The Porsche 944 turbo, internally designated by the Porsche factory as the 951 model, was a revolutionary design that challenged the world’s best production cars of its day. First released to the U.S. market in 1986, the stock, mildly boosted 2.5L 4 cylinder engine produces 217 hp. Later models produced 247 hp in stock configuration, by using a slighter bigger exhaust housing on the turbocharger, a remapped engine computer, and other changes to the engine, suspension, and brakes.

Even in its base configuration, the Porsche 951 poses a serious threat on the track to the 911. Because of better balance, resulting in an almost perfect 50-50 front-rear weight distribution and forgiving handling qualities, the 951 excels in tight courses. If power output is improved, in some cases to more than double the original factory specifications, the car is very nearly peerless for a production automobile.

A quarter century after its debut, the 944 remains a relevant high performance car. A number of after-market performance shops cater primarily to the 944, and the performance options for turbo models seem endless. Power in excess of 500 hp is possible, and body replacement panels allow the weight to shrink the mid-2000 pound level, yielding an awesome power to weight ratio.