Category: 1988

1988 Porsche 944 hatchback coupe

In the summer of 2015, I was out in the Philadelphia suburbs picking up some hoagies (known as subs or heros to a good portion of the rest of the country). A young man parked next to me in a black Porsche 944. As we waited for our sandwiches to be made, he told me that his family had recently picked up the car, that it was quite original, that it had only about 50,000 miles, and that it was a 1988.

“Driving in its finest form”

For the 1988 model year, the 944 stood mostly pat. The engine continued to be the 147 bhp 2.5 liter/151 ci inline four with port fuel injection, paired with either a standard five-speed manual transmission or an optional three-speed automatic transmission.

0-60 with the manual transmission was about 8.5 seconds in the 2,800-pound car, while mileage was 20 city/28 highway by the day’s standards (18/26 by modern measures). With a 21.1-gallon gas tank, range was an impressive 420 to 455 miles with a 10% fuel reserve.

Standard exterior and mechanical equipment on the $31,650 car (about $87,600 in 2025 dollars) included pop-up halogen headlights, an integral front air dam, power rack and pinion steering, vented disc brakes, and 215/60VR15 tires (a size still readily available) on 15-inch cast alloy wheels. Inside, all 944s came with air conditioning, a leather sport steering wheel, a digital quartz clock, power windows, and an electric rear window defroster.

Options included anti-lock brakes, automatic cruise control, a tilting sunroof, sports seats, front heated seats, driver and passenger airbags, and a selection of Blaupunkt digital cassette radios.

The View From 2025

There is good club support for the Porsche 944, as there is for all Porsches. According to Hagerty’s valuation tools, all the money for a 1988 Porsche 944 in #1/Concours condition is $37,500, with a more normal #3/Good condition car going for $11,500. Porsche 944s often appear for sale in the Hemmings Motor News classifieds, on eBay Motors, and on Bring a Trailer. As I update this blog entry in March 2025, a Black 1988 with the manual, black leather seats, and 85,000 miles is available on Hemmings, asking $37,900.

Make mine Zermatt Silver Metallic, please.

Other eighties Porsches I have written about include the 1982 928 hatchback coupe, the 1982 Porsche 924 Turbo hatchback coupe, the 1985 911 Carrera Cabriolet, the 1986 944 Turbo hatchback coupe, and the 1987 911 3.2 Carrera coupe.

Last updated April 2025.

1988 Cadillac Cimarron sedan

This afternoon I was walking in the University City portion of Philadelphia and I saw a later Cadillac Cimarron driving towards me in surprisingly good shape. As good a reason as any to finally complete this blog entry.

“… built for those who consider driving a sporty pastime.”

It is an article of faith in the automotive world that General Motors often finally gets a car right just before killing it. Examples that spring to mind are the last of the Pontiac Fieros and the last of the Cadillac Allantés. However, in the case of the Cadillac Cimarron, all GM was able to do was make it less awful and embarrassing.

The only engine available for 1988 was the 125 bhp LB6 2.8 liter/173 ci V6 with multi-port fuel injection. When paired with the standard five-speed manual transmission, mileage was 20 city/29 highway by the standards of the day (18/27 by today’s standards). A three-speed automatic transmission was optional and rated at 20 city/27 highway. 0-60 in the 2,800-pound car came in about 9.5 seconds with the manual transmission and about 10.5 seconds with the automatic transmission.

The $16,071 base price (about $33,500 in today’s dollars) included standard exterior and mechanical features such as power brakes, power steering, power mirrors, intermittent windshield wipers, and 13-inch aluminum wheels. Air conditioning, leather seating areas, a leather steering wheel, a tachometer, and an AM/FM stereo radio with four speakers were all standard in the interior.

Options included a sunroof, cruise control, power door locks, power windows, six-way power seat, tilt steering wheel, and the Delco-GM Bose Symphony Sound System.

Exterior styling that was at least somewhat more differentiated from the Chevrolet Cavalier sedan than the earliest Cimmarons had been. A more aggressive and distinctive grille had been added in 1984, the front end had been lengthened in 1985, and ribbed lower body cladding had appeared in 1986.

Cimarron pages from the 1988 Cadillac brochure

By 1988, sales of the Cimarron had completely collapsed. After a first year peak of almost 26,000 unit sold in the 1982 model year, sales dropped to a sad 6,454 in the Cimarron’s final model year.

I have yet to see a Cimarron at a serious antique car show—they’re treated by Cadillac folks like Ford folks treat the Mustang II from the 1970s—but I’m betting some intrepid soul will save one and bring it back for judging. You occasionally see them for sale in the Hemming’s Motor News classifieds and on eBay Motors: as I write this in June 2015, there’s a Glacier Blue 1987 Cimarron with a Dark Blue leather interior and 11,300 miles listed on Hemmings for $14,900.

1988 Chevrolet Beretta GT coupe

“A car with performance that fulfills the promise offered by its exterior appearance.”

I always liked the Chevrolet Beretta’s styling. It was among the purest executions of the wedge in the 1980s (along with the Bertone/Fiat X1/9, the Pontiac Fiero, and the Triumph TR8).

Chevrolet soft-launched the Beretta as a 1987 model, selling it to rental car agencies. In its first full year of general availability in 1988, there were two Beretta models—the base coupe and the GT. The Beretta GT came standard with the LB6 130 bhp 2.8 liter/173 ci multi-port fuel-injected V6: a notable step up from the “Iron Duke” LQ5 90 bhp 2.5 liter/151 ci throttle body fuel-injected inline four that came standard with the coupe.

