V8 vs Turbo vs CHEAP New Car Drag Race | You Won't Believe How A Corvette and 944 TURBO Stack Up

[@EnthusiastCarHangar]

The performance doesn’t really matter anymore with these cars. It’s the feel and emotions when you drive them that counts.

[@danielfrain3521]

Nothing a crate engine can't fix unless you are all about number matching

[@larrysutton925]

@@danielfrain3521 Very true...I used to own a stock '81 Corvette-loved the car but the 190hp V8 was pretty pathetic. Thought many times about installing a crate motor in it but at the end of the day thought it would be cost prohibitive as I would have to pay someone to install it because I don't know if I would have the mechanial ability or all the tools and equipment required for such a large undertaking

[@stevenzagony6187]

I have an 89' Pontiac Trans Am GTA with the L98 motor, same as the 88' C4 Vette, its not about the speed, it's the styling and thrill of driving it!

[@pkt1213]

I have an 89 944 making 163hp. People want to race me because they see red Porsche. Dude, your 2012 Civic is way faster.

[@henryknox4511]

@@stevenzagony6187 GTA is much sexier than a C4, beautiful freaking car.

[@ec6933]

Dude in 2006 as a senior in highschool my buddy's dad bought a 928 and my dad bought an 88 Corvette...and only one headlight worked!! What a time to be alive. This snapped me back

[@FWDSUXARSE]

Yeah that's a common problem with Corvettes (and the f-bodies as well) Headlight motors will go out.

[@miguelcastaneda7257]

@@FWDSUXARSE pneumatics even the vent system

[@sebbonxxsebbon6824]

@@miguelcastaneda7257 They have nylon gears, buy aftermarket brass gears and no more problems.

[@miguelcastaneda7257]

@@sebbonxxsebbon6824 never liked vetts worked on them.for guys who had no idea do in a 928 stick and lightly tweaked 931 daily driver dodge dakotawith 528,000 plus

[@paulmerino19]

If I had to choose between the Porsche and the Corvette.. I would take🤔.. neither one of them🤣

[@eric9432]

I have owned a 88 944 Turbo S for almost 15 years and I absolutely love it. My whole family has them. Such great driving cars. With a few little upgrades it really comes alive. Porsche detuned them so much from the factory to protect the 911. Even putting a cheap $80 "boost enhancer" changed the car a whole lot.

[@zeno15sti33]

😮 boost enhancer, where would I obtain one of those

[@admiralfloofz658]

Was hoping someone would say this. These cars are severely detuned from factory. With a chip and a slightly stiffer wastegate spring youll get 275 hp instead of 220, or 300 instead of 250 depending on the year. It would easely walk the Vette then.

[@DarinNederhoff]

Lindsey Racing boost enhancer. Had one on my 87 951 as well.

[@eric9432]

@@DarinNederhoff definitely a great way to get more out of the car for cheap. Ran one for about a year then went crazy and built the car up a lot more.

[@stevequantie8064]

Anyone who knows about these older Porsche Turbo units, be careful tuning more boost. Make sure everything is in tip-top shape before you do it. They weren't really trying to protect the 911 as the 944 price point was much lower so it had lower-grade mechanicals. The chassis in my opinion was better than a 911. The Cayman has proven Porsche making the wrong choice for engine location. It's much better! Now, Porsche IS protecting the 911 against it's own Cayman.

[@hydrocarbon82]

A HUGE caveat here: the 3 cars aren't close to the same level of maintenance or repair. Both cars originally did 14.4sec 1/4 mile times. The Porsche has an obvious boost or exhaust leak that's causing tons of lag (44mm turbo on a 2.5L). The Vette tires look like they're on the legal limit for tread, and meaning a decade old & hard as a rock. Tires hands down offer the BIGGEST improvement in performance. Plenty of YT vids show track times of cars with incremental mods, tires usually double the gains of any other part. Both owners need to get their butts in gear & take care of these cars beforethey become a mountain of work.

[@andyharman3022]

Back in the 80's the Escort Showroom Stock Endurance series was the place where the C4 and 944 turbo really squared off against each other. Both cars could run a 24-hour endurance race like it was a sprint. Even though they were low-powered, they could do lap after lap on a race track and not fall apart. GM learned a lot about how to make the Corvette better by running in the series.

[@paulchilders9969]

And then they forgot everything they learned and made one that would overheat after one lap.

[@andyharman3022]

@@paulchilders9969 You're thinking about the C7 Z06? It wasn't that bad. It took a few laps to heat up to the point of derating.

[@miguelcastaneda7257]

But vets still nose heavy 944 was balanced..just gear down turns no need use brakes and balanced was 60,/ 40 not 50,,/ 50

[@redtesta]

vettes went 29-0 against the turbo 944 from 1985-1987 and got BOOTED from racing in the escort series. They had to create their own challenge series called the corvette challenge.

[@cornercarver636]

@@miguelcastaneda7257 Lol. 1988 951 was 50.7F/49.3R. 1988 Vette was 51.5F/48.5R. That’s a difference that is almost negligible.

[@aymaneoubad5057]

It was really awesome of you to compare those 80's icons , but I'll always pick the C4 corvette ... It just looks awesome & sounds better.

[@Ami8driver]

For me, no question. I would choose the Corvette! The look, the sound, the styling, the extras… All points for the Corvette! 😎👍

[@philllsxga.7737]

KZbin motor trend monster's brawl... Corvette any year anyway!!!

[@brettweltz8135]

The funny thing is I own a 95 Corvette convertible and a 2012 Nissan hatchback. The Nissan has almost no gauges and no cruise control while the vet from 95 has all of those things.

