Ah, the Porsche 944, the automotive equivalent of Aldi’s best.
Dubbed the “poor man’s Porsche,” this 1980s transmission wedge managed to spark a minor civil war among Porsche fans.
Imagine, if you will, the epic romance between Volkswagen and Porsche that resulted in the birth of the 924.
This was the predecessor to the 944, a car designed to be more affordable than the ever-iconic 911. And what a great German idea it was.
The 944 sold like hot cakes at the county fair and produced a staggering 163,000 units.
It was Porsche’s most successful sports car History until the Boxster came along.
Reasonable? You bet. In the 1980s, a naturally aspirated front-engined version set you back just £13k, while a turbocharged variant cost you £22k.
Meanwhile, the 911 traveled for £25,000-30,000 for a standard Carrera 3.2.
Comparing the two is like comparing a backpacking trip to Blackpool sa luxury sailing the glittering Isles of Elysium.
But the purists, oh, they hated it.
Front engine? Rear wheel drive? Sacrilege! The 944 threatened to dilute the Porsche brand and make it accessible to the hoi polloi.
It wasn’t exclusive enough for guys who were proud of the 911 legacy.
In short, it was for poor people.
Fast forward to the 1990s and Top Gear is in full swing. Porsche almost kissed bankruptcy goodbye and then, in 1996, came the savior: the 986 Boxster.
If the 944 didn’t already ruffle the feathers of 911 lovers, the Boxster certainly did.
Jeremy Clarkson famously quipped, “The Boxster is for those who can’t afford a 911.”
That statement tarnished the Boxster’s image, but thank goodness there were enough petrolheads to see the brilliance of a mid-engine, naturally aspirated flat-six.
How the Boxster saved Porsche
Today, Porsche is a financial juggernaut and the company’s profits are the envy of the automotive industry.
But two decades ago, things were completely different for the German giants.
The recession coupled with their uncompetitive lineup of aging engines led to declining sales that brought them to the brink of ruin.
But the release of the Boxster in 1996 changed that.
Porsche managed to sell 7,500 cars in the US and Canada, and by 1997 that number had almost doubled. 20 years later, in 2017, this number exceeded 54,000.
This is why the Boxster is considered one of the most successful yet controversial sports cars to hit the market in recent times.
Porsche purists over the years have taken its water-cooled mid-engine layout as an affront to the brand’s then-air-cooled, rear-engined 911.
But fans of the car often praise the first-generation Boxster for its class-defining driving dynamics.
What’s more, the windfall from the Boxster launch allowed Porsche to make changes that put the company on the road to long-term success.
Between 1996 and 2004, Porsche sold an amazing 164,874 units. The 987 model then continued the legacy, selling 78,294 Boxsters and 50,000 Caymans.
It was clear that there were a lot of poor people around!
Yet, despite all the success, the 911 crowd still sees these underpowered cars as Poor Man’s Porsches.
Truth? These cars handle and ride better than most 911s, with weight-saving rear ends.
What really pissed off the 911 crowd was that the real petrolheads preferred the 944 and 987 for their performance, not their golf club status.
This “poor man’s Porsche” ideology kept the prices of the 944, Boxster and Cayman low and ensured that they could be enjoyed by true driving enthusiasts regardless of wealth.
Long live the poor man’s Porsche!
Do you need help or advice with buying your first modern classic car? Ask James Russell at The Motor Grid.
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