1987 Porsche 944 Turbo vs BMW M5 (ish) Drag Race - You Won’t Believe How Slow These Icons Are! 

Another great video guys, we need a review of the e28!!!!

Roman: "To be able to buy them over 30 years later, and to be able to mash them up together is this fun father/son drag race/lap is kind of a dream." Admirable and heartwarming sentiment. Compliments to you both!

The Porsche and BMW were dream vehicles in posters on many 1980s teenage bedroom walls. Next to them were Katherine Bach, Heather Thomas, Suzanne Summers, Brooke Shields and others. Both of these cars, and many of ladies of the 1980s, have aged gracefully.

Clicked on this so fast because the thumbnail stated "Roman goes from hero to zero." Very clever. Love it! Thanks, guys.

Great episode!! It's not always about being super fast, as long as it is FUN!

Probably one of most favorite videos from you guys, love these old Germans

now this is cool. i wanted both of those in the 80's as well. good to see 2 survivors! 👌

A good friend of mine had an M535i and she was rated for 218bhp (UK Spec) that car was an absolute joy to drive and really predictable - if you wanted to terrorise or you wanted to just tip along she was happy ! That Jap spec absolutely kills the fun in that BM - if you had a UK spec one that 944 wouldn't have smelled the exhaust ! Great review lads - Really enjoyed it !!

Hope to see you out at High Plains track this summer. I'll have my E-28 535i. Thanks for the great show and entertainment!

Great video I really enjoyed it and really well done👍 Looking forward to more like this

I miss my 944 turbo S so much. Was a absolute blast to drive. No where near being "fast" but on the windy country roads it was one of the funniest cars on the road.

Love both those cars! Nice vid guys... Most enjoyable

That was a super fun video. Thanks guys

Great review of the 2 cars! My 1987 Porsche 928 S4 has ABS! I know this because the ABS dash light is permanently on!

Always loved that model 5 along with the 6 … especially in the M variants, but definitely appreciate the “lesser” variants as well. That model Porsche is appreciated, too … sharp!

Love this video. Wish I could do something similar when my kids are older.

Both great cars! I loved my BMW 2002's,(round tail lights), and have a 987.2 Cayman now,(yes, it's guards red), lovin it as well.

great video ! So seing from the wiring in the engine bay your 944 does have abs but looks like it's not working .Please stop saying the brembo brakes came from the 911 ,they did not ,the 911 got them from '89 on the 964 ,the 944 turbo was the first Porsche to be introduced with Brembo calipers in '85 .Until '89 the 911 ,specifically the turbo did also have 4 pot calipers but were not Brembo ,were made in house .

Got to drive one of this original M5s in the UK in 1988. Amazing vehicle. Have to watch the strange gearbox layout that has 1st directly backwards from reverse!

Genial comparativa, obviamente ambos autos no están en su mejor forma/performance, pero el objetivo de estos clásicos es diversión en la conducción

In the early 90's had the pleasure of owning an E28 '86 535i Exec - The Australian spec was 160kw with M5 wheels, arches, but no M badges. So it really was a sleeper.

Wow! Had you not said "Dad",...I would have not know this was a Dad/Son tag team! Luv the "Classic" BMWs and Porsches!

Great video series. I have always loved the 1980s Porsche lineup. I believe it's the best they have ever had. I still own my first car... a 1982 924. Had it some I was 16. Anyway I am sure you already know this but your door handles are from a 968, the exhaust is not stock... at a minimum the tail pipe is not. The stock ones are round not oval. Also... closely check the front end... it looks to me like it was bumped. The hood is not properly lined up. It is obvious in some of your video angles. Oh and I have owned 4 924, 1 924S, 1 944 and currently own 1987 928s4, 2003 996 C4s and of course my 1982 924. Good luck with that beautiful 944 Turbo. If you want to know what to check for front and rear damage let me know. I had website years ago but the free part went away and so did my site.

Fun video, but a well-sorted 951 is as fast in 2022 as it was in 1987; and faster with some minor chipping/tuning/exhaust updates. This one is running 944 NA times; needs some major work.

Maybe it’s the camera, but why not drive the snot of that e28? I have an bone stock e28 535i and it will light up the back tires, and go much faster than that. Maybe that car has had a sedate life. The harder driven, the healthier they run.

i worked at a european car repair shop for about 26 yrs. I still miss my old e-28. It wasnt fast..it was a 528e. I bought it from a customer for $1200.00. we had parted out a wrecked 325e. So I bought the engine from my boss for $300.00. I put it on a stand and re-sealed everything. New water pump & timing belt..the whole 9 yards. This car was very very clean! Someone had put the 390mm metric wheels on it. There was only one tire made for those, The Michelin TRX. And they were very expensive. So I called A bmw boneyard we used to do alot of business with. I was able to get 4 good spares that were brand new for $60.00 a piece! I put a chip in the ecu. It was a great car! I should have kept it!!