[@aktnilabrado7399]

Yeah but the 944 is the civic porsche. While the corvette was GM’s flagship sportscar. Still is. While porsche builds hypercars like the 918 .The actual rival built was the 911 turbo. Let’s see that race

[@googleaccount2637]

@@aktnilabrado7399 check out the Callaway corvette or the zr1 which came out for big spenders.

[@mark_p300]

9:50 ABS was optional in the 944 Turbo in '87 and '88, in both US and Canadian-market cars. '87 and later US-market cars _did_ come with airbags though, something which this Canadian car does not have.

[@davidgomezorantes5278]

Thank you for the info.

[@kevin9c1]

Those turbo 944s were known for being very strong in 3rd gear because the engine load really got the turbo going. I would like to have seen a race at sea level though.

[@averyalexander2303]

Agreed. Surely at sea level the Corvette would have beat the Porsche by even more. Turbo engines aren't affected by high altitudes nearly as much as naturally aspirated engines are.

[@ricardolee461]

I agree and also 4th gear to in the 944 my father had one

[@ricardolee461]

@Jay Adams people out in temple hills Maryland got most of the 1986 and 87 944

[@kevin9c1]

@Jeff Lee 80s turbos didn't spool fast. The car/engine accelerated too fast in lower gears to hit max boost. It's not that there was no boost in 1st and 2nd. It just didn't max out until you got some load on the engine for long enough. Turbos didn't spool in 1 second in the 80s like they do today.

[@kevin9c1]

@Jeff Lee Couple things. First, gear matters specifically when the ECU is limiting boost in certain gears, but I am not aware that Porsche was doing this on the 944. This is something you typically see on FWD applications but just wanted to mention it because it IS a thing. Second, the load on the engine is related to time at a given RPM. Assuming you aren't driving up a steep hill or towing something, a higher gear is the most common way to load an engine more than a lower gear. Want proof? Rev up a turbo car in neutral and let off. How much boost did you build? It won't be 20 psi or anywhere NEAR full boost because the engine had no load. Of course, on a dyno, provided the 944 ECU wasn't actually limiting in lower gears, you should be able to achieve the same effect that I've cited in a lower gear, if it's the type of dyno that can hold an engine at any road speed. On the street, the car just accelerates. I am sure a 944 person can come in here and verify that full boost levels are not typically achieved until ~3rd gear or higher (especially if we are talking about mid-range RPMs). More proof in general that load matters is that spark advance curves sometimes need to be altered by gear because the engine will take more SA in a lower gear with less engine load (RPMs build faster). This isn't that hard to follow, or it shouldn't be.

[@RobJaskula]

My 1986 944 Turbo was one of the best and best-made cars I've ever owned. Just everything a sports car should be when it came to driving

[@cloudstrife4897]

So inferior ends up being perfect for you

[@kevineggsandbacon]

@@cloudstrife4897 The ‘86 was 400lbs lighter than the ‘87 with the same output.

[@pederfallbom]

Great test! Love the 80:s cars! Try a 1988 944 Turbo S next time👍

[@RobJaskula]

@@pederfallbom I've heard those are absolute rockets with just a couple of tweaks. It's been 20 years since I've had or even driven a 944 and boy I miss them! Nothing has quite ticked all the boxes since.

[@pederfallbom]

@@RobJaskula The Turbo S is a fantastic car. Modern cars cant really deliver charm and feel like these cars so I can certanly see why you have not sampled anything after it that gave you the same feeling👍

[@bikerbeliever8169]

I owned 89 6 speed vette. That car was decently quick. The l98 vettes at normal altitudes could run mid 14s, with good tires. But you just decat the l98 vette and you gain like 20-30hp they had heavily restricted cats. Totally transforms car after that.

[@imjustanobody1233]

I agree! My stock 90 was a fairly decent vette, but after I removed the pre cats and replaced the main cat with a magnaflow cat (straight through catback as well) I noticed a MASSIVE improvement! Add a simple tune and your l98 vette is screaming!

[@the318pop]

I had a stock '88 (last of the 4+3) with no cats and a k&n. It ran 13.80s at 101 on old BFGs. An absolute pain to get off the line though.

[@bikerbeliever8169]

@@the318pop that's a great time especially for cars from the 80s. These l98 vettes are way underrated, I enjoyed mine a lot.

[@reallyemptypockets6509]

The Vette just looks so good! 🎉

[@DrunkenChewbacca]

Love that generation corvette. Being able to open the hood and seeing everything is what I really like. I would throw in a modern LT or even a ls in it and be good to go

[@tommyw.9424]

You don't have to ditch the L98 to make power, if you're going that far you could stroke the 350 to a 383 and make an old-school monster to match the era of the C4.

[@vikingtrad3r]

C4 Corvetes extremely underrated. people dont realize the torque they dish out completely overpowers almost ALL cars of that era and its not until the very top end (which lets face it most people never get to) that they run out of breath. They were banned from racing, which spawned the corvette challenge series (check that out if u r considering a c4). I am of course biased, i realize, but its for a reason, the c4 kicks butt and many of us have been enjoying the rediculous low price points for years!! i have been considering a 944 or a 928 but they get clobbered by c4’s in performance so i can never pull the trigger. as for the interior quality, many of the issues can be addressed with minimal dollars, mostly taking apart the panels, repairing not replacing the abs panels, and adding pieces of the soft side of velcro peel and stick for a better sound fit finish. im sunbed for the c4 content and u r not disappointing! thnx.

