Questions regarding a '86 944

[Mmagus]

Hi all,

I am doing a bit of shopping and came across a 1986 Porsche 944. The car claims to be a bit "unique" as it was ordered as a sunroof delete option and a cruise control delete option car. The gent also seems to think that it is lighter and stiffer than the sunroof equipped optioned cars. The sunroof or non-sunroof isnt a real selling point for me, though I would think a non-sunroof would gain me a bit of headroom (always a good thing for me). It did make me curious if his claims would be valid and how many of these were produced.

Any ideas?

Thanks,

Mark

[Jackie C]

don't know about how many were made, but we have have one without the sunroof option.

[martinreinhardt]

I have only seen a few even in Europe as it must be a rare or custom order option on a standard 944. Normally only seen on a 944 Turbo Cup or 968 Club Sport.

This would make a perfect donor for 944 Spec car

[ChuckS]

Mark,
There are a few around. I think I have seen 3 in San Diego. They are a little lighter, but not by much if you strip out the motor and mechanism as you would do on a race car. They might be a little stiffer, but not by much. You would get a little extra headroom, but again, not much if you strip out the interior panel and mechanism. You are welcome to take a look at ours or any of the SPEC cars to see how much extra headroom you get. My estimate is that it is about 1" or less (again with the headliner etc. removed). (With the full interior, it might be 2 - 3")

So, while it is rarer and more desirable for a race car, I would not pay any (or not much) extra because of it. On the other hand, the 1986 year is a good choice to make a race car out of. (Earlier offset wheels, aluminum arms, cheaper brakes, etc.). Have someone in the club who is familiar with the 944 take a look at it before you buy it, just to make sure ......

[Mmagus]

Thanks for the input folks! Fortunatly he isnt askig extra money for that option, he just made the claim and it was new to me. I will do my best to cross every t and dot every i before making the deal. Chuck, any within reasonable range for a look-see and i will be looking for a second set of eyes to be sure! Thanks for the idea as I had not considered it before.

See you soon all!

Mark

[Autobahn]

Like Chuck said, great year for a spec car. 1986 sunroof delete would be all you could ask for. If the the price is right, it's a no brainer. You can always drive it out to Autobahn and I can give it a quick look over for you... take it for a few hot laps around the airport.

[Tim Comeau]

Mark,
Most of the sunroof delete cars that I've seen are from 1984. Dunno why. As Chuck states, the big difference is headroom. I recently sold one to Ward Komers and he's a tall guy. I have one at the shop right now as well if you'd like to see one. We make a mod to the sunroof structure on both early and late sunrooves that gets almost as much headroom as a sunroof delete car.
BTW, The SCCA requires the roof to be metal, but I only know of one or two guys who race 944's with the SCCA. Most race with NASA or the POC.
Do you still have a contact for the guy with the 86 sunroof delete car?

[Mmagus]

Hi there Tim,

I do have the contact,the reason that I didnt go through with the car is that the gent told me it started sounding like it had a rod knock. That combined with the location (Phoenix) area made a straight buy not attractive to me. Mike is a nice guy and was very open with me regarding the status of the car. Here is the listing where I found it:

http://phoenix.craigslist.org/wvl/cto/1465945085.html

Happy Hunting!

Pastor Mark

[Tim Comeau]

Ok, thanks, Mark!
Wow....burgundy interior..makes me feel like a glass of Merlot....

[Mmagus]

Hi Tim,

I have another lead on a 944 that I passed on, I'll talk to you about it when I call later today.

Mark