Porsche 911 Turbo look vs. Porsche 944 S2
Photos from Excellence Magazine

"It’s been said that appearances are everything. Thankfully, most people would disagree — but they’d probably agree that looks are exceedingly important when it comes to cars. Por**sche’s marketing department certainly would, seeing as it regularly commissions normally-aspirated models that aesthetically mimic turbo versions.

Today, several specialty 911s come with the Turbo’s wider hips and you can’t buy an all-wheel-drive 911 without them. Offi*cially, the tradition can trace its roots to Option M491 for 1984 Carreras, which added the 911 Turbo’s flares, front spoiler, rear wing, wider wheels, fatter tires, up*graded suspension, and bigger brakes.

By the end of the 1980s, another normally-aspirated Porsche was aping a top-line Turbo. It was the 1989–91 944 S2 — a 16-valve, 3.0-liter evolution of the 944S. The S2 got the 1986–89 Turbo’s smoother front bumper, slick side rocker trim, smart aerodynamic rear undertray, and some of the underpinnings Por*sche came up with to keep the 944 Turbo grounded.

So when reader Larry O’Rourke offered us a drive in his pristine 944 S2, it seemed a good idea to line up an example of the “other” Turbo-Look. Initially, our plan was to have his 1989 944 S2 face a 1989 Carrera with the preferred G50 transaxle and ten more horses than 1984–86 Carreras. When that plan fell apart at the last minute, Ed Ricci came to the rescue with his 1984 911 Carrera, finished in a classic 911 combination: Grand Prix White on Black. Other than a 915 gearbox and a little less power, little separates it from the M491 offered in 1989, the final model year for the Carrera 3.2 and the first for the 944 S2."

Follow through for the rest of the Article -> Excellence :: First Impressions : Two Great Porsches of the 1980s Face Off

 

I'll take the 911.