[@caseyboone6768]

That engine note on the vette 👌👌👌

[@Sandy-oy2lr]

I think I'd save a bit more and get a late 90s C4. The interior is improved, the dashboard instrumentation is way better, imo, and there's even more power and torque to be had. They also improved on overall quality a lot. Gotta LUV that clamshell hood! Talk about great engine access!

[@rjoetting7594]

I have a 93 C4, artic white, automatic with 69,000 miles and absolutely love it. It's a daily driver and I get 19.5 to 20 mpg, that is hwy and town combined, highway only 30 to 32 mpg. And no issues whatsoever using 87 octane fuel, normal driving, when I want to go play I top it off with 93 octane. My advice is to buy the best one you can find and have it checked out by a reputable shop before you purchase.

[@DeancentGarage]

944 all day, far superior car in every way. Nearly perfect weight balance, can be fairly inexpensive to maintain if you do your homework and beasts on a road course track if setup correctly. I may be a tad biased 😜 I have 89 944 Turbo which stock actually got a bump up to 247hp.

[@jeffspicolli593]

All bets are off for the 300hp LT1 powerd C4's.

[@HippuJiima]

Lol, lmao

[@FTsingos]

Not to nitpick, but one thing that wasn't taken into account was how much better the corvette would've done at sea level. If they're right about being at 7,500 feet elevation, each car would be losing 22.5% power due to less oxygen concentration during naturally aspirated acceleration, except the porsche when the turbo finally kicked in. Turbos will compensate for the loss of atmospheric pressure. The only major issue at elevation from a performance standpoint would be greater turbo lag, but when the turbo finally spools up, the peak horsepower will be pretty close to what its peak horsepower is at sea level vs the corvette's power that would only be at less than 78% of its peak at sea level. It also explains why the driver felt so much turbo lag. It was exaggerated by the elevation.

[@scottyellis3442]

Yes Corvette all day long no question about it. As Casey said lot easier & cheaper to fix & probably a lot less likely to break. Enjoyed the video, great job.👍🏻👍🏻

[@edjackson4389]

I've owned a couple of them. The clutch was the only weak point in my stick shift car. It couldn't handle back to back launches. My auto trans Vette was a little slower, but also alot tougher

[@Tallnerdyguy]

Those Porsche were notoriously reliable

[@scottyellis3442]

@@Tallnerdyguy yeah, I don't know anything about those cars but the 350 Chevy is definitely reliable.

[@brettweltz8135]

I nickname my Corvette, the Warvette It’s been in five accidents driven through 2 feet of water and been a daily driver for three years has over 165,000 miles on it all original and it’s still going

[@ToyotaChariots]

The 944 is actually much more reliable and cheaper to fix

[@tomkruze2749]

In mid to late 90s I had a 1986 944 turbo(951) had like 150k miles when I bought and Sold with 217k miles. Ran perfect. Original Clutch everything worked. The sunroof did leak a little but, that was the clogged drain. Had a Weltmeister chip. Made it much faster. If dude knew how to launch it… rev to 3,000 RPM then dump cluch

[@rjhein]

I had a 1988 Corvette Convertible (4spd auto) years ago, however the LT1 versions C4 were oh so much faster. Still lots of fun though - great memories!

[@speedracerjeff]

Yeah my 88 C4 was a fun car, handles like it’s on rails, but it would fall on its face at high rpm, not a lot of top end compared to the LT1. My 92 C4 with the LT1 kept pulling hard up top.

[@tomwebber5094]

It's nice to see the next generation coming into its own. Great video, guys.

[@wsc31]

I had a 944 turbo and loved it. I chipped it and added a banjo bolt. It still took a few thousand rpm to get it get all the ponies harnessed. It was a ball on the street but on track days it really came into its own.

[@David-uu1oj]

Would like to see some road course action here........the Mazda might win😳

[@davenorgrove3193]

I had a 1988 Corvette in the early 90s. Dark blue with black interior. Z52 automatic. I ran a 14.1 at Milan dragway in Michigan. I ran against a ZR1 at Detroit dragway and put a couple car lengths on him off the start. About half track he went by me like I was standing still! Fun times!

[@dalejones4322]

This was a really fun video to watch guys. That rolling race was exciting and I'm really digging that Corvette Kase. The three of you really should do the classics channel together. Very interesting to see that new car race the vette. Great video guys and thanks for making it.

[@lanceripplinger8352]

Fun look at some old classics. Great job, guys!

[@michaeltitus6847]

Thanks for doing this video it was awesome! I would love to see which one does better on a tight winding course. I have a 1984 Corvette which is all original and has been well cared for - The real fun with the car is getting into it and realizing it’s a time machine that instantly transports you back to the 1980s. One word of advice - just remember you don’t have airbags or traction control when you punch the throttle.

[@Speculativedude]

I had an 86 myself a few years back and I was shocked at how good the handling was on it. Definitely wasn't expecting that from an 80's American sports car.

[@jeffspicolli593]

After 91 C4 got airbags and traction control with a lot more Hp with a 300 hp LT1.

[@drmyers85021]

Man, I really thought that the 944 Turbo was the ultimate back in the 80's....however in this case, there is just no replacement for displacement! I'll take the C4 today, thank you very much!

[@earlscheib7754]

Why? The c6 isn't much more expensive

[@zeno15sti33]

they don't really know how to drive turbo cars, or don't want to risk breaking it

[@drmyers85021]

@@earlscheib7754 fair point for sure! My statement is simply a matter of choosing between the two options presented. I'd rather have a C6 vs a C4 for sure!

