JOURNEY THROUGH THE PAST
Words: Matt Stone Photography: Linda J. Stone 911&PW'S North American correspondent, Matt Stone, takes to the road in a 924, one that's a dead ringer for the very first Porsche that he owned 40-years ago. How do the memories stack up?
Matt Stone reunites with an early 924, a deadringer for his own first Porsche
You know Porsche’s 924. Or at least you think you know it. Everyone certainly has an opinion about this model; some love it, and it seems more hate it. Call me any name you like, but in 1978 I bought a barely used 1977.5 US spec 924 as my first Porsche and now, four decades on, the question is: how well, or not, does it still fill that role?
On a recent visit to parts and accessories provider Sierra Madre Collection in Pasadena, California I cruised through the company’s growing restoration shop, which contained Sierra Madre Collection’s owner Jorge Perez’s fabulously restored 356 Pre-a coupe, a pair of 928s, and a silver 1982 924 that looked so much like my old car I did a massive double take. Déjà vu big time.
Even though my car was a 1977.5 model, it was also silver over black like Sierra Madre’s, running the stock four bolt alloy wheels, sunroof, and what were at the time beefy, although now seem hopelessly small, 185/70-14 radials. Now after many years of 911 ownership, and having driven most of the “fast and dangerous” Porsche models, beginning with letters like GT, I wondered if the 924 could still deliver any satisfaction. Jenna Bertocci, Sierra Madre's savvy marketing manager, offered me a test drive “just for old time’s sake.” I asked her to make it for a weekend, and then we’d find out if you really can “go home again” or is it a journey best left to memory. She handed me the keys.
You’ll recall the 924 as Porsche’s replacement for the equally oft times controversial 914; Haters criticised Porsche for developing the 924 in a joint venture with Vw/audi, and for basing the powerplant on a (dare we say it) watercooled Audi I-4, mounted in the front of the car. No matter, the 924 came to market in 1975 as a ’76 model, to lukewarm reviews. Most magazine road testers liked the futuristic design and practical glass hatchback styling, as well as the near 50/50 weight balance, citing that the 911’s rearward weight bias was a curse it could never overcome (of course, we now know better). That Audi derived iron block, alloy head SOHC fuel-injected four was neither powerful nor smooth. The first US spec 924s were rated at a confidently wimpy 95 horsepower.
I remember going to my local Porsche dealer (owned by Porsche racing legend George Follmer) and test driving a new 924. It was an ugly green with a beige interior, and I can’t recall up to that time ever driving a more underpowered car. No matter how much I caned this thing, it was just S-L-O-W, but it sure handled. It had more bodyroll than I expected or enjoyed, but it stuck like glue. No matter, I couldn’t afford a new one anyway, and
was put off by the sub 100 horse engine and by my cousin (who had a ’73 Carrera RS 2.7) drilling into me that the 924 “wasn’t a real Porsche.”
A few years later, the son of a man that I worked for drove up to our office in a silver over black 924 that looked great to my eyes, which were hungry for Stuttgart magic. He explained that it was a 1977 “and a half” model with lots of improvements over the originals: More power, flatter handling, lots of small engineering updates, and such. He had just short-term leased it, and said he’d only keep it for a year or so (he was a “flavour of the month” kind of guy who flipped cars every time he turned around). I asked him if I could buy it at the end of the lease, and he agreed.
That was late 1978, and we did the deal. I was now a Porsche owner.
By the time of the 1977.5 model, horsepower was up to a less depressing 115, but it was still a four-speed (five forward wouldn’t come along until 1979). I immediately tossed out the cheap feeling black plastic steering wheel in favour of a Momo Prototipo, which looked great and felt so much better in my hands. The factory exhaust pipe was about the size of a coffee straw in diameter, and made an unPorschelike tin fizz kind of sound, so that was binned in favour of a “turbo” style muffler (all the rage back then) with a snazzy chrome twin pipe exhaust tip. Much zoomier sounding. The car hadn’t been well maintained, so new Michelin tyres, Koni shocks, a black vinyl front end bra, a new battery, upgraded audio system, a few small engine tuning tricks and reupholstered seat covers were also immediately ordered. The single driver’s side door mirror was replaced by a one per door pair of full sized Vitaloni “batwing” Turbo mirrors. And lots of wax and equal amounts of rubbing and polishing, and I had the car that I could be much more proud of. And I loved it. It was my every day runner, and also carried me, a tent, an ice chest and 40 pounds of camera equipment up Highway 1 from my Southern California home to Canada and back with not so much as a burp. I owned it for three years, and sold it for within $500 of what I paid for it.
