Performance Review: Porsche 944 Turbo Cabriolet - [1991]

Figures & Specs Summary:

Porsche 944 Performance Review.

Introduction:

This edition of the Porsche 944 Turbo Cabriolet is the 5 speed / Manual version and was first brought out in 1991. This was at around the same time as the introduction of the 1991 Jaguar XJ R-15 6.0 V12 and the 1992 Bugatti EB110 SuperSport.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, Cabriolet 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 1400 kgs (3086 lbs) this makes the Porsche 944 Turbo Cabriolet in the same weight category as the 2022 Lamborghini Huracan Tecnica 5.2 V10 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 8V St4 engine produces 247 bhp (184 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 258 lb-ft (349.8 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 2012 Audi A3 S3 2.0 Turbo (201.3 bhp per ton) has similar Bhp Per Ton stats as the Porsche 944.

The Porsche 944 has a Power to weight ratio of 176.4 bhp per ton and 184.2 lb-ft per ton. Bhp Per Ton figures of the 1991 944 competing with the 2012 Audi A3 S3 2.0 Turbo (201.3 bhp per ton) or the 2023 Toyota Corolla GR Circuit Edition 1.6 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 184.2 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 2021 BMW 2 Series M240i xDrive 3.0 Turbo G42 (209.0 lb-ft per ton) or the 2014 Porsche 911 Targa 4S 991 (209.0 lb-ft per ton).

Acceleration:

With a 0-60mph time of 5.80 secs or a 0-100km/h (0-62mph) of 6.0 secs, this made the Porsche 944 Turbo Cabriolet as fast as the 2021 KIA K5 GT 2.5 Turbo (5.80 secs) the 2020 Toyota Camry TRD 3.5 V6 (5.80 secs) the 2017 Seat Leon ST Cupra 300 DSG (5.80 secs) the or the 2017 Renault Megane RS 1.8 Turbo 280 (5.80 secs). This Porsche 944 Turbo Cabriolet is also faster than the 2019 Ford Focus ST 2.3 EcoBoost Automatic Wagon (5.90 secs) the 2019 Ford Focus ST 2.3 EcoBoost Automatic (5.90 secs) the 2017 Hyundai i30 N Performance 2.0 Turbo (5.90 secs) the and the 2015 Seat Leon ST Cupra 280 (5.90 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 14.59 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 1991 version of the Porsche 944 Turbo Cabriolet has a maximum speed of 162mph.

Top Speed of the 1991 944 equals the 2020 Ford Mustang Shelby GT350 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 1991 Porsche 944 Turbo Cabriolet then how about the 2020 Ford Mustang Shelby GT350 5.2 V8 (173 mph), the 2020 Ford Mustang Shelby GT350R 5.2 V8 (173 mph), or the 2014 Porsche Boxster GTS PDK (173 mph).

Related Links:

1991 944 Rivals List.

A Brief History of Porsche

Car Comparison