BlackOp

The handle on my driver's side is identical to the script style but smooth (w/o Porsche lettering). I havent seen them anywhere. Does anyone know who manufactured these. Are they Porsche?

Jay W

My late 86 (87) 944S has the smooth ones.

xsboost90

script handles came on the earlier cars if i remember right.

LiveFromNY

I read on one of the parts sites that the oem handles with script are unavailable. Replacement part is without script.

FRporscheman

I forget which years got script and which years got smooth, but the smooth is definitely stock Porsche. The smooth ones are supposed to be easier to find but I don't see them for sale as often.

I parted out an '89 which had script handles, I don't know if it came like that though.

LiveFromNY

Yeah. Didn't mean to imply that the smooth handles weren't oem. Just that if your car came with oem script handles, the only oem replacements are without script. New handles with script aren't available any longer (or so I have read).

FRporscheman

That sucks. What sucks more is that any time there is a script handle for sale, it is snatched up by some kid with a GTI.

KuHL 951

AFAIK the 86 Turbo was the first with script and all turbos, 944S's, and S2's had them also. The plain non-script handles were on the 85+ NA's (non-S) until the model ended. So many handles have broken and been swapped it's hard to tell what was OE.

BlackOp

It's strange as I have never seen them for sale. If the smooth handles were factory on all 85.5+ NA's, you would think they would show up regularly on Ebay. My (85.5) passenger side was the early two piece version and PO had the driver's replaced.

Why are script handles so expensive if they were on all 951, S2 and S models? Is it because you cant buy them new anymore? I never see the smooth handles when people are parting out N/As.

Po924S

+1. I've never seen a smooth handle. Only once.

67King

My 64,000 unmolested 89 Turbo has smooth handles (though my 88 Turbo has script). I can't fathom they are replacement. PO bought it when it was only 3 years old.

Also, my father-in-law has had an 89 S2 he bought with under 50,000 miles on it a good ten years ago. Again, no script. Can't recall about his 87 Turbo, though.

BlackOp

So were script handles a factory option or only available on certain years/models? Does anyone have a late model N/A with "smooth" one piece handles? It's kind of silly but I want to know....My "script" passenger side handle might be broken and I will possibly need a replacement. I kind of like the "smooth" handles...already have enough Porsche logos.

alxdgr8

My 87 924S had the non-smooth handles...had a plastic center trim piece.
My 87 951 has script handles

JET951

Hi Black Op, I can only talk of what we received from Porsche Germany in Australia in regards to new Porsche's and what I saw working at a Porsche dealership in that decade and later .

Up to and including the 1985 year type 944 , these had the early 924 style of door handle (plastic insert) .

From year type 1986 , turbo ( 951) and the normally aspirated 944 both got the new style of handle with the "cast in "script of the word Porsche . these handles were black anodized not painted and were expensive to make .

Some time during the 1987 year type ( I think early ) the manufacturing process for these handles was changed to reduce cost and once the anodized "script " handles were used up on the assembly line , then that was it , from then on ( 1987 mid thr to 1991) only the cheaper non script handles were fitted by the factory on all 944 variants

Sub note 1) , the non script ( later ) handles were never anodized , but were powder coated black instead.

Sub Note 2) we have seen many early ( 1986 script ) handles over the years that have been painted over by a panel shop or something similar because the original black anodizing had been damaged or had faded by too much sun etc etc .

Regards
BB

BlackOp

^^^ Thanks.

Still it's confusing that the "smooth" handles very rarely are for sale used. If there was a 4 year stretch where they were produced, why are they never available? I've never seen any in the two years of ownership...It's why I thought they were possibly VW or Audi. Oh well, scripts are always being sold for around $150+