The 944 represented a departure from traditional 911 design that created a car with excellent poise and balance. Its front water-cooled engine and rear mounted 5spd transaxle gave it a 50/50 weight balance and a control unmatched in its day and still quite good today.
The cars in various forms were imported to the US from 1983 through 1991. The cars eligible for the 944 spec series are US specification cars 944 model years 1983 through 1988 and 924S model years 1987 and 1988. These cars have 2.5L 4 cylinders engines that pump out approximately 150 hp which translates into 130-135 rear wheel hp in 944-spec trim. While modest by today's standards these 8v aluminum engines can still propel the cars to 110 to 120 mph at most race tracks.
Suspension takes the form of McPherson struts in front and semi trailing arms with torsion bars in the rear. Plentiful aftermarket suspension options and a wide range of adjustments allows the cars to be quite quick at the race track and capable of holding their own versus many newer cars.
Basic 944-spec modifications include upgrades to springs, torsion bars, sway bars and removal of most interior components. Minimum class weight is 2600 lbs with driver and represents a 350 to 500 lbs reduction from stock weight. This weight reduction is achieved without the need to swap steel body panels for fiberglass or to replace any window glass thus minimizing build cost. Engines are mostly stock with only few minor changes allowed. See the 944-spec rules page for complete listing of rules.
944-SPEC Build Journals:
Corner Weights Calculator: Use this to calculate optimum cross weights for corner balancing.
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