Mark White's Porsche 944: A Unique Adventure in Automotive Artistry

From building show stopping and high-performance Porsche 911s at his shop Accumoto to racing Volkswagen GTIs and Audi S4’s around the likes of Daytona and Limerock for APR, Mark White knows a thing or two about going fast and looking good while doing it.  Hailing from Wisconsin, he decided it was time to put some of his expertise into a vehicle of his own. His only requirement was something that could handle the snow, like the cars he was known for, did pavement.  That’s when a package deal of two cars came his way, one of them being this 1988 base model Porsche 944.

With Mark’s attention to detail and race pedigree, he toes the line between form and function in a way that looks effortless. With this car being no exception. There are a plethora of power upgrades, easter eggs, and pieces of ingenuity that are all closely grafted together. Bringing you a well orchestrated and OEM+ Safari 944 that even Porsche Classic themselves said, is what they would have built if given the green light to do so.

Due to the original paint not weathering to Mark's liking, a decision was made to dressed the 944 the same livery that French racer Guy Frequelin’s 911SC wore while it terrorized the World Rally Championship and hill climb circuit back in 1982. Though, you might notice that the Esso Oil Drop Man has a little more attitude than it did back then. Another little Easter egg that Mark had filled me in on was that all of the travel stickers placed upon the cargo boxes bear the same location and dates of the races that Frequelin’s 911SC had participated in.

When born in 1988, this car was delivered with a 2.4 inline four cylinder engine. Under the new ownership, it was quickly swapped over to the dual overhead cam 3.0 liter out of the upgraded 944 S2. Providing a 30% power bump. The rest of the drivetrain was refreshed in the same manner. With a complete mechanical refresh, the 944 now has the power and drivability that it needed to handle what ever is thrown at it.

A set of Motion Control Suspension were built to acheive the end goal. The extended shocks and external reservoirs give the vehicle an aggressive stance and help support it dominate any terrain. To complement the suspension, a set of Toyo Open Country All Terrains were wrapped around the same OEM Porsche Phone Dials the car was originally equipped with. Though wheels are usually the first to be upgraded by almost anyone, the stock specs were perfect when it came to adding some extra rubber to the equation so they stayed.

While continuing the theme of pulling from Porsche’s OEM parts bin, the interior followed suit with the likes of a 911 RS steering wheel and the integration of the 964 Cabriolet rear seat delete glove boxs. And if it wasn't oem it sure looked like it.The way the hydraulic E-brake handle seamlessly sits in an indent in the center console or the pair of retrimmed Recaro LXs. To put the cherry on top, you’d find other bits of the interior wrapped in alcantara to overall elevate the appearance of the cabin.

Last but not least, the roof rack and all it carries. The OEM rack mounts to the car in the front by clamping onto the inner door frame and in the rear underneath the hatch glass. Cosmetically it’s a little goofy and structurally only good for about 150 lbs, which wasn’t going to cut it. Mark decided it was best to go straight through the roof and to add support between the headliner and roof skin with arrangement of gussets and support pieces.. “What’s in the box?” you might ask out loud when looking at the cargo on top of the roof rack. Well Brad Pitt, this 944 is flat towed across the country behind an RV so all of the extremities needed during a long haul are nestled in there to help with transportation. How is it towed you might ask? Under closer investigation you’ll find the receiving end for the 7-pin harness hidden in the lower grille and with the removal of the bumperettes, the bracket for the tow bar.

When I saw Mark parking, before he had headed into an event, I had to ask him for the opportunity to shoot it and I'm beyond glad I did. This is the kind of car that help sets then bench mark and will motivate me when it comes to my own personal projects for years to come, as I hope it does for you.