Porsche 944 - 1982
Following on from the oil shocks of the 1970's, a general softening of economic markets, and increasing vehicle requiremenst to meet emissions and saftey legislation, 1982 tended to be short of new vehicle introductions that could be considered to be 'glamorous' - let alone standouts, technically.
One such car that showed that the automobile could still be considered an object of pleasure was the 1982 Porsche 944. Strictly speaking not an all-new car, the 944 was based on the earlier 924 series. The 924 had originally been designed by Porsche for use as an entry level sportscar for the Porsche marque, along with a derivative to be badged as an Audi. The VW group had gotten cold feet, and the project was left to Porsche to complete and introduce as a production model.
Where the 944 differed, was with the introduction of a Porsche designed engine. The 2.5 litre 4-cylinder had a similar notional capacity as the VW/Audi based engine in the 924, but was in fact half of the 928's 5.0 litre V8. The new Porsche engine was noticably more powerful, and also smoother due to the two counter-rotating balance shafts, mounted in the block, to balance out the secondary forces from what was a fairly large capacity engine.
Updates were also made to the body, the front and rear wheel arches were an inch or so wider, allowing wider wheels and vehicle track. Cosmetic improvements included new front and rear bumper treatments and more aggressive aerodynamic devices. Also, a new, more upmarket interior treatment was added.
What remained was the rear-mounted transaxle gearbox, near-perfect weight distribution and low vehicle weight. Enough for the 118 kW engine to provide brisk performance to the 924s lacklustre acceleration.
The car still held four seats, and a decent luggage compartment accessed by a large glass liftback.
The car was further updated in 1986 with the addition of the 'Turbo' model, featuring 164 kW from a turbocharged and intercooled version of the 4-cylinder. The 944 Turbo was visually different, with a revised front bumper. This bumper treatment was added to the standard car in 1989, now called 944 S2 with a larger capacity, 16-valve version of the engine, with 155 kW. The car had previously ericed a 16-valve head as the additional 944 S model in 1987, with 141 kW.
All models wer finally replaced in 1992 with the 3.0-litre, 4-cylinder 968, The 968 shared the common body structure with the 944, but had substantially changed front styling, aping the concurrent 924 S4.
This Lego model has been created in Lego digital Designer for LUGNuts 43rd build Challenge - 'Plus or Minus Ten' - for vehicles produced 10 years before or after the year you were born.
Porsche 944 - 1982
Following on from the oil shocks of the 1970's, a general softening of economic markets, and increasing vehicle requiremenst to meet emissions and saftey legislation, 1982 tended to be short of new vehicle introductions that could be considered to be 'glamorous' - let alone standouts, technically.
One such car that showed that the automobile could still be considered an object of pleasure was the 1982 Porsche 944. Strictly speaking not an all-new car, the 944 was based on the earlier 924 series. The 924 had originally been designed by Porsche for use as an entry level sportscar for the Porsche marque, along with a derivative to be badged as an Audi. The VW group had gotten cold feet, and the project was left to Porsche to complete and introduce as a production model.
Where the 944 differed, was with the introduction of a Porsche designed engine. The 2.5 litre 4-cylinder had a similar notional capacity as the VW/Audi based engine in the 924, but was in fact half of the 928's 5.0 litre V8. The new Porsche engine was noticably more powerful, and also smoother due to the two counter-rotating balance shafts, mounted in the block, to balance out the secondary forces from what was a fairly large capacity engine.
Updates were also made to the body, the front and rear wheel arches were an inch or so wider, allowing wider wheels and vehicle track. Cosmetic improvements included new front and rear bumper treatments and more aggressive aerodynamic devices. Also, a new, more upmarket interior treatment was added.
What remained was the rear-mounted transaxle gearbox, near-perfect weight distribution and low vehicle weight. Enough for the 118 kW engine to provide brisk performance to the 924s lacklustre acceleration.
The car still held four seats, and a decent luggage compartment accessed by a large glass liftback.
The car was further updated in 1986 with the addition of the 'Turbo' model, featuring 164 kW from a turbocharged and intercooled version of the 4-cylinder. The 944 Turbo was visually different, with a revised front bumper. This bumper treatment was added to the standard car in 1989, now called 944 S2 with a larger capacity, 16-valve version of the engine, with 155 kW. The car had previously ericed a 16-valve head as the additional 944 S model in 1987, with 141 kW.
All models wer finally replaced in 1992 with the 3.0-litre, 4-cylinder 968, The 968 shared the common body structure with the 944, but had substantially changed front styling, aping the concurrent 924 S4.
This Lego model has been created in Lego digital Designer for LUGNuts 43rd build Challenge - 'Plus or Minus Ten' - for vehicles produced 10 years before or after the year you were born.