No need to remortgage the house at least for the BMW. BMWs of this era are reliable and parts are available at a reasonable cost.

Too fun! Question, where can I get a stylin' green puffer so I can be rep Team Tommy?

I believe pop up headlights went away because when you hit pedestrians, it hurts even more...damn Ralph Nader!

Man Roman, you really gotta work on that launch on that 5er. 😆

Elevation, tires, and driver causes of high 0-60. Actually my 1986 Porsche 928 is equipped with ABS.

These are the only BMW and Porches I can afford at this late age. I love my 1991 3181s. But a big come down from my e36 M3 that I sold. BMWs have also been part of my life with my son. He now has a Porsche, Corvette, and a 2002tii.

My friend's parents had a 528e that they (amazingly) used to let me drive occasionally... The slowest of the US spec cars, I think, but still a very nice vehicle, great on the highway.

Love both of these cars. I have a 535is, would love to have a 944 Turbo one day

Love both cars. About 5 years ago, you could probably have bought both for around $18k. Such is the current market…

both cars are absolute icons, i love the 951 and the E28 M5......

For me as a E34 owner and enthusiast, how slow it is it part of what makes it such a great driving experience. You have a blast pushing it a bit, gearing and listening to the straight six while holding the speed limit

I had that same year, and color 944 turbo and it was a lot of fun and the turbo lag was awesome but you did need to be ready for it. If I remember right it had three speed windshield wipers.

If I had money to do a restored it's be an LS swapped 944. I love those cars!

944T/951: Good quality tires on a warm day (not hot), high octane fuel for that turbo compression, engine working as designed (no leaks etc), engine not overly heat soaked, it will do 0-60 mph in 6.5 sec and drag race roll start a bit quicker.

There is the DC71 version of this car that was also imported to the US through the grey market. That one has 218 bhp and no catalyst. There were so many configurations for this car based on the market.

Both look fast just sitting there!

Good vid. way to flat spot those tires at the line.

Man, this is eye opening for these old school dream cars. Gotta get a 535i (7.9s) and add a turbo. Yay!!

I wanted one of those turbo 944s so bad!

We got it as the 535is! I had a 1988 model! Salmon Silver,...and later out fitted it with real OEM ///M5 swaybars! Boy Oh - Boy!!! Edit: The "Beep" was the "Gong",...setting! It notified you that a preset speed has been reached!

I drove my brother in laws 944 turbo back in the 80s, it was a fun car but had so much turbo lag I thought I was starting in 3rd gear into the turbo kicked in, then it was hold on.

1987 Anti lock was 1st year on US and Euro Porsche, might not be on Canadian models yet

Great video as usual. The 944 Turbo is an easy choice here at the same price point.

I think it would be cool to see a comparison of these cars to the equivalent year American cars, mustang or Camaro.

Nice! Run more cars around the track and create a leader board. Can the TRX beat the 944?

I don’t care how slow(ish) they are, I really wouldn’t mind having either in my garage and there are some 12 classics in there already!! I did notice the driver’s side has a couple of odd dents in the rocker panel on the 944. They need to be revved a bit more off the line, but they are pretty old, so,,,,,. The tires on that Porsche are definitely over 5 years old and being hard as hockey pucks. They really need replacing. Lots of tread means nothing once they go hard they are dangerous and can fail catastrophically. The 8.1 at altitude and with the age, is pretty good! The track needed to be run at at least 3500+ rpm the entire time and shifting to stay there. Then you are into the turbo of all the time,,,,,. Like you said, you are not the Stig!! The BMW was a bit disappointing, but it’s a fairly heavy car in comparison. YOU GUYS WERE HAVING FUN!!!

Since 87 944s had ABS (different offset wheels/hubs, like this car has), so yours is off for some reason, but the car should have it. However BMW really equipped 5series with ABS sooner, so actually you are correct :-D

I don't know what should I choose,all so cool,I think in south Africa they have a rare version for 5 or 3 series,even the 7series

ABS was an option in the 944 Turbo starting in either 1986 or 1987 so your car could have been equipped with it if that option box was checked.

Tommy channeling his inner Chris Harris with that drift.

Come on guys, you spend over 50k on your regular daily driver test cars on TFL channel and you can't spent that kind of money finding an original E28 M5 for 50-80k!! I have a lot of gratitude and love for your channel Roman, but man when it comes to presenting classic old school sports cars, I believe you can do better! Thanks for your father & son duo.

Now here’s a cool video

In 1987 I bought 2 brand new IROC-Z's. The 1st one was a t-top coupe I paid $14,500 for and the 2nd was a fully loaded with every option convertible for $22,000. Both those cars were 5.0 TPI 5 speeds and would have smoked those 2 in performance and handling. 0-60 time of 6.9 sec. and a quarter mile time of 15 sec. flat. They handled like a dream on those Goodyear gatorback 245x50VR16's and pulled a .9G on the skid pad.

