As a self confessed car nut and speed addict I have, over the years, forgone many luxuries in the pursuit of automotive nirvana. One of my current speed fixes comes in the guise of a 1987 Porsche 944 Turbo (951).
The Porsche 944
was a car much under rated
by "The man in the street" who tended to gravitate towards the greater
charisma of the Porsche 911. Consequently, while the 911
remains relatively expensive, the 944 (and particularly the 944 Turbo) has
become a bit of a second hand performance car bargain.
With 220 bhp Turbo engine, and near perfect 50/50 weight distribution, the 944 Turbo (or 951)
was one of the "Supercars" of its day. 20 years later, it still has
the power and poise to significantly embarrass many modern performance cars
worth 6 times that of a second hand 951.
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Standard Porsche 951
Power 220 bhp
Torque 243 lb ft
0-60 6.0 secs
Max Speed 153 mph
Exhaust manifold glowing red hot during rolling road testing.
Although in fair condition, for a 15 year old car, early changes were predominantly repair or preventative maintenance. Initial expenditure included:-
New Radiator and a number of hoses
New Water Pump
New Cam and balance shaft belts
New Head Gasket
Expansion tank
Sundry bulbs and switches.
New rear hatch gas stays
New Sun Roof Seals
In addition to getting the car to a reasonable state of repair the following modifications have been undertaken:-
Link MAP (Manifold Absolute Pressure) kit, replacing the restrictive Porsche Air Flow metering system.
Link Programmer - allowing modifications to engine fuelling on the fly.
Guru Racing Chip Set - MAP Version
Lindsey Racing Super 61 Turbo
TiAL dual port wastegate 38mm
SFR induction kit, with K&N filter
Forge dual piston dump valve
GReddy PRofec B-specII electronic boost controller ,
3 bar Fuel pressure regulator,
#55 Fuel injectors,
Bespoke PSH silicone hoses
Lindsey Racing oil catch tank
Specs stage II Clutch
Lightened flywheel
Late spec 250 LSD gearbox with oil cooler
Porsche 993/996 Technic wheels with 215/17 tyres front and 255/17 tyres rear.
7mm front shims
Larger "Big Black" brake callipers from the 928 GTS with drilled 911 3.6 Turbo (964) discs to reduce brake fade.
Castrol SRF competition brake fluid.
Porsche 951 SE Front struts and font axel assemblies.
Koni adjustable strut inserts and rear dampers
Rennbay extended ball joints with race spec cups
Powerflex bushes to roll bar and wishbones
-30mm Front springs
Porsche 968 CS M030 hollow 30mm front anti roll bar
Porsche 968 CS M030 adjustable rear anti roll bar
KLA Industries Strut Brace & rose jointed top strut mounts
Porsche 968 front caster mounts
Iceshark Headlamp loom
upgrade with all front lights replaced.
Lighting circuit modified to
remove 1988 dim dip facility and keep pods down while sidelights are on.
ESS clear indicators with chrome bulbs
ESS GRP/Carbon Fibre front splitter.
Additional
boost gauge
Flaming Eye blue LED dash illumination
Fire extinguisher on seat runner mount.
Three spoke
CS steering wheel.
Bespoke car mats.
Specification
last updated 9/3/07
2TA induction kit with K&N filter now changed to SFR induction kit.
Brake Upgrade - 928/S4 drilled discs with SE callipers. Now replaced
with "Big Blacks" and 911 3.6 Turbo discs.
Boost gauge mounted on "A" pillar. Standard housing with 2TA mounting bracket.
Link engine management controller, working in conjunction with MAP kit for altering fuel mapping
Revised Specification as above.
Torque 311 lb ft
As confirmed Dyno
Dynamics Dynamometer Silverstone 06/10/07.
