944Fest (aka Dan P)

I've been contacted by someone who is not on Rennlist trying to get more info about his car. I told him to get a certificate of authenticity from PCA and promised to put it up on the list to see what you all think about this car. To me it looks a lot like a 89 944 S2 Cabriolet with phone dials and a painted engine compartment. Here are a few quotes from him:

I think I'm the owner of a hybrid 944. The engine is definitely a
2.7 'S' type while the body is that of the 89 S2 Cab. It even has the fiberglass front end like the old 'S' models had. I was told thru previous owners that this car was built by Porsche specifically for the 1989 Detroit Auto Show then given to ASC to be fitted with a Cab to show the public what was coming later in the year. I found a born on date in the engine compartment that bears part of this story out, it's dated OCT 88. I've also been told that the color used on this car
was specifically chosen by Porsche for this car only and not used since.
Is this a rare car? And if so, How can I prove any of this?
I've tried to contact the folks at the auto show to see if they had an
inventory of Vin numbers for the 89 show, but to no avail. I tried the ASC folks, but they say they don't have records dating back that far. Porsche NA can only tell me the born date - which I have.
Do you have nay sources I could use to verify some of this information?
I appreciate learning as much about this car as I can.
I'll send you some pics can you ask the experts
if there is any way I can confirm that this car is really a hybrid?
S2 chassis w/CAB and an S engine? Like I said the engine compartment
sticker says the car was built in OCT/88. The Detroit show that this car
was reportedly on view was Jan of 89. Any of these experts can reach me
at cfduto@adelphia.net











As far as I know, that looks just like the engine that belongs in an 89 S2, (just like fishey's beautiful engine, only with painted inner fenders, etc) The nose piece is just what belongs on an S2. The color may look a little pinkish, but it is always hard to tell from pictures. What do you think?

Luis de Prat

This car was eBay'ed and posted about here in the forum. Perhaps a search will bring up more info.

Personally, I think it's a bit of a "parts jumble" as far as the wheels and paint job, but the engine looks pretty much like a stock 3.0 944S2 that should be in the car. I believe a 2.7 944S would have a visible air box.

FWIW, the S2 cab was introduced by the factory in 1989.

ilikemy944

Definately pink.

ilikemy944

The black pinstriping around the back stops at the doors, which in the second to last picture seem to have a different shade of pink from the rest of the car - the fender is the same as the door, which seems lighter than the rear end...

Campeck

DANGIT!! this guy AGAIN?!?!
when will he get it through his head that his engine is an S2 engine?!?!

my dad has e-mailed him saying that it was an S2 engine and he e-mailed back( I believe) saying that it was an "S"........I mean come-on....this car is OBVIOUSLY a normal S2 cab thats been repainted............thats it.

Campeck

ok...maybe the car hasnt been repainted..hard to tell. but it is still just a normal S2 cab.......

Campeck

wait a minute.......look at the headlight bar.....along with the strut tops..and strut tower bolts....and hood latch...AND the sprayer lines.
why are they ALL that same flat black color.....
maybe the engine bay was repainted with the car.......not to be mean to this guy..but I just cant get over his hard headed idea that its an "S" engine...

"The engine is definitely a
2.7 'S' type while the body is that of the 89 S2 Cab"

Tom R.

Everyone is so quick to pass judgment.

I posted the ebay auction a few months back.

Who are the Cabrio experts here? Maybe someone that read one or two books in their life, hopefully on porsches can shed some light instead of the barstool experts pointing out the obvious.

Campeck

ok tom.....it's an "S" cabroilet...

come on man...even YOU have an S2

Dave

Have we all forgotten that the S engine was a 2.5 liter and was produced for MY 1987 and 1988 only? The ONLY 2.7 liter 944 motor was the 1989 8V NA motor! I also think it's kind of funny that this car was built 2 months into the 1989 MY as a one off, real S@ cabs had already been built by then and were in showrooms well before January 1989. This guy obviously has no sense of timing!

Luis de Prat

It could very well be a "one off" early example of the 944 cabrio. Porsche actually introduced a 944 cab prototype at the Frankfurt show of 1985, where there were at least three imitators in the specialist hall, so there's no telling how many "samples" the factory might have produced before the official introduction.

The first production year was 1989 with a total of 16 cars, all U.S. spec. I suspect this may be one of those cars, possibly a make over of the cited Detroit Auto Show car in that flashy "Rubinrot" fucsia factory color.

If owning 2 examples of these cars is of any value, I can say that there is no "pinstriping" around the back, but rather polyurethane panels that cover the rear fender tops, creating the line you see in the pics. This is a stock feature.

aribop

Good point Dave. I think whoever sold this guy the car fed him a line and he took it hook, line, and sinker.

Luis de Prat

Also, notice that unlike 100% of U.S. spec cabs, this car has no door rubbing strips, which was the standard for the Euro spec cabs. Another indication of it being one of those first 16 cars or an earlier car show "sample."

The most obvious detail, however, are the phonedial wheels pictured, which are also indicative of an early chassis, and I'm not sure have the same offset as the Design90s that came stock on all 944S2 cabs. Interestingly, the factory Frankfurt show prototype had Fuchs wheels.

ilikemy944

Luis - this?
I do admit I can be wrong :P but this looks JUST like the black pinstripe that used to be on my 944.

Luis de Prat

Yes, that's not a decal, it's an actual line from the overlapping polyurethane panel. Aside from the crease, they are indistinguishable from the rest of the finish.