Porsche tried to kill the 911, but fans said no
Most people familiar with Porsche sports cars know the venerable 911 and possibly the earlier 356, and they know their engines were in the rear.
They were descendents of the original production 356 that emerged in 1948 from Porsche’s 1940s wartime shop, an old sawmill in Gmund, Austria. It was clearly based on Dr. Ferdinand Porsche’s 1930s-designed Volkswagen, a kind of “gold plated” Beetle right down to the air cooled flat four behind the rear axle and four-wheel independent torsionbar suspension.
Rear-engine design was an anomaly among sports cars, where the norm was a front engine driving the rear wheels. But Porsche drivers tolerated its somewhat quirky proclivity for oversteer because of the outstanding performance and reliability. The unusual configuration was a kind of an offbeat badge of honour among dedicated 356 fans.
The 356 was followed by the 911 in 1963, and Porsche being so identified with rear engines, the 911 continued that layout. But Porsche was moving away from the Volkswagen influence with a fully articulated rear suspension replacing swing axles, and an overhead camshaft flat-six dry-sump engine, although still air-cooled.
This more expensive design caused a significant price rise, so a cheaper 911 clone, the 912, was offered with the flat four from 1965 to 69.
By the 1970s, it was felt the rear engine was a technological dead end, that the 911 was reaching the end of its development potential. Work began on a new traditional front engine-rear drive configuration to replace the 911, a direction it had already hinted at with the 1969-76 mid-engine 914.
This all-new 1977 924 model was a complete departure. Its mission after almost 30 years of nothing but rear or mid-engines was to convert Porsche to a front-engine future. With Porsche’s Volkswagen collaboration, it still used some VW components.
The 924 was a trim 2+2 coupe with a huge glass hatch and somewhat rounded form. Following Porsche practice, there was no grille, just an opening under the bumper for cooling air. Pop-up headlamps gave a smooth prow.
Under the hood and slanted 40 degrees to the right was a watercooled 1,984-cc Audi 100 inline four with belt-driven single overhead cam, iron block and aluminum head. Porsche had enlarged it, given it a stronger crankshaft, bigger bearings and cast aluminum sump. It developed 125 horsepower in European trim, reduced to 95 with North American emission equipment.
Power went through an enginemounted dry clutch and solid-steel driveshaft with four bearings and no universal joints. At the rear was an all-synchromesh fourspeed manual transaxle.
All independent suspension was by MacPherson struts in front and semi-trailing arms with transverse torsion bars at the rear. Brakes were front discs and rear drums.
The 924 was a trim 4,318 millimetres long with a 2,400-mm wheelbase, close to the 911 in length but a 130-mm longer wheelbase.
It weighed 1,095 kilograms, with 52 per cent on the rear wheels compared with the 911’s almost 60.
Road & Track compared its performance with the Alfa Romeo Alfetta 2.0-litre GT and 2.8-litre Datsun 240Z. They found Porsche’s 11.9-second zero-to-100 km/h time comparable to the 12.0 seconds for the Alfa. The Datsun was fastest at 9.4 seconds.
Top speed for Alfa and 924 were also similar at 181/180 km/h. The bigger-engined Datsun reached 193.
The 924 was soon followed by the bigger, more luxurious and more powerful 928, with an allaluminum 4.5-litre V-8 in front driving the rear wheels through a five-speed manual transaxle.
Intended as the 911’s real successor, the 928’s performance was excellent. R&T recorded zero to 100 km/h in 7.0 seconds with top speed of 222 km/h.
Porsche management thought it was well on the way to replacing the venerable rear-engine 911, but Porsche devotees had other ideas. They loved the unconventional layout that set it apart, and let Porsche know by protesting, and continuing to buy enough 911s that Porsche didn’t dare stop making it.
Porsche persisted with the improved 924-based 944, significantly improved with a new Porsche 2.5-litre four with balance shafts for smoother running. The later 944S received four valves per cylinder.
By the 1990s, Porsche management realized its sports-car destiny lay with rear- or mid-engine cars and discontinued the 928 and 944 in 1995.
Porsche would go on to produce the front-engine Panamera sedan and SUVs, and mid-engine Cayman and Boxster sports cars, but 911 fans had made it clear that Dr. Porsche’s anachronistic aft-engine 911 was an icon not to be tampered with.