Yahoo Autos The Porsche 944 S2 Cabriolet Was Wildly Complex to Build
In the early 1990s, before the launch of the Boxster, Porsche was in trouble. The company was making brilliant cars, but they were wildly expensive and complex to produce. The 944 S2 Cabriolet is a perfect example of Porsche's hilariously inefficient manufacturing processes.
As Motorweek's John Davis explains in this 1990 review, every 944 S2 Cabriolet started life as a coupe body shell, before getting sent to an American Specialty Cars factory in Germany where the top was removed and extra structural bracing was added. The roofless 944 body was then sent back to Porsche where all the mechanical and interior parts were installed. Before getting sent to a dealer, though, the 944 S2 Cabriolet had to go back to American Specialty Cars to have its fabric top installed.
That meant that the 944 S2 Cabriolet cost $6700 more than the coupe it was based on. Even then, Porsche's profit margins must have been incredibly thin, given that the car had to go back and forth between two factories.
Things had to change. In 1992, Porsche brought in consultants from ultra-efficent Toyota to help streamline the manufacturing process. Soon after, the much-cheaper-to-build Boxster launched and helped save the brand, and was followed by the wildly successful 996-generation 911 and the Cayenne SUV. Now, Porsche's $17,000-per-car profits are the envy of the auto industry.
The 1991 944 S2 Cabriolet is an interesting relic then. It's an excellent representation of the Porsche of old, which built some of the finest cars in the world, at a price that simply wasn't sustainable.
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