Performance Review: Porsche 944 Turbo - [1989]

Figures & Specs Summary:

Porsche 944 Performance Review.

Introduction:

This edition of the Porsche 944 Turbo is the 5 speed / Manual version and was first brought out in 1989. This was at around the same time as the introduction of the 1989 Ferrari F40 LM Competizione 2.9 V8 Twin Turbo and the 1989 Dodge Viper 8.0L V10.This particular Porsche 944 has a 2479cc Turbo Petrol powerplant with 4 cylinders in a St formation.

Alternative Petrol St4's includes the 2019 Ariel Atom 4 2.0 Turbo

The 944 shares its Petrol St4 engine configuration with the likes of the 2019 Ariel Atom 4 2.0 Turbo and the 2013 Caterham 7 620 R 2.0 L Supercharged. If you're looking for other fast cars which share the 944's Rear Wheel Drive, Coupe combination then how about the 1982 Fiat X1/9 1.5 8V or the 1965 Aston-Martin DB6 1965.

Power and Weight:

Weighing in at 1416 kgs (3121 lbs) this makes the Porsche 944 Turbo in the same weight category as the 2022 Lotus Emira First Edition 3.5 V6 Supercharged Auto or the give or take 50kg.

The Porsche 944 shares the same bhp with the 2022 Mini Cooper John Cooper Works Cabrio 2.0 Turbo (228 bhp)

In terms of power the 2479cc 16V St4 engine produces 250 bhp (186 kW) @ 6000 rpm similar to the 2022 Mini Cooper John Cooper Works Cabrio 2.0 Turbo (228 bhp) or the 2021 Ford Mustang Mach-E AWD (266 bhp).

The Turbo St4 throws out 259 lb-ft (351.1 Nm) @ 4000 rpm placing it with cars of similar torque performance figures such as the 2023 Toyota Corolla GR Circuit Edition 1.6 Turbo (273 lb-ft) or the 2022 Toyota Corolla GR 1.6 Turbo (273 lb-ft).

Power to Weight:

If one combines the weight with power or torque performance for the Porsche 944 you can get a better idea of it's real world performance.

The 2016 Jaguar F-Pace 3.0 V6 Supercharged (201.5 bhp per ton) has similar Bhp Per Ton stats as the Porsche 944.

The Porsche 944 has a Power to weight ratio of 176.5 bhp per ton and 182.9 lb-ft per ton. Bhp Per Ton figures of the 1989 944 competing with the 2016 Jaguar F-Pace 3.0 V6 Supercharged (201.5 bhp per ton) or the 2012 Audi A3 S3 2.0 Turbo (201.3 bhp per ton).

Power to Weight(cont.):

If you agree with the late great Carroll Shelby then arguably an even better indicator of potential performance, Torque. Use weight as well and you end up with - Torque per ton, with the Porsche 944 generating around 182.9 lb-ft per ton. If you're curious as to what other cars have as much torque to weight then look no further than the 2022 Lotus Eletre S 603 bhp (207.9 lb-ft per ton) or the 1960 Chevrolet Impala 348 Hardtop (207.8 lb-ft per ton).

Acceleration:

With a 0-60mph time of 5.50 secs or a 0-100km/h (0-62mph) of 5.7 secs, this made the Porsche 944 Turbo as fast as the 2019 Ford Focus ST 2.3 EcoBoost (5.50 secs) the 2017 Seat Leon Cupra 300 DSG (5.50 secs) the 2017 Honda Civic Type R 2.0i 16v Turbo - FK8 (5.50 secs) the or the 2017 Seat Leon SC Cupra 300 (5.50 secs). This Porsche 944 Turbo is also faster than the 2022 Volkswagen-VW Arteon 2.0T (5.60 secs) the 2022 Volkswagen-VW Arteon 2.0T AWD (5.60 secs) the 2020 Maserati Ghibli GranSport Petrol Hybrid (5.60 secs) the and the 2019 Tesla Model 3 Standard Range (5.60 secs).

Quarter Mile time is a close race between the 944 and the 2006 BMW Z4 3.0si Sport 2d

When talking about the performance of the Porsche 944 on the drag strip it can reach a quarter mile in an estimated 14.58 secs @ 93.8 mph. Similar performance down the quarter mile can be found with the the 2006 BMW Z4 3.0si Sport 2d (14.52 secs), the 1984 BMW 6 Series M635 CSi E24 (14.53 secs), and the 2021 BMW 2 Series M240i 3.0 Cabrio Turbo F23 (14.53 secs).

Top Speed:

Modern performance cars are often artificially restricted to 155mph. The 1989 version of the Porsche 944 Turbo has a maximum speed of 162mph.

Top Speed of the 1989 944 equals the 2020 Ford Mustang Shelby GT350R 5.2 V8 (173 mph)

If maxing out your car on the AutoBahn is your thing and you're wondering what's faster than the 1989 Porsche 944 Turbo then how about the 2020 Ford Mustang Shelby GT350R 5.2 V8 (173 mph), the 2020 Ford Mustang Shelby GT350 5.2 V8 (173 mph), or the 2014 Porsche Boxster GTS PDK (173 mph).

Related Links:

1989 944 Rivals List.

A Brief History of Porsche

Car Comparison