|
| 
|
1981 Porsche 944
Inline four-cylinder, bore * stroke, 2.479 cm3 (100,0 mm * 78,9 mm), compression ratio, 10,6 : 1, 98 RON, mass balance, 2 shafts, engine control OHC, 2 toothed belt, hydraulic
tappets, 2 valves per cylinder, motronic, torque, 205 Nm at 3000 rpm, 120 kW (163 HP) at 5800 rpm, front engine, longitudinal, transaxle design, manual five-speed, three-speed automatic (opcional),
wheelbase 2.400 mm, front suspension, McPherson, rear suspension, semi-trailing arm, torsion bar springung, brakes f/r, disks, ventilated, 185/70 VR 15 or 215/60 VR 15/16, negative pressure brake booster,
length 4.200 mm, width 1.735 mm, height 1.245 mm, drag coefficient, 0,35, kerb weight from 1.180 kg, max. total weight 1.500 kg, roof load 75 kg, 0-100 km/h in 8,4 s, 220 km/h, purchase price, from 38.900
DM, one year later 40.430 DM, manufactured 1981 - 1991.
We'll spare you the oft-told story of the illegitimate child 924 and its truck engine. So the car had to be equipped with an engine developed by Porsche — and then also manufactured by Porsche. Actually, it
should have been a V6, but there was the 928, its bigger brother.
Thus unfolded the very strange story, at the end of which Porsche, known for very sporty or racing-ready engines, built the largest four-cylinder engine in history. By then, however, the car was no longer called
944.
But anyone who thought they had essentially cut the 928's V8 in half to create the 944 engine was mistaken. As a half-V8, it should have been tilted 45° to the right, but it is said to have been only 30°.
Although it had the same stroke, it had a much larger bore.
There's no other way to explain how 2.5 liters is half of 4.5 liters. All in all, the foundation for the later 3-liter displacement was already laid in the cylinder spacing. In this context, it is important to mention the
two opposing Lanchester shafts.
| Supposedly runs more smoothly than a six-cylinder. |
However, like the 928 engine, it was made entirely of light-alloy metal, from which the hard silicon had been specifically worked out at the open-deck cylinders, and whose pistons were equipped with an iron or
chrome coating. The combustion chambers enabled high compression through their pinch-off edges.s
| High compression results in lower fuel consumption. |
A lot more electronics controlled this engine. First and foremost, there was a knock sensor that could turn back the ignition as part of the Motronic. This included an L-Jetronic (928: K-Jetronic). Both were
precursors to gasoline fuel injection systems with lambda control.
With a price range between the 924 and 911 SC, the car was one of Porsche's biggest sales successes ever. 30,000 of them had already been sold, even though they hadn't been built yet. That's probably why
the price went up so quickly.
| 1983: 51 percent of Porsche's total production. |
The 944's body was based less on the 924 and more on the 924 Carrera GT prototype from 1979. The wide fenders, which extended far downward, were a sign of this. The distinctive front end reinforced this
statement from Porsche.
|
|
