mazdaverx7

i have a few questions about the early 85 model year 944's.. just trying to brush up on my modely year knowledge and learn more about my car in the process. hoping these simple questions don't sound ridiculous.


1. my early 85 944 has a black gas cap and i've seen other 944's with the black gas cap as well. is this an indication of a base model or was it an option to have a painted gas cap? or could it be that its a replacement?

2. are the carly build 85's basically a carryover car from the 84 model year? meaning they have zero cosmetic updates that the 85.5's have such as the phone dial wheels, updated interior etc and do not have the aluminum control arms?

3. in place of a front license plate bracket i have seen the rear 944 emblem used on the front bumper. a friend has a euro spec 84 and it has a silver 944 emblem on the front bumper in place of the plate bracket. was that a euro thing or was that optional in north america as well or is that purely an owner applied addition?

4. was the four spoke steering wheel an option on the early 85's or did all 944's up to 85.5 come soley with the three spoke wheel?

5. did the cookie cutter wheels come with the option to have the Porsche crest in the center color painted?

6. will turbo phone dials fit the early 85 or if i wanted the phone dials, would i have to use the n/a phone dial wheels?

ecostellodo

I will answer what I can.

1. The original gas caps that I have seen are red and locking. The ignition key is used to lock/unlock the cap.

2. Early 85 are the same cosmetic look as the 83-84 models. I do not know about the control arms.

3. IDK

4. Four spoke wheel was an option.

5. IDK

6. IDK. I haven't gotten into offsets of the early vs late. I have 15" fuchs and am quite happy with those.

Others please correct anything that may be incorrect. I only know a little.

V2Rocket

1) likely a replacement, if you are referring to the body piece that covers the gas filler. would seem odd to offer a different color gascap on what was a very expensive car.
2) yes to all questions. the early 1985 cars were built up until about february 1985, at which point the late cars were introduced. mine is an early '85, but built in 12/84.
3) the badge is like a sticker, iirc, so put it wherever you want
4) im fairly certain that the 4-spoke was available
5) unsure
6) if you get the phonedials off an '86 turbo they should fit.

FRporscheman

Spencer mostly got it but I'll offer my input anyway

1. all porsche gas caps are locking red caps. They often get replaced with aftermarket non-locking caps.
2. '85/1 is identical in all ways to '84.
3. Porsche never stuck an emblem there, only on the back.
4. option, afaik
5. the only colored center caps I've ever seen were painted by the owner, or by the dealer, not the factory.
6. any wheels up through 1986 will fit, 1987-up will need spacers. This rule doesn't necessarily apply to 928 wheels.

mazdaverx7

thank you for the answers so far! i should clarify my gas cap question and state that its the fuel filler door that i was asking about. mine is black and my car is gray. i have seen other 944's with a black gas door and their body color was not black. i'm guessing it may be a replacement. i'll post a pic if you guys would like

FRporscheman

Yeah, a pic might help. So you're not talking about the screw-on cap, but the door that has the tire pressure sticker on the inside?

That door is always body color. If it's a different color, it was replaced or painted black on purpose (PO thought it looked cool?).

mazdaverx7

here is a picture of my car the first day i laid eyes on her... its the only one i have at this moment and the car will be out of storage on thursday so i'll be able to get better pics then if need be:

mazdaverx7

i also noticed that this car thats for sale on ebay has the same colored gas door:



makes me wonder if its a cheap aftermarket replacement and the owners were too lazy to paint it or the paint flaked off completely....

Homer

Every door I have seen has been body colour, likely replacement.

On the ATS "cookie cutters" they are usually black centers with porsche emblem. I do not know if there was a factory option back then for coloured caps. Perhaps check the 944 FAQ, I think there are option lists. There were aftermarket coloured caps readily available.

Dino944

Back in the mid 1980s my Dad and I each looked at 944s both early 85 and late 85 models. All 944s at the dealerships, at least the US spec ones, had body colored fuel cover doors and a red locking gas cap underneath. If your car has is silver but the fuel cover door is black, it was replaced or painted by someone else.

As for a 944 emblem on the front bumper, thats definitely not from the factory. I've seen it done, but it was done by the owner.

As for the wheel centers the cookie cutters were usually black, although I saw a few that had a silver center cap. I also recall seeing a few 944s with cookie cutter that had been painted body color, although this was more common if the car was equipped with Fuchs. If you are talking about the crest in the center of the wheel cap, back in the 1980s you could buy painted ones from Beverly Hills Motoring Accessories (long gone), but I think the paint work was aftermarket.

Best regards,
Dino

mazdaverx7

i really appreciate all of the solid answers i've received!! i think i'm pretty clear on everything that i've asked. seems my car isn't very optioned which is fine for me!

were there different trim levels of 944 before the turbo or was there only one trim level produced and options could be added to that basic package? i'll have to look at my option tag and see what exacly i have. i'll also post a pic of that as well. from what i can tell i have the following options: metallic paint, sunroof, cruise control, and rear wiper..all of which are seemingly standard options.

pkt1213

If you want, very soon I'll have turbo phonies and Fuchs for sale as well as a 4 spoke steering wheel.

My early 85 had the 4 spoke "sport" wheel. It also had a black 944 enblem on the front bumper. I just never put a front plate on and was going to tell the cop it was a Florida car w/ no front plate when I bought it, and the bracket was coming from germany. But I never got pulled over.

mazdaverx7

when you are ready to sell that stuff please shoot me a pm! i'd like a 4 spoke wheel and maybe a newly used set of oem wheels

so you've seen the 944 emblem on the front bumper as well? a guy a few miles up the road has a copenhagen blue 84 euro model with the 944 emblem on the front bumper. looks kind of out of place but i hadn't seen it on another 944 so i was questioning it.

ecostellodo

Send Ian at www.944online.com your VIN number and he can tell you what options you have on your car.

FRporscheman

For anyone interested, a late 4-spoke wheel can easily be modified to fit an early dash/column. I didn't even know there was a difference; I bought a 4-spoke from a 951 and tried putting it on my old 85/1 944 and the turn signal canceling tab was wrong, but I was able to use the tab from the 3-spoke. I don't remember the details but I think it was a direct part swap.

afaik early 944s had no trim levels, just options. Although some options are regarded as an entire trim level, like m030 or 474. The "best" early 944 to have is the model year 1983, because they were lighter and came with forged connecting rods... again some people regard the 83s differently so you might call it a trim.

Honestly I don't think different 944 models can be categorized as trims, since what you'd expect to be a trim level is usually just an option package. E.g. a 944S has the same interior, exterior, suspension and brakes as a 944, just more power. But you can have leather interior or sport seats on either one just by buying the option.