0-60 mph came in a little over 9 seconds with the five-speed manual transmission and the V6—not that bad, but certainly not stunningly fast either. Fuel economy with the same powertrain combination was 19 city/29 highway by the day’s standards (17/27 by today’s measures). With a 13.5-gallon gas tank, a GT owner could expect a range of 265 to 290 miles with a 10% fuel reserve.

1988 Chevrolet Beretta print advertisement
1988 Chevrolet Beretta print advertisement

Standard exterior and mechanical equipment on the $11,851 GT (approximately $33,300 in today’s dollars) included dual sport mirrors, power brakes, and P205/70R14 tires (a size still readily available) on 14-inch wheels. Inside, the Custom interior, tachometer, and an AM/FM stereo radio were all standard.

Packages & Options

The Beretta was one of the early examples of General Motors’ move to option packages as the preferred way to reduce the number of possible equipment combinations. The GT‘s option packages were:

  1. Air conditioning
  2. Floor mats, tilt steering wheel, cruise control, intermittent wipers
  3. Auxiliary lighting, power door locks, power trunk opener, power windows, AM/FM stereo cassette with digital clock

Optional equipment included the GT-only Z51 Performance Handling Package ($153 for larger stabilizer bars, firmer bushings, tuned struts and shocks, and Goodyear Eagle GT + 4 P205/60R15 tires on 15-inch styled steel wheels), rear window defogger ($145), electronic instrumentation ($156), two-tone paint ($123), and AM/FM stereo cassette with digital clock and graphic equalizer.

Midway through the model year, Chevrolet added a Beretta GTU package for $2,500. Designed to reflect the Berretta’s involvement in the IMSA GTU racing series, the GT-based GTU featured a front wraparound chin spoiler, a body color grille and body side moldings, lower rocker panel extensions, breakaway mirrors, a rear valance panel extension, a rear decklid spoiler, GTU graphics, and Goodyear Gatorback P205/55VR-16 tires on 16-inch aluminum alloy wheels.

The View From 2025

Not a lot of folks are collecting Berettas, but there are enthusiast sites. I have not seen one on the road in over a decade. Berettas are rarely seen in the Hemming’s Motor News classifieds or on eBay Motors, but Bring a Trailer has sold six over the last five years.

Make mine Maroon Metallic, please.

Other Chevrolet coupes from the second half of the eighties that I have written about include the 1985 Celebrity Eurosport, the 1986 Cavalier Z24, and the 1988 Corvette 35th Anniversary Edition.

Last updated October 2025.

1988 BMW 750iL sedan

“Enter into a new world.”

BMW’s M70 V12, courtesy of Sv650k4 from the Wikimedia Commons.

After a year in production with just the straight 6, the second generation of BMW’s top-of-the-line 7-series sedan got a V12 option in 1988. This engine, designated M70 and BMW’s first production V12, used Bosch Motronic M fuel injection and made a fairly effortless 296 bhp from its 5.0 liter/304 ci size.

The late eighties were back when BMW’s number and letter designations still meant something, so the breakout of the 7-series with the V12 was this:

7 – series
50 – 5.0 liters
i – fuel injected
L – long wheelbase

1988 BMW 750iL advertisement
1988 BMW 750iL advertisement

The 750iL’s eye-popping base price was $69,000—about $193,300 in 2025 dollars, and 55% more than a 2026 760i xDrive sedan goes for. For all that money, the purchaser got almost every piece of equipment BMW could put in the car. Exterior and mechanical features included a ZF four-speed automatic, four-wheel anti-lock disc brakes, traction control, ZF’s Servotronic power steering, a self-leveling rear suspension, and Pirelli P600B 225/60VR-15 tires (a size still somewhat available) on 15-inch wheels. Inside, a driver’s side airbag, a trip computer, dual-zone air conditioning, and leather seats were all standard.

Options, Performance, & Period Reviews

Beyond this, there were a few options available; one was a limited-slip differential. In addition, the buyer of a 750iL was paying the dreaded $1,850 gas guzzler tax—the original EPA estimate was 12 city/17 highway (the modern equivalent would be 11 city/16 highway). With a capacious 27-gallon fuel tank, a 750iL owner could expect a range of 330 to 350 miles with a 10% fuel reserve.

I remember being in one of these cars when it was new, and I felt that it accelerated like a Learjet: weighing in at about 4,235 pounds, it still could do 0-60 mph in about 7.5 seconds and hit 155 mph—respectable sports car numbers in the late 1980s. At the time, Car and Driver called it “the sedan of choice when money is no object.”

The View From 2025

Like many BMWs, the 750iL does attract collector interest, and there is support from BMW car clubs. Maintenance costs can be daunting, and Hagerty does not track the 750iL—perhaps because they rarely trade hands. 750iLs do occasionally appear for sale in the Hemming’s Motor News classifieds, on eBay Motors, and on Bring A Trailer.

Make mine Salmon Silver, please, though Diamond Black also has its attractions.

I have also written about the 1982 733i sedan. Other BMWs I have written about include the 1983 633CSi coupe, the 1984 325e coupe, the 1985 535i sedan, the 1987 L6 coupe, the 1987 M6 coupe, and the 1988 M3 coupe.

Last updated August 2025.