Back in 1983 the buyer of a new Porsche had a really tough choice. They could either go with a front engine Porsche like the new 944 (for most people the price of a 928 put it out of reach) or the tried and true 911 SC.
A new 911 SC cost $30,400 while the brand new 944 only cost $18,450, so you could spend quite a bit less and get the 944. For some people the fact that the 944 had the engine in the front and was water cooled would keep them from buying the 944, but for those who just wanted the best Porsche for the money it came down to performance.
Both cars where good performers in 1983. We must remember that performance standards where very different back in the early 80’s. In 1983 a Ford Mustang GT took 8 seconds to reach 60 MPH and a Mazda RX7 toook 9 seconds to get to 60 MPH. The 911 SC had more horse power than the 944 (172bhp vs 143bhp in U.S. form), but also weight about 200lb more. When you look at advertising from 1983 you see that the 911 SC had a 0-50 (remember that in the 80’s the speed limit was reduced throughout the U.S.) time of 5.8 seconds where the 944 would get to 50MPH in 5.9 seconds, so not much slower than the 911 SC. Where the 911 SC had a bigger advantage is in the 0-60 time as it can reach 60MPH in just 7 seconds as opposed to 8.3 seconds for the 944 (0-60 times went down to 7.4 seconds for non U.S. spec cars due to the lack of a catalytic converter according to Autocar). Much of this difference in 0-60 times has to do with gearing in the 944 as it requires that you shift into 3rd gear before getting to 60MPH where the 911 SC could do it in 2nd gear. The 911 SC has an advantage in the top speed area with a top speed of 140MPH versus 130MPH for the 944 (a huge deal in Germany or for racing, but not for the average driver in the U.S. that would be speeding by quite a bit at only 100MPH). Since in the early 80’s many buyers would be looking more at the 0-50 times the performance of the 911 SC was not much better than the 944 and made it hard to think of spending an extra $10,000.
Where the two cars have the largest gap is in their handling. While both cars have great handling how they go about it is very different. The 911 SC with most of its weight in the back allows a driver to do some incredible things once they know how to handle the car’s very different balance. This is very different than the 944 that has almost perfect 50/50 weight distribution due to having the engine in the front and trans-axle in the back. Because of this layout not only is the car very balanced, but it is not usually affected by crosswinds as most rear and mid-engine cars are. Because of the great handling the 944 is an incredible car on twisty roads and is a great drivers car. Having said that someone that had owned a 911 in the past would probably not want a 944 as the handling is too good (they would call it a car for sissy’s).
Since the 944 was new in 1983 it received many accolades including being one of Car and Drivers 10 Best (in fact the article states that it was the best of the best) and wining a Road and Track road test against a Corvette, Ferrari 308GTBi and the Porsche 928.
While the 944 got quite a few accolades many in the press thought that the 911 SC was the zenith of what could be done with the 911 platform. Many writers thought that the 911 had advanced as much as it could and that because of this all future Porsche’s would be front engine cars. Looking back we can see how wrong they where but at the time most thought the 911 was a dying bread (fortunately they where wrong).
The one big thing that the 911 SC has over the 944 is the emotional connection that comes with a 911. There is something special about a car that is air cooled and has a rear engine. While the 944 is an incredible car and is a joy to drive, the model never quite had the emotional appeal of a 911.
This emotional appeal is what caused many to think of the 911 SC as the real Porsche in 1983. While looking at it from a performance stand point both cars are fairly close, with the 911 SC having a little better straight line performance, but the 944 having better handling, it is the emotional connection to the 911 SC that has kept the 911 in production while the 944 has come and gone.
So, you can see that in 1983 it was a tough choice as to which Porsche to buy, and it comes down to what someone wanted in a Porsche. If they wanted great performance for a lower price with incredible handling and didn’t care about the emotional connection (or just wanted the latest in technology from Porsche), the 944 was the way to go. However, if they wanted an incredible Porsche with great performance and an emotional connection in a tried a true package, the 911 SC was the only choice.
If you are looking to buy one of these Porsche’s either one is a great choice. In today’s market 944’s can be had for a very low price (they are currently very undervalued). For around $6,000 you can get an early 944 that is very well maintained. The 911 SC has held its value a bit more and to get a good early 80’s 911 SC you will be looking at paying around $12,000 for a good well maintained example.
So, just like in 1983 it is a tough choice as to which Porsche is the best value. Do you want the emotional connection of the 911 SC or the great handling and lower price of the 944?