The most recent episode of Matt Farah’s One Take series features a very rare one-year-only Porsche 944 with a special commemorative options package, an incredible 1988 944 Turbo S Silver Rose Edition. Only 380 of these were built, and they’re held in high regard among transaxle-lovers. And for good reason. Technically the 944 Turbo S was only built for 1988, but in 1989-1991 all Turbos were built to Turbo S specification, so really any late 944 Turbo would have all of the goodies this one does, including the 928 “Big Black” brake calipers. Compared to the 1987 model, the ’88 Turbo S had a whole host of upgrades and cool bits that takes it from good to great.
Farah, after caning this car on amazing roads, came to this epiphany: “This is exactly the kind of car that should be worth money. If you can take a car that is 30 years old, and come out here and drive it like this without any modern upgrades, that is a good car,” and then followed that up with a punctuating “Hell yeah!”. A near-perfect condition 944 Turbo is one of those life-affirming kinds of cars, letting you know that it is capable of everything you want to throw at it. The interior is perfectly wrapped around the driver, and with a very extended-leg position, it feels like you’re really sitting in it, rather than on it. The driver/car connection is about as great in a 944 as you’ll find in any sports car, certainly among our favorites.
As the One Take series is coming to a close, it’s been awesome to see the percentage of Porsche content increase lately, and now that Matt has his own Porsche, he’s truly one of ‘us’, he’s joined the club. It’s good to know that he gets it with Porsches like this one, and isn’t just in it because it’s the trendy thing to do. If you love driving, and you love cars, chances are, you’ll eventually end up in a Porsche of one kind or another. I started my journey in a 944, and the only thing I regret is selling it.
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They are called “cracks” in the dashboard. Not “tears”. It’s not a piece of paper,
I was fortunate enough to own one of these beauties for several years. Peter Morgan even featured my vehicle in his book "ORIGINAL PORSCHE 924/944/968". My first HPDE adventure in it was at Road America, where I had previously driven a 1983 944, with just 143hp. Imagine the grin on my helmeted face as I climbed the hill from turn 14 up to the start/finish line in this 250hp silver streak, accelerating the entire time. And, the track wasn't the only venue where this car excelled.......I drove it to an overall men's AX championship in Chicago Region PCA along with several local TSD Rallye first place finishes. It was an extremely enjoyable car to drive under all conditions, not to mention it had excellent fuel economy (31mpg) on long trips.