Porsche 944, 951 & 968 Option Codes: How to Decode Your Car

The factory option sticker helps identify how your Porsche 944, 944 Turbo (951) or 968 was originally equipped. This guide explains where to find it, how to read its codes and why the model year matters when researching equipment or ordering parts.

Browse the equipment tables below to explore everything from suspension and wheel specifications to seats, audio equipment and market versions. Keep the car's model year and original documentation alongside the code list as you build a picture of its factory specification.

One naming detail helps immediately: 951 is Porsche's type designation for the 944 Turbo. It is not an equipment option. Porsche's 944 Turbo history uses that designation explicitly.

Where to find the option-code sticker

For a 944, check beneath the rear hatch carpet, left of the latch. References may add an M before the sticker's three-digit number: 220 and M220 identify the same code.

For a 968, Porsche's driver's manual places the vehicle data label under the luggage-compartment carpet beside the left rear light assembly.

Photograph the whole label before transcribing it. Keep leading zeroes, and record the model year alongside the codes. A close-up of one number is useful, but a full-label photograph preserves the context you may need later.

How to use this reference

The tables below contain 147 reference entries covering 143 different numeric codes. They are an extensive working reference, rather than a claim to list every production, market or special-order code.

The model and reference-years column gives the context for each reading. Catalogue periods can span several variants, so an entry does not establish that the equipment was available on every car in that period. Where no year range is shown, confirm the reading against your car's model year. Links to Porsche's own catalogues appear at the end of this guide.

Read left and right as the vehicle's physical sides when facing forward. Do not automatically substitute driver and passenger: those depend on whether the car has left- or right-hand drive.

Use your browser's Find function to search for a number such as 220. The M prefix is included here for consistency. Alphabetic codes, paint identifiers and upholstery color identifiers need their own references; this numeric list should not be used to guess their meanings.

Chassis, transmission and wheels

Check the cited model and year context before applying a reading to your car.

Seats, trim and cabin equipment

Check the cited model and year context before applying a reading to your car.

Body, lighting and electrical equipment

Check the cited model and year context before applying a reading to your car.

Audio and communications: 944 references

Check the cited model and year context before applying a reading to your car.

Special-model identification: 944

Check the cited model and year context before applying a reading to your car.

Market and language specifications

Check the cited model and year context before applying a reading to your car.

968-specific readings and additional equipment

Entries below follow the 968 catalogue.

Early 944 readings: 1982–1985 catalogue

These readings follow the early 944 catalogue; note the M463 difference.

Details worth checking before you order parts

M030 needs a model-specific check

Treat M030 as the starting point for researching the sport chassis fitted to that particular car. A Porsche-published account of a 944 S2 restoration describes its M030 suspension as height adjustable. That example is useful context, but it is not a specification sheet for every M030-equipped 944 or 968. Porsche: 944 S2 restoration.

For replacement dampers, springs or related hardware, match the exact vehicle and the equipment currently fitted. Check the differential specification separately instead of assuming a suspension code answers both questions.

A familiar number can identify different equipment

M249 illustrates why the model matters: the 944 reference describes an automatic gearbox, while the 968 reference specifies Tiptronic. The model-specific readings are recorded in the tables above.

Radio codes also deserve care. The audio table gives the reading in the cited catalogue, not a promise that one radio name applies throughout the model's entire production run. Compare the radio's identification label and the car's documentation before sourcing a replacement.

M463 is another example: the early 944 catalogue associates it with tinted side glass. Later references give a clear-windshield reading. The separate early-car table preserves that distinction.

M398 is model-dependent too: the cited 944 reading concerns a mirror; the 968 reading concerns wheels. Always read the model context alongside the number.

Factory records and the car today are two things to compare

Use an option-code decoding as a record to investigate. A previous owner may have replaced a seat, changed the wheels or upgraded the suspension. If the label and the car disagree, photograph the fitted part and look for its part number before drawing a conclusion.

For a parts inquiry, prepare the VIN, model year, exact model, relevant codes and photographs. This gives a supplier much more useful information than an option number on its own.

Frequently asked questions

What if the option sticker is missing?

Gather the vehicle's original paperwork and ask about available factory documentation. In the United States, Porsche offers a Production Specification service that can include recorded optional equipment and other build details. Availability of individual historical details depends on the records. Start with Porsche Vehicle Documentation.

Does every code represent an extra-cost option?

No. These references also contain market versions, language specifications and equipment deletions. Interpret the description before treating a code as an upgrade.

Can an option code confirm that a part will fit?

Use it to narrow the inquiry, then verify the part number and the vehicle application. Ask a supplier to check the VIN and relevant production details, especially if the car has been modified.

What if a code is absent from this list?

Keep the complete code as printed, including any letters or leading zeroes. Check the matching model-year catalogue or request help using the full vehicle data label. A missing entry here is not evidence that the sticker is wrong.

How should I save my decoded specification?

Keep a simple record with four columns: printed code, decoded meaning, source and any difference observed on the car. Save the original label photograph beside it. That record will be useful the next time you research a replacement part or discuss the car's history.

Porsche reference documents

• Porsche 944 catalogue, 1985/2–1988.
• Porsche 944 catalogue, 1989–1991.
• Porsche 968 catalogue, 1992–1995.
• Porsche 944 catalogue, 1982–1985 (select it in the Porsche Classic catalogue list).