So, my first effort was to get this car Budget Porsche home. I suppose I could have driven it but that would have been a long drive (300 miles) in a car that seemed anything but reliable. I discarded that idea and with some suggestions from friends at various Porsche discussion groups, I learned that U-Haul does not have the Porsche 944 on their list of approved-for-towing cars. 

However, if I convinced the folks at U-Haul that I was really towing a 88 VW Rabbit, then the tow dolly would, in fact, work. It seems that, for some reason, people have trouble towing Porsches. The 944 does sit low to the ground and I suspect this contributes to damage when towing. If you search the discussion groups, you'll find that some have towed rear-first (rear wheels on the dolly) and others (like me) have gone front-first.

I've done this job twice, once with a 944 and once with a 944 Turbo. With the 944, I just drove the front wheels right up onto the dolly. The 951 was a little more tricky. For it I had two 6 foot, 2" X 8" boards and a couple of blocks to support the mid-point of the boards. These boards make for a more graduated rise up onto the dolly. I also used a hand winch to pull the car up the ramps. Not all tow dollies are alike so use some judgment.

In the process of using the winch on the 944 Turbo (with the tow eye), I was able to see (close-up and in slow motion) how well the structure supports the tow eye. Even though the incline was very slight, the structure above and forward of the radiator was immediately stressed to the point of bending. From this I concluded that the tow eye was for emergencies only!  Many of these original tow eyes have been lost - maybe it is for the best.