In many ways the 944 was a landmark car for Porsche, demonstrating as it did that a successful sporting model could emerge from the legendary 911's shadow and be respected in its own right. Although the front-engine four-cylinder format terminated with the subsequent 968 series, the 944 paved the way for smaller Porsches such as the Boxster. Following on from the unloved 924 model, this was quite some achievement, and gives some indication as to the 944's merit.

The Porsche 944 was developed from the 924 series, a line of cars built at Audi's Neckarsulm factory and derided by enthusiasts as unworthy of the Porsche badge. Constant development had exhausted the potential of the 2.0-litre VW engine and the logical progression was to develop an engine in-house at Zuffenhausen. Unveiled at the 1981 Frankfurt Show, the 944 was an instant hit. Utilising what was effectively half a 928 engine, the 2.5-litre four-cylinder engine.

Price : R129000-00

The 944 mattered a lot in the eighties because it was the first time Germany was playing catch up with the Japanese invasion of cheap, fun, and cool rear-wheel-drive sports cars, which peaked during the 1980s and early ’90s. Nissan had the Z cars, Toyota had the Celica and Supra, and Mazda had the RX-7, which not only looked and performed uncomfortably similar to the 944 but were sold at much lower price points.