Highly Modified 1987 944 Turbo 352whp on 93 oct./ 404whp+ on 100 octane with LSD
Description
NO AC! Car relisted due to failed buyer finances. Please do not purchase unless you have money available to do so. Thanks!
Trackable street car, perfect for HPDE days.
The 91k miles is original, although all of the major systems have been rebuilt in the past 3k miles...motor, trans, brakes, and more. Since shooting videos above, idle valve has been replaced so now car starts with no throttle and idles more smoothly. had a few questions re: valve train noise. I forgot to mention that the car runs solid lifters. Also, minor oil leak has been addressed. I have also driven it 150 miles to make sure all of the kinks were worked out.
This car was built to be a streetable clone to my 944 turbo race car. LINK G4 ECU, replaced in 2018. Spearco Intercooler, Lindsey Racing Super 65 turbo with 360 degree bearing/wet jacketed Stage 5 P trim. Extrude honed factory intake manifold, polished. Lindsey Racing stage 3 cylinder head with O-rings, 48mm intake valves, and Web cam. Titanium retainers. I redid the short block, adding Mahle Pistons. Carrillo Rods. Knife Edged, cross drilled, and lightened 3.0L crank, NOS 2.5 block. Displaces 2.7L. There are pictures of the engine internals on MC Racing of Stow, MA's website if you care to google search. Baffled oil pan. The head was still perfect, and very trick, so we reused it. Short block rebuilt less than 500 miles ago. Head was done 2k miles ago. High flow exhaust header, looks like a SpeedForce unit but not positive. Billet Radiator, 4 inch Lindsey Exhaust (it clunks against the firewall occasionally and is slightly annoying). Brand new LS ignition system with new spark plugs and related wiring harnesses. AEM 400LPH high pressure inline fuel pump, Lindsey Racing Fuel Rail, AEM X-Series Inline Wideband UEGO Controller, AEM Intake Air Temp sensor, Turbosmart Fuel Pressure Regulator, TIAL Q BOV, TIAL MVR 44MM wastegate, replaced Idle Control Valve, New timing belt with rebuild. There is about 25k in just the motor and electronics.
Schnell short shift kit. Rebuild Transmission with LSD and hardened first and second gear. Front Koni Coil-overs, stiffer springs and sway bars. I believe the springs are Hypercoils and the Swaybars are Lindsey Racing. Lowered about 1 inch. Car handles like it is on rails. Brakes rebuilt 3k miles ago. All interior switches work, prior owner was an engineer and he rebuilt headlight motors, window regulators, and custom fabricated a hidden catch can that can be drained from a spigot on the chassis. Sunroof works. Headlights work. Very clean interior, one rip on drivers seat. Besides gauge pod, interior looks stock, and I think I even have the luggage compartment cover somewhere. I have almost all receipts for everything above.
Very rare Forgeline wheels, 18x8.5 and 18x10. I don't have the center caps. These offsets perfectly tuck a 255 front and 285 rear Bridgestone RE71 tire. The absolute most tire you can get under stock fenders, with a stock look. Wheels are unobtanium, but I found this set for 2500, plus tires.
AC deleted to make room for many of the added components, but could conceivably be restored with some considerable re-engineering, I have most of the components. It would likely require a downgrade to a stage 2 intercooler to make room for some of the parts, which I also can include. Also, you cannot possibly ever register this in CA, so it will only be sold in CA for track use. Car appears to have a high flow cat, but I have not verified its efficacy as I live in NH and we don't test cars exhaust of this vintage.
This car was designed to look like a classic 944, but have the performance chops to hang with modern cars on the track. People have asked "why no roll cage?" The answer is that a street car with a roll cage is a very bad idea, unless you drive around the streets wearing a helmet. If you ever hit your head on a roll cage while driving on the street without a helmet, the roll cage would bash in your noggin. This car was designed to be a streetable, fast car that could also serve for HPDE days. That being said, it's likely the wrong car for much of the population. You probably could daily drive it, but your girlfriend or wife (boyfriend/husband?) would complain the whole time. It’s loud. It’s stiff - not race car stiff, but stiffer than stock. It’s fairly complicated. It doesn’t have A/C. You cannot let parking valets drive it. You really can’t let anyone drive it. When the boost starts to build and the turbo starts to whine, you get funny/angry/excited looks from people. You also need a performance shop that understands standalones. Fortunately, they are fairly common, and my guy would be glad to remote in to the car when necessary to troubleshoot any issues that arise, he is brilliant and services cars all over the country. His info will be furnished to the buyer. Once you understand Standalones, its actually a great feature, because the car has modern electronics, wiring, and diagnostic tools that were not available back in 1987, so it does make figuring things out, like "oh, I need an idle valve" (as mentioned in my cold start video, and subsequently addressed) a very simple procedure. It also allows for use of non-Porsche parts, very easily. for example, the standalone has no problem with a BMW idle valve, which is a 95 dollar part, not a 650 dollar Porsche part. Lastly, modern wires means you aren't dealing with chasing down failed wiring that has been subjected to 30 years of turbo heat under the hood.
