is the 944 a real porsche?

[Rtarh2o]

What makes a 911 not a VW either? Think about it, rear engine, air cooled. The early models shared plenty of parts from the VW parts bin.
The 924/944 is the direction Porsche decided to go when they realized the shortcomings of the 911/Beetle platform.
Rusty

[RichardE]

This is great. Old argument back again. Like a few of you I have both. A 930LE and a 944S2. And the 944 is awsome. Frankly it makes no difference whether a Porsche is water cooled, air cooled, has audi bits, VW bits or whatever, the fact is they are all milestones in the Porsche story. And what some rear engined owners should remember is that if it wasn't for the marketing initiative and the cash flow generated by some of the front engined models, the Porsche story might have ended in the 80's. So be thankful for the 924's , 928's and 944's etc because they enabled the 911 story to continue when the future looked pretty bleak for Porsche.

[flash968]

lol - in my mind being referred to as something other than a porsche is a good thing - i hate porsches - i almost didn't buy my first 968 because of that - i bought it in spite of it being a porsche, and only because it was the only 2 seat convertible i could find with the engine in the front, drive in the rear, with AC and other such creature comforts, that would carry 2 full sets of golf clubs, my wife, 2 cases of wine, and a weekend of luggage

upon taking delivery i immediately went about removing every emblem and marking that said porsche that i could - if i could have filled in the lettering on the rear, and have it look decent, i would have done that too

it was still way too slow, sloshy and heavy, like every other porsche i had driven, so i yanked out 240lbs, pumped up the suspension, and have now supercharged it - much better now

so, those 911 guys can have their "real porsches" - i'll just enjoy watching them in my mirrors

[ewalt98]

I would have to agree, a Porsche may have parts from VW or Audi, but it really is the build philosophy and the driving experience that makes it a Porsche.
My next Porsche will be a 914 (can't afford a 911 yet), my 944 is a blast to drive, but I'm proud to say that my first and favorite Porsche is my aircooled Vanagon. About as close to a 911 as you can get!

[pjs77]

not too mention the fact that the air cooled guys LOVE to get us fired up about this. So much so that I would say that its a fairly good chance that this is a troll thread, but you never know

[Arizona_928]

No.... Now if you were to say a turbo.

[57Southbound]

...could tell some of those 911 guys they've really got a Volvo... Lol..


Porsche has weathered the administrative changes very well through the years and has managed to maintain an active family role in the company as well. Some popular current models include the Boxter, Cayman, and the 911.

The Volvo Boxter is a mid-engined roadster it was designed to replace the Porsche 968. The Boxter has received many awards since it was first introduced in 1996 and has been produced in two generations. The car is available with several choices of flat-6 engines.

The Volvo Cayman is a mid-engined sports car that seats two. The car was designed to replace the Porsche 968. The car is available with either a 2.7-litre flat six engine or a 3.4-litre flat six. Production of the Cayman began in 2006.

The Volvo 911 is a sports car that is available in three forms, two-door coupe, cabriolet, or Targa. The car was designed to replace the Porsche 356 and comes with a flat-6 engine. Production of the original 911 began in 1964 and has been produced in several series and generations through the years.

Link:

Porsche Car Review - Car Reviews @ BuyYourCar.co.uk


Ferrrari also use VW parts btw....

[Capt Squid]

Put a 944 and a 911 that cost exactly the same on the track and see which car kicks the ***** out of the other one. The car that crosses the finish line first is the real Porsche.

I have raced a 944 Turbo and now a 944 Spec and have beaten 911's that cost twice as much and are one or two classes higher.

[petrolhead611]

Explain the Volvo connection please?
I know that some Boxsters have been made in Finland, thus they are more likely to be Nokias than Volvo s aren't they?
The whole motor industry is now so interconnected that its difficult to point at any car and say that it is 100% pure. Many cars are just re-branded from other makes.
Incidentally Porsche, being design consultants, have designed parts of many cars, so just being designed by Porsche doesn't turn for example a Seat Ibiza into a Porsche.
What should one make of the 914 in terms of being a Porsche or otherwise.Examine the marketing history and you'l find that it was sold as a VW in some countries and as a Porsche in others, and I think, a VW-Porsche in yet others..

[Roman944]

I could care less, its a Porsche to me, and it gets plenty of attention/respect from people all over (even though mine is really not in the best shape cosmetically - paint - but the body is straight)

[guru944]

Also the 944 was the first Porsche to use the new Digital Motronic Engine Management in late 1982. The 944 was way ahead of its time compared to the the previous models...
The 1981 Le Mans 924/944 Prototype really set it off with 420Hp turbo 16 valve 2.5 liter. That is the original Porsche 944 Car...

Later.

[962porsche]

i realy hate this kind of debate !!! a porsche is a porsche ! does the 944 924 and 914 use parts from a vw yes ! was the 914 sold all over the world as a vw yes but not in the states . did the same person design the beetle as the 356 , 901 aka 911 yes . but just what is the point to debating it ?? did i put the porsche crest on the hood of my car or did porsche ? so its a porsche !!!! i had some 911's and 930's are they nice cars yep ! did i like to race them nope !the older 911's handle like a old beetle . they under steer on turn in and over steer on track out . just like my 73 beetle does . tell that to the ball lickin 911 owners that have there heads up there @ss . it realy pisses them off but its true !!! do i like to get payed to race a 997 yep ! but the bottom line is . the smille on my face when i come in from being on the track is the same . so to me thats what its all about .

[Rudeboy42]

Honestly I don't know what kinds of d**che bags you guys are talking to but I've never had a 911 owner make fun of my car. I autox it frequently with my local pca chapter and I go to meetings when I can and all the 911 owners are very nice to me or at least polite. When I tell them I have a 944 a lot of times the response is positive or at least just neutral, never negative. So it sounds to me like these "purists" are just a bunch of a**-holes and real hardcore porsche enthusiast appreciate all Porsches and recognize them as real Porsches.

[ernie9944]

Lol___