A Porsche 944 Turbo is an uncommon sight in virtually all contexts. Seeing one parked dusty and dirty in a neighborhood driveway is rare, seeing one driving around is nearly impossible, and seeing one in a junkyard is an occurrence that usually signals the impending formation of a small nebula.
- Car: 1986 Porsche 944 Turbo (951)
- Location: LKQ Santa Fe Springs, CA
- Photog: Chris Rosales (me; @chrishasacamera on IG)
- Camera: iPhone 11 Pro Max
Porsche exported about 14,000 944 Turbos to the United States from 1986 to 1991, with years after 1988 being the scarcest of them all. This bit of junkyard treasure was a 1986 model, which is relatively plentiful on the road. Relative to “normal” cars, however, there are hardly any floating around. If there were a 1988 model sitting in that oil-soaked paradise of cars, I would have bought the thing out of the junkyard. A few years ago, they were relatively cheap cars that sold for around $7,000 to $10,000. Now that’s easily doubled.
My friends are similarly unhinged like me and have an alert for any 944s that pop into our local junkyards, which is how we found this gem. I was busy the first two days it was available, so we journeyed on the third day and it was picked damn near clean within that time. We were hoping to get a transaxle gearbox with a limited-slip differential for next to no money, but that was gone. The only parts left were most of the engine and turbocharger, along with the interior carpet and rear seats.
Although we couldn’t pick anything huge out of the car, we got some useful spare parts and aesthetic pieces and went on our way. I do wish that we got there an hour after it was listed and got a shot at potentially buying it outright. For now, enjoy this unexpected sight because it may never happen again.
