping effect at dead centre. There is a linear feel to the clutch and a weight to the floor-mounted throttle. The gear lever is stubby but long and pronounced in its throw. It all feels engineered and cohesive.
The engine is every bit as flexible as the numbers suggest. If peaky 16-valvers are not your thing – and they are resolutely not mine in a road car – then you’ll find the 2.5, eight-valve a simple and charismatic companion. It storms smoothly to its 5,800rpm peak and soft cuts at 6,500rpm. But it’s the mids rather than the peaks that make it so compelling. Sure, it’s not powerful per se, but the power it does have is available all of the time, which, in a road car, is exactly what you want.
A case in point is the short-lived 16-valve 944 S. Despite having 185bhp, it had such a narrow power curve as to make it pretty much unobtainable on the road, not helped by taller gearing. It certainly couldn’t be employed to give the 944’s sublime chassis a good workout. In the torquey eight-valve, chassis and engine work together very nicely indeed.
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Peaky blinder
Yes, it’s handling and balance time, and this is why I loved my 944s so much and why I’m enjoying myself so much today. That balance, the famed handling... it’s sublime. The suspension – stiff by mid-’80s standards, perhaps – is compliant for today’s pock-marked roads and the balance is all there thanks to that 50/50 layout. It’s the very antithesis of the pendulum-like 911, but not so benign as to be boringly neutral. Instead, it flows along the road, settling into corners and powering out with a characteristic squat from the rear.
But then the 944’s party trick – helped by the engine’s power in the mid-range and unfashionable balloon-like 195/65 x 15” tyres (Pirellis back in the day, Toyos today) – is its ability to dance safely at the limit of grip and adhesion, particularly on this greasy January morning. You don’t have to drive like a hooligan to animate the chassis or juggle with a peaky top-end when power is available so liberally. If there’s a modern equivalent, it’s probably the Toyota GR86. It won’t surprise you to learn that when I came to replace my final 944, it was with a Subaru BRZ.
Porsche will always be best known for its dogged rear-engined doctrine with the 911, closely followed by the mid-engined mantra with the Boxster and Cayman, but the 944 and the transaxle era was Porsche’s take on the front-engined concept and, typically, Porsche did it differently.
Convinced yet? Well, if the dynamic argument isn’t quite enough or the Lux isn’t up your Strasse, then go for the 220-250bhp Turbo or the grunty 210bhp 3-litre S2. Or even the really rather rare 2.7, eight-valve Lux, model year 1988, with just 5,800 built. Just don’t bother with the 944 S. For me, the 2.5, eight-valve has a certain simplicity, charm and gutsy dependability, but that’s just me. As peak transaxle, the 944 Lux deserves its moment.
If you take the plunge, I’m sure you won’t be disappointed with any 944 and that you’ll find yourself using it a lot more than other classics – Porsche or otherwise. In the modern context, it is exactly that. Trouble is, I’ve just been looking through the classifieds and… blimey, where have all the 944s gone? Better add rarity to the 944’s appeal.
This feature was written by Steve Bennett and first appeared in the March 2025 issue of our monthly Club magazine, Porsche Post. to receive your copy, as well as enjoying a host of exclusive member benefits and savings.