1988 944 Turbo S Coupe (951) M030 Sport Suspension LSD 1 of 718 Built for U.S. Zermatt Silver

The 944 Turbo S was a special 1-year-only car.  Automotive magazines touted it as the fastest 4-cylinder in the world.  Back-to-back track tests against the Porsche 930 showed that the 944 Turbo S was actually faster and half the price (still nearly $50,000 U.S. new).  Porsche rightfully proclaimed: “Not since the 911 Turbo have we transferred a race car so directly into a road car.”  These Turbo S cars were direct descendants of Porsche’s 944 Turbo Cup racing program.  They received the coveted M44/52 turbo engine, which produced 247hp and 258 ft-lbs. of torque. 0 to 60 times were 5.5 seconds, which is incredible for an ‘80s car.  Furthermore, the cars received the famed Porsche suspension package, internally designated as the M030 option.  This package included height-adjustable Koni shocks, stiffer torsion bars/torque tube, stiffened sway bars, and lightweight Club Sport forged alloy wheels (7×16 / 9×16).  Porsche’s 928 S4 4-piston ABS braking system was also included.  To handle this power upgrade, the Turbo S got a strengthened transmission (1^st and 2^nd gears were hardened).  An external oil cooler was also added for longevity and reliability.  A new high-friction clutch was installed to allow for quicker engagement and more precise shifts.  Finally, a limited-slip differential (with 40% lockup) helped transfer the power to the ground.

In total, 1,635 Turbo S cars were built worldwide, of which 718 were imported into the U.S. Only 36 were produced in the rare color of Zermatt Silver, which was a special order.

This Turbo S was built on May 17^th, 1988, and sold new by Fred Lavery Porsche + Audi of Birmingham, Michigan on December 30^th, 1988.  Although this limited edition model was extremely well-optioned from the factory as standard, this example was further ordered with the following additional equipment:

• 944 Turbo S Option Package:
  • Larger Turbocharger
  • M030 Sport Chassis: Koni Adjustable Shocks, Lowered, Larger Sway Bars
  • 7×16 / 9×16 Club Sport Lightweight Forged Alloy Wheels
  • Bosch Anti-lock Brake System
  • Limited Slip Differential
  • Full Power Seats
  • Split Rear Seats
  • Rear Window Wiper
  • Headlight Washers
  • Protective Side Moldings
  • Hi-Fi Sound System
  • Special Interior
• Blaupunkt Reno Radio
• Cruise Control
• Removable Sunroof w/Electric Tilt
• Zermatt Silver Metallic paint (special order)
• Porsche Script Cloth seat inserts (special order)

The MSRP was $49,035, approximately $130,771 in today’s dollars.

The first owner was Mr. William Alexander of Farmington Hills, Michigan.  He serviced the car regularly at his local Porsche dealer.  In 2003 with around 31k miles on the car, he relocated to Ft. Myers, Florida.  He continued to service the car at his local Porsche dealer.  Highlights of services he had performed beyond routine oil services and fluid flushes include:

• First belt service (04/96 @ 22,822 miles)
  • Cam shaft timing belt
  • Balance belts
  • Oil service
• Second belt service (05/03 @ 33,391 miles)
  • Timing belt
  • Tension roller
  • Poly-rib belt
  • Balance shaft belt tensioner
  • Distributor and rotor
  • Spark plugs
• Third belt service and other services at Porsche dealer (02/08 @ 36,757 miles)
  • Cooling, transmission and brake system flush
  • Timing belt
  • Water pump
  • Thermostat
  • Drive belts
  • Spark plugs
  • Air, oil, and fuel filters
  • Cam cork gasket
  • Oil pressure sender
  • New tires and alignment
  • A/C system service
  • Cost of service was $6,888
• Engine gasket and resealing (12/24/10 @ 39,451 miles)
  • Cam housing gaskets
  • Power steering hoses
  • Oil pan gasket
  • Valve cover gaskets
  • DME pump relay
  • KRE unit (knock regulator unit)
  • Cost of service was $4,561
• A/C system restoration (06/12 @ 41,362 miles)
  • Convert system to R134
  • Receiver/drier
  • Compressor
  • Dye test and recharge
  • High pressure hose

In February of 2013, William’s son sold the car to a good friend of ours, Garry Roberts here in Costa Mesa, California with just over 42k miles.  Roberts ran an automotive clubhouse/garage storage.  He kept the car for a little over 3-years and only added a thousand miles.  He sold the car in June of 2016 with 43k miles to Mark Bibaeff of San Mateo, California who had a pre-purchase inspection with Auto Strasse of Costa Mesa (the same shop that serviced the car for Roberts).  They found the car to be in excellent condition with leak-down results of only 2% to 3% off on all cylinders.  This is extremely good for a 30-year-old car.

