1989 Porsche 944 S2 Is Our Bring a Trailer Pick of the Day

• the 33-year-old car looks clean and has 58,000 miles on the odometer.

• the paint is finished in alpine white while dark-tinted windows protect a burgundy interior from any unwanted uv rays.

• if you’re interested in bidding, the auction ends friday, june 24.

like many other young car enthusiasts, i spent much of my spare time throughout high school scrolling through page after page of car listings i could not afford. i never worked during the school year and therefore never really had any buying power. i did, however, have eyes quite a bit bigger than my wallet—and a friend willing to drive me around in his 1982 porsche 924.

i was head over heels for that car, even if it was riddled with mechanical and electrical issues. it was simply gorgeous in its peeling burnt-orange-paint glory. it sounded the way i thought a car should, and it had a manual transmission, which intrigued me even if my 14-year-old self couldn’t realistically drive anything. i spent hours poring over examples of 924s and 944s i would never be able to buy.

when i discovered the 944, i was, simply put, smitten. the porsche 944 took the body from the entry-level 924, muscled it up, and gave the car wider proportions. this generation of 944, which is up for auction on bring a trailer—which, like car and driver, is part of hearst autos—came in 1989 and was labeled the 944 s2, the third and final variation of the car.

the 944 s2 is powered by a 3.0-liter inline-four originally rated at 208 horsepower and 207 pound-feet of torque. that power is mated to a five-speed manual transaxle and limited-slip differential sending power to the rear wheels.

according to the listing, the timing belt, idler pulleys, tensioners, and accessory belt were all recently serviced, along with an a/c system recharge. the car is being auctioned from arizona with an owner's manual, service records, tool kit, and a window sticker.

there are a few blemishes: the shift knob shows wear, and the top of the dash is cracking around the vents. even so, with all the recent service and sophisticated alpine white paint, this 944 s2 managed to charm us. if you want a crack at it, the auction ends on friday, june 24.

source:caranddriver.com