[@gregmayled]

This really isn’t representative of these two cars outright performance at all. That guy driving the turbo didn’t know what he was doing and it didn’t even have ABS 🤦‍♂️

[@HippuJiima]

​@@earlscheib7754it is much more expensive

[@davidmodglin3035]

Bought an 89 Vette three months ago. Last year of digital dash and first year of zf 6 speed. Love it.

[@lilibethdoherty295]

Launching the C4 in 2 nd gear in that Automatic Transmission will help you at the start. Your C4 should run 14 seconds in the Quarter in stock trim. My Guess is it's time to replace your Fuel Injectors.

[@pablopicaro7649]

At any car show, there will be dozens if not hundreds of Vettes, however you will be the only one with a 944Turbo.

[@StardustADV]

My responce: "Why not both!" I plan on one day having a c3 4 or 5 corvette and a classic porsche at the same time (744, 911, 928... one of those)

[@OzarksWildman]

I love the turbine wheels! They look so good 👍

[@scottbenke7182]

It's too bad that the Corvette wheels are on the wrong side.

[@kasevr]

@@scottbenke7182 Those are early 90s Vette wheels not the similar looking 88 wheels, they are the correct way around

[@VettemanLT5]

Those are the newer sawblades. The turbines were from 84 to 87

[@ivantuma7969]

I've driven a c4, a 300hp 944 turbo stage 2 and owned a 944 na and 924 na. The stage 2 turbo didn't solve the launch problems but after that, its crazy! Also for some reason, the handling on the 924 (lighter?) was incredible on tight mountain switchback (going downhill). It was in CRX Si territory. I'd still go with the 944T although the Vette comes in at a close 2nd for pure nostalgia and off the line torque.

[@FakingANerve]

With a T3/T04E turbo, a MAF conversion and a chip, the 951 (944 Turbo) can get 320 to the tires (~380bhp) and similar torque. Yeah, launch big is still there, but I just don't launch it. 🤷‍♂️ Haha

[@thomasbrasse3145]

Crx si is an amazing handling car, but SLOW. Add a turbo and it would destroy either of these. Wish Honda would have.

[@ivantuma7969]

@@thomasbrasse3145 Even a 2.0L B series Vtech upgrade is formidable in a 2400lb car (esp at sea level).

[@normski19721]

These two guys are a joke these guys are biased.

[@TehButterflyEffect]

Hilarious seeing people seriously compare Honda lawnmowers to real cars.

[@The_Hi_Life]

C4s are aging really well! That’s a beautiful corvette.

[@antonarcane93]

CLEAN early c4s are a beautiful thing! Especially in one of the rare colors like blue or bronze

[@TheDrivenDave]

Such a great series! These cars are so slow by today’s standards, but they still look and sound soooo cool! I had a black 87 vette back in the day. It was hot garbage, but I loved it!

[@johnlucier5654]

Hot garbage, good description. I had an 86 (see avatar)everything seemed to break at least once but it was a world beater in those days. You had to be stupid to wreck it, handling was very predictable. In 27 years and 166k miles (including several successful high speed chases with the law) I didnt put a scratch on it.

[@mr22guy]

Yes, the Corvette is the better car, on an airstrip. Try actually going on a road - road course, road trip, back road, etc - and they will both have strengths and weaknesses.

[@Slowgroovin]

L98 Corvettes aren't terribly fast in the 1/4, but they make excellent low and midrange torque; great for off the line and eighth mile passes.

[@poppaschlong2000]

My brother had a 944. It needs revs to launch and feather the clutch. Then it wont bog. And even if your moving you still need to build boost by holding the brake and throttle. It's no modern turbo 😅

[@E_tiBEAMERBOY]

Gotta let that bitch wind upppp classic feeling!😂

[@2uiator325]

I had a black ‘86 Vette with the 4+3 manual transmission back in the early ‘90s…what a blast to drive! But it was a bit of a maintenance headache with a host of common issues including the clear coat peeling off the rear bumper. However I still miss that car. Thanks for the comparison video, it’s interesting to see how these two icons have aged.

[@the318pop]

I had an '88, last of the 4+3 cars. It dipped into the 13s on the quarter at over 100 with a couple of small mods. Then I smashed the gearbox into pieces, 3 out of 4 gears gone and a cracked casing.

[@dpfitforlife81]

I would love to buy a C4 Corvette. But if I were to buy one with a manual it would need to be at least a 89 with the 6 speed manual.

[@perpelle]

944ts were never easy or good launchers if you didn't abuse the clutch a bit. The s2 or the 968s were easier due to the n/a 3.0L engine. I think Tommy needs to practice on how to brake non abs cars 😁. The 944t is a much better all-round preformer, especially on track. My s2 from 88 doesn't have abs but I think it was an option (euro spec). They were pretty early on driver and passenger airbag as standard though.

[@Eatinbritches]

Yeah, testing a Porsche and Corvette without testing the handling deliberately favours the Corvette.

[@adamt3332]

@@Eatinbritches whats to test when you take a car with a more than 2 engines of the first... and standard 944T was poorly boosted thats why you can easily take it to the 250PS or even 300 with a bit more work.

[@hymeringfamily9711]

@@Eatinbritches These cars are older though, you have to respect their age, and don't want to abuse them too much.

