In the shadow of the mighty 911 there lives one of the greatest-handling cars of the 1980s. Not much could challenge the Porsche 944 for outright dynamic ability, given its almost 50:50 weight distribution, torquey four-cylinder engine and brilliantly judged chassis. And that included the 911.

Launched at the 1981 Frankfurt motor show, the 944 was in effect a comprehensive evolution of the successful 924, with wide wheels, even wider ‘arches and a new Porsche-developed engine. Developing that engine called for a clever solution, given the limited funds in the company budgets, so the architecture and the basic design of the 928’s V8 provided the building blocks for the new 2.5-litre engine. Balance shafts smoothed out much of the gruffness associated with large-capacity fours, and Bosch Motronic fuel injection helped towards a power figure of 163bhp. It was an instant hit, taking over from where the compromised 924 left off. In 1985 the old 924-derived dashboard was replaced with a much more modern-looking item.

And that is exactly the modelyear we are offering for sale. This so-called 944 Mk2 left the factory in September 1985, finished in beautiful and rare Copenhagen Blue with a black leather interior. It has the optional Targa roof, which is easy to store in the big boot and gorgeous Fuchs wheels. The car had only one owner in Germany, two more in Holland and now on a Belgian registration as classic vehicle. A full service including belts was performed two years ago at 145.000 km, and new tyres were fitted as well in 2023. This 944 offers a great driving experience and everything works as it should. The second generation dashboard has no cracks and looks like new, and the 964 RS steering wheel just adds a bit more sportiness in the nice interior.

This is probably one of the best 944's on the market in a rare and beautiful colour combination. The car has a relatively low and genuine mileage, fully verifiable with the service book, and incomparable with the average Porsche 944 on offer. A unique opportunity to acquire a top example of this fine eighties quality sports car.