Why do people track these cars?
12-15-2012, 11:18 AM
#16
Racer
Join Date: Sep 2011
Location: Inland Empire, California
Posts: 260
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
"To my family, the 944 is more than a new car.It is a new and true Porsche.At Porsche, excellence is expected.Dr. F. PorscheStuttgart"
Only if people would read this and quite saying the 944 not a real Porsche!!!!
Only if people would read this and quite saying the 944 not a real Porsche!!!!
12-15-2012, 12:58 PM
#17
If one applies the following attributes, the 944 comes out on top or as the common denominator:
1. Camaraderie among down-to-earth Porsche enthusiasts/owners
2. Great bang for the buck to acquire, maintain and track/race
3. Balanced and relevant handling, even by today's standards
4. True Porsche factory-supported racing heritage (see Porsche Museum photos).
1. Camaraderie among down-to-earth Porsche enthusiasts/owners
2. Great bang for the buck to acquire, maintain and track/race
3. Balanced and relevant handling, even by today's standards
4. True Porsche factory-supported racing heritage (see Porsche Museum photos).
12-15-2012, 01:15 PM
#19
A good condition 944/951 is a very robust track car. 95% of issues you see are cars that are already in some state of disrepair. Usually due to age or neglect because someone purchased it cheap and treats it as such.
Treat the car as you would any proper track car and its a very robust platform.
12-15-2012, 01:29 PM
#20
Rennlist Member
Join Date: Dec 2003
Location: NH
Posts: 247
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
As someone mentioned earlier, a 25 year old anything driven on a track will break once in a while. I drove my car to DEs for 7 years. In those 7 years the car nearly stranded me only twice. One time my exhaust fell off. I chalk that one to me not checking things before driving all the way to LRP. The other time my TPS decided to go at Mt Tremblant. One year I drove my 944 (with tire trailer in tow) from NH to Mt Tremblant, drove two days on the track, then drove from Mt Tremblant to Lime Rock, drove one day on the track, then home to NH. The car never missed a beat.
The 944 is great platform on the track. It handles amazingly well. Where it lacked HP to motor down the straights it made up for it with cornering speeds.
The 944 is great platform on the track. It handles amazingly well. Where it lacked HP to motor down the straights it made up for it with cornering speeds.
12-15-2012, 02:09 PM
#21
Rennlist Member
I think a lot of people like the 944 becasue it handles well and can get to the track relatively cheaply. Also, if these cars are properly maintained, they're pretty bulletproof. In my case, I bought a car that hadn't been terrifically maintained, so I had to do some catch-up maintenance. Other than that, I've really only had 2 issues that stranded the car. The first was an A/C compressor that seized and stripped the alternator belt. The second was an electrical gremlin with the speed/reference sensors that caused an intermittant no-start issue (which I have finally resolved).
Overall, for a 25 year old car, that's not too bad I think. Consumables for my car (tires, brakes, filters) are all pretty reasonable, and I can run in DE's with Caymans, 911's, and such. It's a lot of fun
Overall, for a 25 year old car, that's not too bad I think. Consumables for my car (tires, brakes, filters) are all pretty reasonable, and I can run in DE's with Caymans, 911's, and such. It's a lot of fun
12-15-2012, 03:02 PM
#22
Our wives should "do lunch".
12-15-2012, 04:15 PM
#23
I started driving one of my 83's this week after drving the Supercharged 928 for most of the summer. I have to say the 944 is still a lot of fun to drive too. I have never really tracked one for real but I may need to do that next summer.
12-15-2012, 07:15 PM
#24
Pro
Join Date: Feb 2009
Location: NV
Posts: 644
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Excellent build quality, like 911's of the same era, excellent handling, inexpensive cost of entry, consumables, classes in SCCA in TT-6. Plenty of other reasons, these are mine.
Oh, these cars are not collectible, sorry to say this on a 944 board, but it is the truth.
Oh, these cars are not collectible, sorry to say this on a 944 board, but it is the truth.
12-15-2012, 07:47 PM
#26
In the 80s and early 90s even the best of the 60s muscle cars weren't "collectable" yet. They were just old chevys, Fords and Mopars. Those were also produced in MUCH higher numbers than these cars.
12-15-2012, 07:50 PM
#27
944'w will be highly collectable in a few years. That is almost a given considering the popular history it has and the great car that it was for its time. Just need to get a few more of the un-cared for junk examples parted out, and they are going fast.
12-15-2012, 09:41 PM
#28
I've been wondering this for a while as it seems the 944 is a fragile car that doesn't do too great under the stress of track conditions. Sure all cars will experience certain problems on a track but with the issues the 944 has like the rod bearings and cracking a-arms it just seems weird that these cars would be so popular to drive on road courses, although I can see how they make great streetcars.
So why put up with it? And don't tell me it has to do with the cheapness or handling as there are cheaper cars to turn into racers and much better handling cars that will outlast these things.
So why put up with it? And don't tell me it has to do with the cheapness or handling as there are cheaper cars to turn into racers and much better handling cars that will outlast these things.
Yes, the 944 encounters problems under high performance driving, as would any car. There are plenty of people who trash the car, don't build it well, or don't take proper care of it. Yea if you don't check your oil all day then sure you might get oil starvation. I've seen plenty of poorly built cars.
Anyone who drives their car on the track, yes I would recommend aftermarket A-arms.
Rod bearings, all engines have weakpoints. At the track you check your oil more often than you eat, unless you have a dry sump setup.
If you want to see fragile, go look at a Japanese car and try pushing on a metal body panel. Then go push on the metal of a Porsche. You'll see how much thicker it is. Or- just close the door on each car. The sound can tell you. While the metal is NOT a substitute for a rollcage, belts, seats, and other proper track safety equipment, it tells you something.
As for a car that's cheaper, handles better and lasts longer I'm not sure what it is. A go kart? It's not a car though. Heck, I'd like to see a car that handles as good with such archaic suspension technology.
IMO the 944 is a lot better than any other track car out there. The Miata might beat it, if it looked a little better and wasn't a Miata. Just IMO.
Porsches are probably some of the most reliable cars out there, when cared for properly. If you care for it like you would a Civic, then yea it'll break.
Yes, you obviously need to make sure the car is safe for any kind of driving. This should be common knowledge.
Take care!
Last edited by FrenchToast; 12-15-2012 at 09:59 PM.
12-15-2012, 10:16 PM
#29
Team Owner
Join Date: Oct 2009
Location: one thousand, five hundred miles north of Ft. Lauderdale for the summer.
Posts: 28,705
Received 212 Likes
on
153 Posts
i disagree. the Hemi's sure were... and the '60s Vettes and Camaro's not far behind. we had guys doing $60,000 plus restorations of Hemi Chargers, Road Runners and Cudas going on just at the shop down the street in 1990~4 with a collector right in town. not before long, them damn cars got to be contageous at John's shop, with more coming in.
i blew it on a '67 Cuda i could have had for pennies, back in '88.
this old lady at the ralph's in La Jolla says to me, "i can't sell it to you for 600.... i want at least 1600....."
i knew it was gonna be something in the near future.... but, i was *** dumb.
caught in the middle of other projects.