[@EagleScoutmano]

The '80s C4 was eating 944s alive on the track... It was literally banned from racing because nobody could keep up. XD The 944 was a fantastic car, and a fun handling car. But the rumours about how good it was are overdone; it wasn't some godly overachiever that was never touched. Meanwhile this video is incorrect on multiple elements regarding the '80s C4- it weighed 3100 lbs, not 3300 (the LT1 C4 weighed 3300 lbs), and they mentioned the 50/50 distribution on the 944 but didn't acknowledge the fact that the C4 with L98 also haf 50/50 distribution... XD The C4 was one of the first road cars ever tested with 0.9 G+ handling capacity.

[@imkwuzn]

In 1993 I had a ‘88 Corvette and a good friend had a similar year 944. The Vette spanked it all day long and was rock solid reliable. The 944 was broken 50% of the time and cost a fortune to fix. Corvette all day, everyday. 😎

[@GettingthruLife]

I knew a dude in high school named Jake Ryan who drove a new at the time, also red 944. That car turned heads and he dated the prettiest most popular girl too.

[@davidbauer1485]

Times have changed. Chick magnets are no longer PC.

[@bobcobb6809]

I don't have a girlfriend, but I'm saving up so I can get a really really hot one

[@dogsandcars202]

With the door sound close comparison you had one with the window down and one with the window up that makes a big difference put the Corvette window up to make it fair comparison

[@Quik25c2]

I can tell you from experience that old gm from that era sound pretty much all like that.

[@palebeachbum]

It wouldn't have made much of an improvement. The window on the Corvette is frameless, unlike the Porsche.

[@aaronvanalstine8398]

My favorite videos. You guys should find a 1990 Corolla and do a mpg test to a modern car. I would also put it on the Dyno if it was me to see what the numbers are.

[@samuelfreeman9518]

Or a 1981 Dodge K car. My dad used to get 42mpg with a straight drive K car.

[@sandersson2813]

@@samuelfreeman9518 American cars get laughable MPG because your fuel is almost given away.

[@samuelfreeman9518]

@@sandersson2813 Haha I wish it was given away, I think gas in Saudi Arabia is going for $0.65 a gallon, now that's giving it away. Or the US could lower thier safety standards and make cars like the early 1980 again that weighed under 3000lbs, but when you get in a wreck you are dead or wish you were dead.

[@sandersson2813]

@@samuelfreeman9518 Your cars and fuel are incredibly cheap

[@amazingjason455]

Thanks for including the modern car for perspective.

[@sidefx996]

I've mentioned it elsewhere but Corvettes went undefeated for 3 three years from '86-'88 against Porsche and Lotus in SCCA Showroom Stock. Porsche and Lotus were so butthurt they finally had them banned from the series lol and they were forced to race against themselves in Corvette Challenge. There's more to C4 Vettes (like actual history) than the tired Top Gear jokes about gold chains and mullets.

[@donaldwilson2620]

The Vette is definitely more cheaper to maintain and the V8 burble sounds sweet. But the 944 Turbo handles well and feels more solid. My choice by a small margin is the 944 Turbo.

[@lestatbeyer475]

attention all: there was a refresh around 1990(around halfway through its production) that made these cars even faster than the one being shown

[@y0ur_name_here]

Have an 86 C4 and after a ton of time, money, upgrades, and performance parts.....it's still the slowest thing I own. But I do enjoy it 😉

[@1DEADBEEF1]

Bra i dont know what else you own but an edelbrock preformance package cost about 3k and gives you 410hp... The german ZF-6speed in the C4 is even more durable than a t56 and Mike Dyer or Gary Ramadei can build you a bulletprof diff that will hold to low pressure drag slicks

[@y0ur_name_here]

@@1DEADBEEF1 my C4 has a built to hell 383 stroker pushing 625 at the crank and yeah I have way faster toys. Owning a speed shop will do that for you, so trust me I know about performance bud lol

[@nedaCFilms]

The 1988-91 Tuned Port Corvettes made a little more power over the 1985-87 models. They ran easy low 14s and some timing, tweaking and good driver could flirt with high 13s. Not bad for the late ‘80s

[@labf5213]

It would be nice to see a C4 vs C5 comparison, to have an idea of the evolution of the Corvettes

[@larryroyovitz7829]

C4 doesn't stand a chance. Unless its the ZR-1 (and even then maybe not, not sure?) but then is that a proper comparison.

[@labf5213]

@@larryroyovitz7829 I would prefer to see all Corvette base models compared and truly see its evolution, but I understand what you were saying… I have a C5 base, and even the C4 ZR-1 cannot match it

[@larryroyovitz7829]

@@labf5213 Yeah I didn't think it could beat the C5, although I wasn't sure. But now that you mention it, yeah, I'd love to see them compare all generations. I'd love to see how a 1969 zl1 stacks up against more modern cars too. They can probably ignore late 70s and early 80s C3s though. LOL

[@HippuJiima]

​@@labf5213ive seen C4 ZR-1s make Z06 C5s sweat more often than not

[@kvancy4896]

İ prefer definitely Corvette. The look, the performance, the sound, and of course the pop-up headlights. it’s an icon, that’s it.

[@brentvance3958]

The Corvette. Like you said easier to get parts and cheaper to work on

[@adrianharrison5208]

Depending on were you live

[@billprinty3697]

Owned several 944s back in 92-98. Would buy em around $3000, fix em up, sell around $6000. I did all the work myself of course. Retail service would destroy most budgets, hence the good value if you could wrench. Daily drove a 85 944 for 2-3 years. So many looks for so little money... I've owned 10,000 cars. That's still one of my favorites. One day I'll get a clean Turbo again. Had $11k in my pocket on the way to buy my forever car '89 silver turbo immaculate. A 94 Mustang GT Convertible Laser red, Grey leather, black top 5.0, 5 gear was sitting displayed on side of road. Guy was shocked how fast I paid for that. Tough call between the 2,, but the reliability factor favors the Stang sooooo much.