And I am bound to get this question, so here ya go...I am pretty sure cars with this level of modification are not allowed to drive on the streets of CA, so if you live there, passing smog is all on you.
Though the title reads clean, this car was rebuilt at some point in its life. Car was hit, and repaired decently. It tracks straight, drives great, and frankly, its not a collectible so I didn't care. My mechanic didn't even notice and was surprised when I told him. I have posted a driving video of hands free tracking. The paint isn't great, but I am a bit of a perfectionist. It's perfectly reasonable from 15 feet. Up close, you can see the scratches, flaws, and imperfections. I don't think the buyer is someone who wants to show it, but is someone who wants to drive it. That being said, it looks nice enough that people stop to talk to me about it all the time, because it is cleaner than almost any 944 still on the road from 1987, and most of them, save the collector cars, have had some body work. Also, when people see the motor, they generally say "WHOA". I didn't do the chrome, the guy before me did, but my son jokes that the chrome adds 20 hp. The owner before me obsessed over most of the build, and only added 2,000 miles in the 12 years he owned it. I corrected what he got wrong, detailed above, and I have driven it 1,000 miles or so during my three years or so of ownership. Most of its time with me, its been either at Ace Performance or MC Racing, getting sorted out. Either of those shops can talk about the car. You'd want to ask for Baer at Ace, or Maurizio at MC Racing. The car is currently at MC Racing, and available there for inspection.
The best way to describe this car is near-feral. It has a race motor in a street car. It vibrates and thrums. The exhaust clunks against the body and occasionally rattles. That being said, it drives almost completely normally below 3500 rpm, maybe a hair sluggish because of the big turbo. The lightened flywheel and big crank are noticeable on releasing the clutch. From 3500-4500 rpm, things start to get interesting. above 4500rpm, its sort of like Star Wars when the Millennium falcon hits hyperdrive. The background blurs. The turbo whistles loudly. The 4 inch exhaust sounds great. The motor clearly enjoys being here, and was designed to run above 5k all day long. shifting at 6500 brings a whistle from the wastegate, a small chuff from the BOV, and renewed acceleration. The car is fun as hell to drive, and will terrify your passengers. Not designed for drag strips, on a road course or winding back roads is where the car feels most at home. The car made 352 whp on 93, with a conservative tune, and on 100 it made 404. If you want to turn the wick up a bit, raise the octane to 110, and change the wastegate spring, the car is likely to make closer to 460, which it made with a prior owner, who was looking for max power, not engine longevity. If you have any questions, feel free to call me at 603-498-1484 from 8am to 9:30pm EST, or text me anytime.
Interestingly, the car has zero track miles since my build. It only has 6 total laps since I bought it. I took it out when I first got it to Club Motorsports in NH, the fueling system failed, fuel pressure dropped, and the motor grenaded on my 6th lap. I rebuilt the motor using the components listed above, added a fuel pressure sensor for fuel pressure compensation, closed-loop boost control for added boost safety, and additional monitoring and safeguards to the tune, upgraded the rest of the fueling system, upgraded the ignition system, and by the time all of that was done, my son began racing a Spec Racer Ford. Now, this little baby has to go to help pay for that sport. The car is now done right, and my loss is your gain. Reproducing this car would cost close to three times my reserve.Due to the performance nature of the car, car is offered as is, with no warranties implied. If you would like to inspect the car, please do so during the auction window. If you bid on the car, it means you have satisfied your needs to inspect the vehicle, prior to your purchase. That is why they call it a PPI, its a pre-purchase inspection. I have listed a few cars where people want to inspect the car a week after purchase, which I think is sorta weird. If you want to buy it, I'd suggest inspecting it first! I have tried to accurately represent many of the weird details of the vehicle, but I am sure there are more. Good luck bidding! Please disregard my purchase and sales history; I use my wife's eBay account to sell cars, I do not have a handbag/jewelry/beauty supply fixation.
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