The Porsche 944 was produced by Porsche between 1982 and 1991. It followed the Porsche 924 and was succeeded by the 968 model. It was available as a 2 door coupe or convertible sports car and there was a choice of 2.5, 2.7 or 3.0 litre versions.
The 944 was very similar to its 924 predecessor. The bodywork was updated and had a rear spoiler and fenders similar to the 924 turbo version. The engine was a 'straight-4' type based on one half of the v8 engine seen in the 928. The interior was also very similar to the 924 but had the addition of climate control switches.
In 1988 Porsche came out with the turbo version of the 944. It had a more powerful engine at 247hp and more torque as well. The engine computer was remapped and the model featured larger sodium-cooled exhausted valves. 'Car and Driver' tested the car in the spring of 1988 and achieved a 0-60mph time of 5.5 seconds. This meant that the 944 was the fastest production type 4 cylinder car of its time.
In February 1991 the 944 turbo cabriolet was produced and was combination of the 944 Turbo S with its 250bhp and the cabriolet design. Porsche initially stated that 500 would be made but, in fact, this ended up as 625 of which 100 were made to be right hand drive for the british market. In the end, none were actually exported to the US.
In 1990 engineers at Porsche began work on what was intended to be an S3 version of the 944. However, in the end they found they has made so many changes that a new model of Porsche was introduced, the 968. This was to be the successor to the 944.