[@markbunn8576]

I really like the C4's but if you're looking for a performance car i'd go with a C5. There are so many performance upgrades for the LS1/LS6 it's crazy.

[@broeheemed32]

C5's should be safer, too...... that's when they switched to a big ol' steering pillow. The same one that was in the Buick Le Sabre.

[@mariocooldude9092]

@@broeheemed32 yeah but looks hideous in a sports car...I'd rather die 😂

[@abqcrutch]

Great video Guys! In 1988, I flew into the San Diego airport and was met by my brother in law and his freshly minted doctor brother who had just purchased an '88 944 Turbo. Somehow, my bil convinced his brother to let me drive it to Solana Beach. He told his brother that he was going to read me the riot act. He takes me aside and tells me to drive it like I stole it up I-5. Probably one of the best times I've had driving a car. The Dr kept screaming at me the entire ride while my bil is coaching me. Lol

[@victorcreed8856]

Also, the Corvette I believe has the Doug Nash 4+3 manual. The very next year introduced the 6sp manual and is even quicker.

[@cowboy41231]

I can attest to this, I have a 93 40th anniversary with the LT-1 6spd and its almost night and day difference

[@jakeballard7999]

I want to see how a 1987 Buick Grand National Holds up against that corvette - now that's a race worth watching

[@adamhose5231]

Growing up in the '80s in Memphis and going to all the street meets, the C4 Corvette was still the quickest of the bunch compared to the Mustang GT, Mustang SVO, Toyota Supra turbo, RX7 Turbo, Porsche 944 Turbo, and I can't remember about the Porsche 928 just because there wasn't too many of those guys that would show up on Friday and Saturday nights. But generally speaking aside from some of the Exotics, when it came to stock cars in the mid '80s the Corvette was still the fastest. And then when the Buick Grand National came, followed by a couple years later when the newer generation Toyota Supra turbo and RX7 turbo came out, the Corvette even with the LT1 engine was no longer the guaranteed winner in the lineup. Again talking stock cars at about 500 ft above sea level in Memphis. In this particular race the turbocharged Porsche 944 has an advantage over the Corvette. If you took it down to lower elevation the Corvette would walk away even further. And I'm not Downing the Porsche 944 turbo, it's actually one of my favorite cars and quite frankly I love all the cars that I mentioned but we went to Street meets every Friday and Saturday night back in the mid to late '80s and that's just how it was.

[@marksmith4346]

I finally put the money together with the intent of getting the Grand National in 1990 and they had already stopped making them. They were SUCH a good car, there weren't any sitting around on back lots and NO ONE was trading them in.

[@kookiecrumble7970]

Love the look of the 944

[@glow9999]

I have an ‘87 944 turbo, Californian version. It has no ABS (optional) but does have dual airbags. It handles and drives extremely well. It needs minimum 91 octane to run, so I use non-ethanol 94 octane. One of the greatest benefit on this car over the Corvette, is the fuel economy. I get approximately 30 mpg, no matter how I drive it. I recall a time when I drove about 3.5-4 hours on highway following two other Corvettes (they were from a Corvette club). Total strangers. I followed them into a gas station, where they refuelled. Funny, I still had half a tank. We had a quick conversation and departed our ways.

[@uprebel5150]

I always wanted a 944 since they were new. Buying a C4 due to parts and maintenance cost.

[@richarddobreny6664]

ABS first came out in a corvette in 1986, nobody else had it for a few years thereafter

[@john346x7]

Great retro review! Do I really just get one or can I buy both? If only one, I would buy the Corvette based on cost to buy, cost to own, performance and design (just more attractive and special place to sit in). Keep up the great videos! Also, love the comparison to newer cars. Keep the videos coming!

[@Michael_Lorenson]

Well done, guys. Your results match what magazine testers found back in the day, and my own experience with these cars. BTW, that 944 _should_ have ABS brakes and, if they were working properly, the two cars would have been very close together under braking -- the tires making more difference than the hardware. Also, the early 944 interior wasn't much better than the early C4's, but the one in your 1987 car was quite an improvement. The C4 got its first interior update in 1990, but I prefer the original gauge cluster, and there _are_ things you can do make it more presentable. Finally, the normally-aspirated Corvette would have been even more competitive at lower altitude. The C4 Corvette was literally the C8 of its day, and it was arguably the best sports car, from a performance and driving perspective, of the 1980s, _at any price._ Think about that for a second. This car that people now think of as a piece of crap, mostly because of its period GM interior, would outperform any other production sports car you could buy, except that a couple, like the Countach and the Testa Rossa, could beat its ~155mph top speed. But maybe a guy would like to introduce a serious period tuner car, something like a Ruf Yellowbird (a super 911 Turbo, basically), into the conversation. No problem, I answer with the Callaway Twin-Turbo Corvette, which could be bought from a Chevy dealer with a factory warranty for a fraction of the Ruf's cost, and had 382 horsepower with 562 lb-ft of torque. Or maybe we should head to the race track. Well, the Sports Car Club of America (SCCA) had to give the standard C4 Corvette its own separate class in 'showroom-stock' racing, because nothing else could compete. And lets not forget the 405hp, 186mph ZR-1, which helped keep the C4 at the top of the performance charts in the early 1990s. But, like the Callaway, it was relatively expensive, almost doubling the cost of a C4. Plus, by then the C4 was really showing its age as a complete package. No one will be surprised that my personal choice here is the Corvette over the 944 Turbo, so when I found an unmolested 1988 Manual Coupe (red/black) for $3,400, just as the pandemic was first happening, I snapped it up. It had a fresh engine, clutch, exhaust, seats, and dash top, good paint, and no rust. _Incredible_ deal, but that's mostly because it was barely running. Typical unfinished project car. Dude stuck the new engine in it with all the old sensors, vacuum hoses, and so forth, couldn't get it to run right, gave up, and sold it to the guy I bought it from, who never did anything with it. It sat for about 15-20 years, altogether. It has cost me another $9,000-ish to return everything to perfect working order in this 35 year-old car, and to make a few select mods. It's a hoot to drive and it's _alive_ with cool personality. And, at least its interior does not squeak or rattle. Meanwhile, I find the 944 to be uninspiring, if very well made. Porsche's coachwork, in particular, is excellent, delivering that German 'click' when you close the door. But on the road, the 944 seems to be _asleep_ most of the time. Corvette for the win.

