Flatsixes readers haven't heard from Project 944 GTS in over a year, and in that time we haven't been wholly idle. The car has seen a lot of use, and a fair amount of work has been handled by professionals rather than myself. As it happens, most real mechanics don't like bespectacled Porsche nerds hanging over their shoulder with a camera, making …
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Project 944 GTS Mini Update: Rear Konis and Snapped Nuts
Yes, a mini update. For some reason, I expected replacing the rear shocks on Project 944 GTS would be a more time consuming job than it wound up being. Instead, replacing the rear shocks with Konis on this Porsche was easier than changing the oil. The improvement in performance and ride quality from this simple change was pretty incredible given …
Continue to the full articleProject 944 GTS Part 4: Chipped!
Sometimes you don't realize how bad something is until it's fixed. You plod forward, never knowing how much better things could be with a reasonably simple change. Apparently, that is how I felt about my ECU. The ECU, I always felt had slightly sloppy fuel mapping compared to a modern car, but it was thirty years old and that was sort of …
Continue to the full articleProject 944 GTS Mini Update: Lights, Hatch Issues and Parts Delays
There are certain difficulties in daily driving an older performance car. Some are obvious- the car sits substantially lower than even modern performance cars. Ventilation can leave something to be desired. Slow steering racks can make parallel parking a challenge (yes, project 944 GTS gets parallel parked a lot, so I am keenly aware of how many …
Continue to the full articleProject 944 GTS Part 3: Short Shifter and New Leather
A lot of the enjoyment of a car comes from the things you touch. In a car with a manual transmission, a whole lot of parts need to work harmoniously for the experience to be positive. Not only does the gearbox itself need to operate correctly, but the linkage, gear selector rod, and even the outer surface of the lever all need to have a certain …
Continue to the full articleProject 944 GTS Mini Update: Don’t Sweat the Small Stuff
The joys of owning an old car, particularly one with a large number of power features, are often tempered with frustration. In many ways, it can be hard to avoid the fact that Project 944 GTS is 30 years old. Though the car is tight, and well screwed together, many things that you touch and interact with day to day really show their age. Plastics …
Continue to the full articleProject 944 GTS Part 2: The Sway Bar and the All Weather Sports Car.
New York has been unusually wet this year. I'm not going to back this claim up with any real research about rainfall per month, but I don't think I'm wrong. After 26 years in one state, you sort of get a feel for its weather patterns. Thankfully, I own a Porsche, which means I don't need to be scared away by a drizzle or a torrential …
Continue to the full articleProject 944 GTS- Part 1: Introduction
Project Boxster Clubsport just wrapped up, it's time to change our tune. I'd like to introduce our new project car, and I'll be the first to point out that it is inconsistent with the very title of this site. It's Porsche-powered, but it's an all-aluminum 2.5L inline four, not a Flat Six. We didn't seek this car out as a project car, and actually I …
Continue to the full articleIs Subaru’s BRZ the spiritual successor to Porsche’s iconic 944?
Despite our name, Flatsixes loves transaxle Porsches. Between Bradley and myself, we currently own four 944s and 924s. Project 944 GTS, (which will have an update soon, by the way) is among my favorite cars I've ever owned. Barring often extremely cheap early Boxsters, it's hard to beat the 944's smile per dollar ratio. That said, the newest 944s …
Continue to the full articleA Brief History Of Porsche’s Transaxle Models: Types 924, 928, 944 and 968
In 1976, Porsche introduced their first transaxle powertrain with the type 924 and embarked into new = and some might say murky - waters. Unlike the venerable 911, the 924's engine is mounted in front, but the transmission is at the rear axle, thus the "transaxle" designation. All told, between 1976 and 1995, Porsche built a generation of sports …
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