Though the Porsche 924 was well loved and performed admirably, it was something of a disappointment to open the hood of that beautiful car and find an Audi engine. The chief engineers of Porsche wanted to maintain the stylish lines of the 924 but find a suitable replacement for the current engine – especially now that they were no longer tied down to a partnership with Volkswagen. After considering a V-6 engine, as well as a much too large inline six-cylinder, it was clear that the only suitable engine would be an all-new inline four-cylinder engine.

Ultimately the engine that was produced was half of Porsche’s new 928 V-8 engine. Bore was increased to 100 millimeters, with stroke at 78.9 millimeters, providing an output of 150 brake horsepower. To counterbalance the instability of four-cylinder engines, Porsche utilized a Mitsubishi-patented invention of two opposite rotating balancing axles. The engine was so well made that in 1987, Porsche drove a 944 500,000 kilometers (310,700 miles) in one year before having the engine tested; it passed every test with flying colors.

For the 1988 model year, Porsche decided to build three limited-edition models, one of them being the 944 Anniversary model. Featuring black leatherette, with either grey or maroon “Studio” cloth and silver carpeting, these models were each presented with a plaque denoting their commemorative status.

Offered here is one such model, presented in Zermatt Silver with a grey interior. The accompanying warranty book notes that it was first delivered to Quebec, marking it as one of just 157 silver “Rest of World” specifications made that year. Documentation on file notes that this 944 Anniversary passed to owners in Florida before being purchased by the current owner and exported to Switzerland in 2014. It has been serviced as of January this year by Garage Rossier, with the odometer showing 58,207 miles.

Happy Anniversary!