[@jordanwilson4182]

Dude your forgetting the Buick grand national. The Buick grand national was the fastest production car in the world in 1986.

[@Michael_Lorenson]

@@jordanwilson4182 The regular GN had 245hp / 355tq, while a limited run of GNX special editions had 276hp / 360tq. It was very quick to 60mph -- in the low 5 second range (vs mid-5s for the Corvette) -- though the cars provided by Buick to the press for testing were apparently over-boosted cheaters. Real customer cars weren't as quick. Even with that, it was not fastest in the quarter mile, nor in top speed. In no other way was it even remotely comparable to a Corvette or a Porsche. It was not a sports car, or even a GT car. It was a big, softly sprung cruiser with weak brakes, live rear axle, and old-school body-on-frame construction. It didn't even have rack and pinion steering. It wasn't a _bad_ car, but it wasn't able to compete with the world's best sports cars on their own turf. Not even close.

[@shayzayit]

This Corvette was ahead of its time and will never look outdated like the other vehicles from those years

[@FakingANerve]

I've had my modified Guards red 944 Turbo for almost 19 years now. I love, love, LOVE it! 😍😎

[@skip741x3]

which one? thats tough...I like them both...I love lowend torque but the power surge of a turbo coming on boost is addictive too... like I said, both are cool! the vette for sure as far as sound! killer exhaust! Hey guys, do one of these tests with a probe gt 5spd, all Stock, 93-97 version and put it up against Something comparable from that era~

[@kevin9c1]

This video presents an opportunity to discuss the whole interior quality thing. Yes, the Corvette was clearly built with a more single-minded goal: performance. And that's what you get. But it's worth mentioning that the lower quality of the Corvette's interior has no bearing on its ability to deliver performance 34 years later. I feel like some people try to correlate the two things. I'm sorry, a rattle or cracked plastic panel has zero relationship to chassis or powertrain and this Corvette provides the perfect proof of that.

[@sooperdan]

I would love to see you guys find a 1st gen taurus sho and run it against the vette

[@tfresh99]

Vette FTW!! And C4’s handle so well they were prohibited from their usual racing series. Couple of tweaks under the hood and it’s a bigger blast

[@telephotousa]

Proud 1988 Vette owner here. I've owned mine since 1994. You can have the Porsche. Frankly I'm amazed he didn't roach the turbo in it, because they were notoriously fragile.

[@chadzentner8213]

Proud 88 944 turbo owner....notoriously fragile?

[@telephotousa]

@@chadzentner8213 a good buddy of mine is a mechanic. Told me they had turbo issues mid/late 80s. maybe you got lucky?

[@grabir01]

The Porsche has a little advantage because of the turbo and our altitude. So.. Not really fair. Find a 928.

[@theinternets7516]

That rolling race was a lot of fun to watch.

[@madmikesch2453]

Quarter mile of the Porsche should be under 16.00s But the old Turbos are not easy to drive. ABS was 1987 optional. From 1990 on it was standard. The terrain for the Porsche is a curvy mountain road

[@xziang]

This was fun to watch. Sloooow compared to todays standards but fun to,watch. Amazing a newer full aize truck and even some 4 door sedans could beat both of them. Entertaining and thanks for sharing

[@bldontmatter5319]

Full size trucks literally have sports car engines with fewer emissions requirements, and 4 door sedans are only gonna beat them with a 8+ speed behind them. Apples to oranges

[@kennethalbert4653]

I grew up in that Era. I had a Mustang GT, ran a 14:54 at the track. Street raced Corvettes, won some, lost some. (Test car is Slow!). Can't speak for the 944, those folks did Not street race...lol. I did beat a Lotus Esprit with the Mustang tho. Grand Nationals were the King...always lost to them by 1-3 car lengths.

[@oler777]

wish i could put my black C6 corvette against your C4 to see a 10k vette vs a 15k vette there all the best bang for the buck

[@davidbauer1485]

Kase will not be able to find a somewhat decent C6 in his market area for $15K.

[@oler777]

Hence why I said I wish I could compare mind his

[@cowboy41231]

I have a 93 40th anniversary with the LT-1 6spd, it's an amazing driving experience. NO ONE mentions the c4 suspension and it's geometry. Regardless whether you like or dislike anything about a C4, the handling-feel of that chassis geometry is UNMATCHED and quite an experience! Neither of these are drag cars, they're about handling and the vettes torque is where it's at for street performance

[@RandomGuyDan]

I understand why you launched like you did, but if you launched like you should have with far more revs I think you would have been much closer or even ahead on the 1/4 mile.