Mark kept the car for a few years and only added a thousand miles as well.  He sold it to the next Southern California enthusiast in March of 2019 with just over 44k miles.  Shortly after purchase, this owner took the car to Avus Autosport of Glendale, California for a timing belt service.  Highlights of Avus services over the next 18 months/4k miles included the following:

• Fourth belt service and other services (03/19 @ 44,681 miles)
  • Timing belt kit
  • Roller timing belt on water pump
  • Water pump
  • Expansion tank
  • Coolant flush
  • Transmission and diff fluid flush (Redline)
  • Stainless steel brake line upgrade/fluid flush
  • Rebuild steering rack
  • Adjust front wheel bearings
  • Replace ABS sensor connectors
  • Front sway bar bushings
  • Engine mounts
  • Spark plugs, air filter and fuel filter
  • Cost of service was $8,938
• Pirelli P Zero tires (03/19 @ 44,707 miles)
• Catalytic converter (06/19 @ 45,564 miles)
• Fresh brake pads and oil service (12/30/19 @ 47,365 miles)
• A/C system service (09/20 @ 48,503 miles)

We sold the car in November of 2020 with 48,400 miles to a very good friend of ours and a local Orange County collector.  He has dozens of cars and a full-time on-staff mechanic.  His mechanic is a transaxle expert who has done work on our personal 928 in the past.  When we sold it to him, his mechanic went through the car and confirmed it was in excellent shape.  The only repair he did was to reseal the cam housing with a newly upgraded gasket from Greg Brown at Precision Engineering.  This owner/collector kept this Turbo S for just shy of 2 years but only added a few hundred miles.

We helped him sell the car again in July of 2022 with 48,700 miles to the current Orange County enthusiast.  For the past 2.5 years, this owner has used the car as a part-time daily driver and added another 6k miles.  During his care, he had the following services performed with a top local specialist:

• Replace auxiliary fan switch, top off coolant/check level (7/22 @ 49,021 miles)
• Expansion tank cap/coolant top off/fix leak (8/22 @ 49,021 miles)
• Oil service, top off fluids, safety check (1/23 @ 51,583 miles)
• Suspension work/tuning and misc. repairs at Anselmo Motorsports (2/23 @ 51,942 miles)
  • New front seat bottom padding installed/repair bolster
  • Heated windshield washer nozzle
  • Oil pressure sender
  • LED instrument cluster bulb conversion
  • Replace right side dash trim panel
  • Replace all 4 shocks 951 Racing Koni Adjustable Suspension Kit
  • All new suspension springs as part of the kit
  • Ground Control front camber plates
  • Engine front strut brace
  • 968 M030 Club Sport front control arms
  • Inner sway bar bushings
  • Service cost – $9,476

• Clutch, suspension, & misc. repairs at Anselmo Motorsports (5/23 @ 53,252 miles)
  • Check/inspect dash lights
  • Install new headlight kit (much brighter)
  • New front fog light bulbs
  • Hood shocks/repair hood shock mount
  • 944 Turbo Cup clutch kit
  • Guide tube for throw out bearing
  • Machine/resurface flywheel
  • Clutch release fork and cross shaft throw out bearing
  • Repair coolant leak with new fittings and washers
  • Helper spring kit for rear/2.5” setting
  • Replace A/C blower knob
  • 4-wheel alignment
  • Service cost – $6,071
• Most recent oil service and inspection (11/24 @ 54,477 miles)
• New windshield and install shims in rear suspension (12/24 @ 54,685 miles)

In total, the current owner invested over $17k in preventative maintenance and service on this 951.  At the most recent oil service less than 2 months ago, the mechanic noted oil weeping at the rear main seal as well as the oil filter housing/cooler.  Nothing significant most likely due to recent lack of use.

