944 S2 Cabriolet and Turbo Cabriolet
How the coupé became a Cabriolet, who built it – and why the production figures conflict.
In short: The Cabriolets were made from finished coupé bodies that ASC reinforced and converted in Heilbronn. The S2 Cabriolet ran from 1989, the Turbo Cabriolet in 1991.
Origins
Porsche showed a first Cabriolet prototype in Frankfurt in 1985. In 1987 the American Sunroof Corporation (ASC) won the contract for series production and built a plant in Weinsberg near Heilbronn. Coupé bodies came from Neckarsulm, were reinforced with steel plates at the front and floor, and then converted.
S2 Cabriolet
Production began in January 1989. For the US market only 16 cars were built in 1989, with two incorrect characters in their VINs (starting «WP0BA»).
Turbo Cabriolet
Porsche presented the Turbo Cabriolet in February 1991. The figures for numbers built differ: 625, about 525 and 528 are all given. It was not officially exported to the USA. We show all figures until a factory source is available.
Technical values
Only work with the workshop manual and the correct tools. Do not use unverified values without checking them – wrong tension values can destroy the engine.
| Value | Figure | Condition | Status | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Turbo Cabriolet: number built, higher figure | 625, of which 100 right-hand drive | – | unverified | [1] |
| Turbo Cabriolet: number built, lower figure | about 525 (model year 1991) | Conflicts with the higher figure | unverified | [2] |
| S2 Cabriolet for the US market in 1989 | 16 cars | – | unverified | [1] |
Sources
- Secondary source Porsche 944 (Abschnitt «Production»)
Secondary source. Production tables per model year, no book citation; totals are partly inconsistent.
- Secondary source 944 Turbo (951) FAQ
Secondary source on the Turbo: charger, boost, wastegate, model years. Some figures quoted from the workshop manual, unverified here.
- Secondary source Porsche 944
Secondary source. Covers special series (Turbo S, Celebration Edition) among others. «Technische Daten» table with torque, 0–100 km/h, top speed and kerb weight, without its own reference.