[@d.michaelpratt5987]

I just came across your channel by accident - probably some random KZbin algorithm; but what fun! I got to see races without a 48 minute ramble about the history of the Porsche Motor Car Company and the glories of Corvette racing victories. Then, neither car was prepared by “Sweeney and Company Racing Enterprise,” at a cost of $17,743.42 per car. Just a couple of guys lining up with “what they’ve got.” Then, after the race, you show the winner! No trying to peer at some microscopic, far-off timing result, displayed for 2.3 seconds. And the results were in line with what I expected: that torquey V8 is going to beat that turbo off the line, but the differences will get smaller as the distances get longer. Better quality interior in the Porsche? What a surprise! Check! Surprised at the braking test: thought the Porsche would do it quicker. And, yes, when you factor in the price, I would pick the Corvette. Full disclosure: I am a Corvette guy and I own two. But I would never say “no” should someone say “Umh, I’m giving you this here Porsche.” Enjoyed the channel. Keep up the good work!

[@heroebennett]

i love this content make more 80s car match ups :)

[@wakeboarder9180]

I was lucky to have an almost brand new (1 year old) 89 C4 convertible in high school. I still have it, all garage kept, only 25k original miles (to date). Love the car, it drives like a burley V8 Harley (by todays standards). And you can't replace that. Everything Kace has reported is true. At sea level it runs 14.3 - 14.4 @ 95 mph

[@everythingautomotiveeta5839]

Great content yall been pumping out

[@KnightDriveTV]

Its not all about speed in a straight line. The c4's handle great and have a modern-classic look at a stupid bargain. The C4 is a purchase that shouldnt be passed, while they are still affordable. I own 2 of them...an 84 Z51 4+3 and a 90 ZR1. The cars arent perfect but they just look damn good.

[@Stinger430]

LOVED this video! 3 of my all-time favourite cars in one place (yes I dig the Mazda A LOT). Really enjoyed this one. I can't quite recall, but did the 944 even have ABS in 1987? I know Corvette beat a lot of European marques to the ABS punch by 1985 or 1986. Not sure if Porsche's had ABS by 1987.

[@andyharman3022]

ABS came on the Corvette in '86.

[@Stinger430]

@@andyharman3022 Thank you!

[@Richard-qz8up]

ABS was optional on the North American 944 Turbo in '87 and made standard in '88.

[@veganjoy]

vette sounds 100x better and a few hundred bucks in exhaust and intake mods will help it breathe dramatically better, that 80s emissions equipment really stifles the L98's potential. it can easily hit 300-350 hp with minimal effort

[@rrassoc]

You're going to turn a lot more heads with the 944.

[@derincatalbas9425]

Did you mean less? That black Vette looks way cooler

[@rrassoc]

People see Corvettes all the time

[@HippuJiima]

i didnt buy my Corvette to impress strangers i couldn't care less about.

[@bryankerbow7871]

@TFLClassics this was the first of your videos that I've ever seen and I have to say I'm absolutely impressed. You got straight to the point and straight to the tests without spending 15 minutes talking about features of the car or building up to the race with silly hygienks or unnecessary footage to build up to the race. It was very professionally done, and the two of you have an outstanding camera presence. The footage was really good and you gave just enough information on the cars without over talking them. You were factual without guessing at anything. I have seen other similar style videos but I end up skipping through 15 minutes of them to get to the races and comparison tests because there's always lots of wasted time and footage to make room for ads or because the people think that they're being funny. I'm a new subscriber of yours because of this video. I will be back to watch more of your content. Thank you and I hope to see many more new videos coming from you guys. Keep up the good work

[@oler777]

corvette all day over the hyped up VW

[@pablopicaro7649]

944 was made at Audi Factory, but VW was sourced to make some of the parts

[@craigt5906]

The thing I find the most shocking is a C4 corvette can run a 16 sec 1/4 miles and actually WINS races…I’ve had SEVERAL L98 corvettes and they all ran 14.5-14.0 BONe stock and close to 100 mph

[@hymeringfamily9711]

Definitely the Corvette. Looks ten times better than the Porsche. TBH, I was never a fan of the styling of Porches. And nothing beats the sound of a big fat V8!

[@JamesPhieffer]

It wasn't just the Canadian market - 944s took some time to get ABS as standard equipment, unlike the Corvette. That was a big part of why, in spite of the lower rent interior, Corvettes dominated comparisons with the 944 and 911. The Corvette was a performance monster - better acceleration, handling, and braking at a much lower price when similarly equipped.

[@fila6243]

I have an 83 944 and there is no question it was designed in 1973. We swapped an ls1 into it. Now it's highly dangerous to drive. Still handles amazing but the power to weight is ridiculous.

[@bugpumper]

Thanks for doing this! This was my life in the 90's, I had a "chiped" 86 944 turbo, and my buddy had a C4 convertable. You learn to drive the turbo at 4000 rpm always to eliminate the turbo lag.

[@dannyblaylock9942]

I had a 1980 corvette back in the day, it was an automatic, and I ran it at the track stock, it consistently ran mid 15s with a best of 15.3 - way quicker than these cars.

[@Pillowbiter84]

Would have liked to see a 1986 Mustang SVO vs Porsche 944.

[@bruschmidt9943]

Yes, the Porsche was expensive. In comparison, my 1984 Datsun 300ZX Turbo 50 Anniversary sold for $30,000 sticker from Dealership. The average price of new cars that year was $11,000. Now THAT'S an expensive car! I still own it; original showroom condition with 7,000 orig miles!