This 944 Turbo S is in very good original/survivor condition.  It is clear between the long-time single ownership history and low miles that this example was never abused, and regularly serviced.  The exterior is in nice condition and a large majority of the paint is still original.  The front has been lightly repainted/blended decades ago due to rock chips.  No signs of anything beyond superficial repairs.  There is no damage from accidents and no signs of repair from corrosion.  The rest of the paint appears to be original as verified with a paint meter.  There are a few minor rock chips on the front from normal use.  They are minimal.  There are also a few small paint bubbles on the plastic side molding strips.  The exterior trim, rubber, and plastic are in very good shape as well with no signs of age or significant discoloration.  The rear hatch glass shows some typical de-lamination along the top edge.  We used black electrical tape to give it a clean finish.

All factory VIN stickers are present (front fenders, doors, hood, and rear hatch).  The glass is in excellent shape with no major chips, scratches, or cracks.  The windshield was recently replaced and is free from major chips or scratches.  The rare Club Sport lightweight wheels are in good original shape with a few minor curb rashes and nicks.  They are wearing Pirelli PZero tires that were installed in 2019 and have 10k-miles on them.  They need to be replaced and we can help coordinate the installation of new tires.  The brake pads have about half-life remaining.  The rotors have a lip and should be replaced with the next set of pads.

The interior is equally as nice and in original condition.  The Porsche-script factory cloth inserts show minimal signs of wear with no stains.  The bolsters are also just as fresh.  There is a tiny hole in the driver’s side exit lower vinyl bolster.  The rear seats look unused with light fading of the fabric on the top where exposed to sunlight.  The headliner and carpet are in excellent condition with no major blemishes.  The door panels have no signs of warping or other faults.  The original dash has no cracks.  All the gauges work properly with new LED bulbs for better visibility.  The digital clock display is also operational with no bleeding of the LCD screen.  The power mirrors, windows, and sunroof all work properly.  The original Blaupunkt Reno radio also works.  The luggage area fabric cover has three long tears in it, but is complete.  The interior and exterior lights all work.  The A/C system has been maintained over the years and was converted the correct way to R134.  It blows cold.

This Turbo S is not a garage queen that just gets rolled out periodically onto the Concours lawn.  Although it would look quite respectable at any show, it is clear that this example has been driven and enjoyed.  The past owner lives near the famed Angeles Crest Highway where he frequently enjoyed exercising the car.  This car feels like it was designed for that road.

It starts easily on the first try and holds an even idle.  Power is smooth with of course the surge as the boost comes on.  However, it doesn’t have the excessive lag you find in the 930s.  It’s much more progressive.  Shifting is nicely balanced between smooth and precise.  It has a nice factory-firm feel that inspires confidence.  There is no grinding or slipping and the clutch engages properly.  The brakes are one of this car’s highlights.  The system was designed for a car that weighs several hundred pounds more.  As a result, braking is strong with no fading or pulling.  It has one of the nicer factory-balanced brake systems.  Handling is also one of this car’s shining points with nearly perfect weight balanced from front to rear.  It’s impressive how much speed can be carried through both tight and sweeping turns (with fresh tires). It’s no surprise that these cars were faster around a track than the Porsche 930 and most 911s of the day.

Many vintage driving events are expanding their inclusion years to ’80s cars.  This could be the perfect toy for long-distance vintage car tours/rallies as well as weekend backroad drives with friends.

This Turbo S passes California’s strict emissions/smog test and California registration is current to March of 2025.

This Turbo S comes with extra keys (2 main keys), wheel lock keys, original owner’s manuals including maintenance book/vinyl cover, original MSRP/window sticker, original sales agreement, many service receipts going back to new, copies of magazine new car review articles, Porsche service notebook with pen, original luggage area fabric cover (torn), original tool kit, air compressor, floor mats, jack, space saver spare, new car cover, and windshield sunshade.

**Note: VIN and other numbers withheld to protect against fraud.  All numbers including VIN, Engine, and color will be provided to serious buyers.