So I came across Gavin Arnold’s Porsche 944 build thread on one of the forums I visit regularly and thought I’d share it on here with everyone. The project actually all began with a bad purchase off ebay, a 1984 944 Lux which was in bad shape generally.
Needing a few bits he went to go see a local Porsche breaker to pick up another door, while he was there though he came across a much better condition 944 shell. Needless to say the rolling shell was bought and the plan was to swap over bits from the 944 purchased off ebay, but little did he know that Porsche updated and changed a lot of the components from year to year, so that wasn’t going to work. Back to the Porsche breaker he went who took the old car in part exchange for parts he needed. A nice low mileage engine was also bought to slot in.
After a few cosmetic & mechanical bits such as a set of wide Azev A wheels, coilovers, 944 turbo brakes & 964 interior it looked like this…
Gavin says he buys a lot of cars “…and the 944 was just another car initially, but when I tried to replace it with the next bargain I was a bit lost. What other classic German sports cars from the 80s are so cheap? (especially as this was over £25k in 1986) and it’s not going to lose value. Not many cars have such a cheap insurance premium and the MPG is very kind too. It’s well built, simple, easy to work on and reliable – a low stress ownership car.”
“The 944 is unloved and misunderstood, I wanted to modify it in a way that makes the best of what is already there, and I know it has made many people see the 944 in a different light. Being the cheap porsche it’s often a victim of bad mods and bad taste – lowering its status even further.”
I’ve never really been a huge fan of the 944 Porsches but this example has opened my eyes to how stunning they can look, and as mentioned by Gavin they really are unappreciated. I Really love the wide arches and the sleek front end with pop up headlights. I also took the opportunity to ask Gavin what he was aiming for with this project…
“I want a complete package, 80s classic looks, 300 bhp, nothing new style or bling. The sort of car you would find in an 80s german tuning mag. The only thing I want now is a second set of wheels, Image BBM with gold spokes. “
Something I can appreciate, and it’s probably the reason why I love Gavin’s 944 so much. I’ll be honest seeing this 944 has actually got me looking at the classifieds for one.
Gavin is already on route to achieving 300bhp with a K26 Turbo conversion which is currently in process, this should get him to about 280-300bhp he predicts. Later he plans to upgrade to the K26-8 Turbo which will bring the power up to about 330bhp which should be good fun!
Gavin is no stranger to classic cars, not only has he owned quite a few but he actually works as a classic car restorer…
“I work as a classic car restorer I drive the likes of XK150s and Ferrari Dinos daily and it’s this massive diversity that makes it clear to me what I want from a car. I’ve owned over 200 cars and found 80s German is what does it for me. I love the 911 (owned a 930 and SC) but I just cant justify the prices they demand now.”
A true classic car enthusiast, who works on them day to day and still has the energy to create the stunning example he has done above. What’s surprising though is this isn’t his only project that he’s working on.
I wish Gavin luck with the rest of the project, or should I say projects he has on the go. Hopefully once it’s all done I’ll come across it at a few shows this year and grab a few pics of it. I’ll leave you with one last comment from Gavin which really shows how much of a petrol head he is…
“There are two types of car nut, the ones who started driving at 17 and found car love, or the ones like me who knew most cars by the age of 5 and its all I ever thought about.”