Nice!

Pop up headlights are no longer on new cars because car models certified after a certain date in most countries were not allowed to have them. The main reason for this was pedestrian impact. A secondary reason was they induced front end lift when open (though I think this was more from the manufacturers than the certifying bodies). Increased drag was a minor factor in this move. New lighting technology also made them unnecessary for a low front end.

Do you still have the 944 Turbo? And the m5-ish? I guess what I'm asking is... when you buy these, how long do you keep them etc?

The success of the TFL enterprise speaks volumes about the condition of human existence.

Have you guys seen the 1983 Audi Quattro that RU-vidr 'Sarah N Tuned' recently aquired? What a beautiful car! You should invite her to race. As far as Porsche goes, if you ever get the chance to review an '80s 928, please do! Being Porsche's first front engine V8, some enthusiasts found it too odd, but I think it's beautiful & dang, I want one!

Change the thermostat on the 944, doesn't seem to get up to temprature. @7:58

I have owned several E28' and a few E34's..... they are amazing and would still smoke quite a few cars today.

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You should have my 1988 subaru xt pull up, its like a Porsche make on a budget

Definitely build that e28 into a proper m5!

you can do an engine swap in the bmw take this one out and put the m3 3.2 or the 4.0 from the 96/2003 5 series

I think looking at the video that the Tyers where low on air, for sure the BMW. And if you like to go on this track it is important to have some good weals on the car.

Really nice how respectfully you treated these MILDs (Mid agers I'd like to drive) and really great to see which emotions and nervous heartbeats these well shaped german girls can still arouse...😉😅😍I Love it! Thanks👍 greetings from Germany 😊

My dad had a 1987 535is euro spec, it did 0-60 in 5.9 seconds

Wow the turbo.... ever been on a literbike?

Miss my 944S I sold a couple of years ago:(:(

Both are very nice cars and was a great video. What I miss most about those days car wise is that the cars varied so much. So much. Today manufactures use same suppliers same lay outs the same synthetic machines. There was something special about those days...those that came before them. You want to get something out of the car learn to drive well. Not so much today .... lets face it there will never be a song on the radio about her having fun, fun, fun until daddy takes her tesla away, nor will anyone play little kia go ...wind it up blow it out, little kia go!

Your 944 has H4 euro headlights, too.

I like how Roman pointed out a new Subaru is still slower than the old BMW. 🤣

Roman, I’m an old guy like you. I too graduated college in 1987 and bought my dream car, Mustang GT. All in including discounts, sales tax, and all the financing it was $15,000. I started doing track days with the BMW and Porsche clubs. They were always shocked how fast it was on the track. And then I would point out it was a rebodied Fairmont. These old girls are great. Thanks for doing this series.

My moms 1967 Ford Galaxy 4 dr w/ 390 ci could do 0-60 in 10 seconds

you can change the computer on that m30 to a US spec one and chip it...the parts are around

Tommy, it is NOT beamer it is Bimmer. Beamer us the yuppie way not the correct way.

Your boost was very low. When TFL want to try a properly running 944 Turbo on the Dacono track, it can be arranged.

I own both of these cars how cool. 🙂😎

Lol what a hoot, please find an 87 Tbird turbo coupe to compete against these two. Even less HP 155 I think and the wheelbase of a bus but maybe,just maybe it won’t embarrass itself too bad? I remember the 80’s too. I think our local Chevrolet dealership had a Corvette for around $36,000 sticker and that was a ton of money. social security reports the average wage for ‘87 was roughly $18,000 a year.

I have a real E28 M5 in Denver that’s driver quality if you want to really thrash one, it’s the best thing ever

Riiiight...the 944 Turbo is better than the Boxster.

I would be interested how the 87 Buick grand national would match up to these two. Have an American car tossed into the mix.

My M535i had 218bhp uk spec. Lovely car had a dogleg box.

Thought they went away because of the safety hazard for pedestrians in case of a crash

dang, i remember when e28 m5s were 15-20k.

classic cars that were driven slow, will be slow, if they had owners that push them hard, they will be way faster and they can surprise the notion that (older cars are slow), my uncle 1989 stock slantnose does 4.1s 0-60 , by righteous use and proper break in... was 4.9s when new, and its 100% stock, well maintained and numbers matching

Hey at least you guys have Porsche and BMW. I have Volkswagens 😅

i mean you could buy a decent suburban 3bdr house in '87 for sub-90k.. so yea 33k was a good amount of cash.

The BMW owners manual also gives 0-62 times

Love the BMW the body style is my favourite

People thought the M5 was a sports car in the 80s? 🤣 Right...

Wow your son looks like Jesse Eisenberg lol

I can think of worse ways to spend a day!

These videos are great if you're over the age of 50.