As I contemplated and sized up Sierra Madre’s 1982 model, it was clear that it was fundamentally the same car, but had evolved a bit. The most significant difference between it and my old one was the Audi-sourced five-speed manual transmission. It also had a black rubber lip spoiler on that huge bubblicious rear window. Power windows and mirrors (the latter the same as found on 911SCS and
Carreras), plus the black leather trimmed four-spoke wheel that also showed up on the Carrera. A neat little bit of carpet trim added to the center console. PORSCHE logotype branded into the door cards. And a little tiny, swingaway Porsche logo badge over the key slot on the glovebox door. I fell into the seat as if I’d never left it, and of course felt immediately comfortable. Unlike a 911, there’s no wheelwell intrusion into the pedal box area, and those pedals are in this instance hung from above instead of floor mounted as they are on the early 911s. Sierra Madre Collection’s 924 is a still fresh and original example, showing just over 25,000 miles on the clock, and wearing its original silver paint, which has held up well and still shines.
A crank of the starter brought the same sound I recall from 1978 as the engine splutters to life, wheezing through the factory exhaust system that was upgraded (beginning in 1978) from the stock one on my car, to a nicer looking, bigger bore muffler and tip, but yielded no zestier a sound. I depressed the clutch, and test shifted the five-speed ’box; it felt crisper than the four-speeder in my ’77.5, and offered the extra bonus gear mine didn’t have.
The thing I disliked most about my car was the thundering harmonic imbalance boom between 3–4000 rpm; it vibrated the whole car, setting the shifter abuzz. It passed quickly enough if you drove through it, but it always bothered me that a car built by people and a company known for great engineering would allow a modern engine to be this coarse and rough… I nicknamed it the “throbmaster.” Not affectionately.
I’d heard that a running change along the 924’s production life included revised motor mounts and other improved bushings that quelled this problem. I took off in the ’82 and found it to be immediately much smoother than mine. Not any faster, but not so boomy as to blur my vision. I was reminded that the 924’s clutch is light, firm and positive with a clean and progressive release; I headed home to begin poking around the car in more detail and planning my 200 mile test drive for the following day, in an attempt to get to know the machine, and to replicate some of the faded old photos I had of my ’77.5 back in the day.
It was supposed to rain that Saturday, but thankfully didn’t, so wife Linda and I saddled up the 924 with plans for the lake, Highway 1 and lunch at Malibu Beach, plus a mountain road or three. I was thrilled to learn that while this engine still isn’t uber smooth, the bad old vibration problem had indeed been cured. No more giant sonic boom going through the gears, and that there’s some power to be found between 4000 and 6000 revs, territory I too seldom took my old car. And the upgraded trans just shifts a treat; easy to snick between gears, a ratio for every occasion, and finally a Porsche I can heel and toe downshift. The steering is a bit heavy at lower speeds, but lightens with pace, and communicates adequately what the front tyres have in mind. Ride quality is on the sporty side of compliant, and comfortable enough that you could put in a long day behind the wheel and hop out feeling fine. The rest was just like slipping into that favourite old perfectly broken in pair of jeans. It all brought back many memories, most of them good. As the day progressed I found myself smiling and really having a good time.
So as I headed back north up the Coast Highway, with the Pacific Ocean just to my
left, I wrestled with the notion of the 924 as a good “first Porsche” or – dare I say – a “budget Porsche buy” and I immediately came to: Yes. I’m not yet prepared to trade my ’89 Carrera 3.2 for one and a bag of change in return, but it’s a car I’d still enjoy owning, and for those looking to become Porsche owners, as I was nearly four decades ago, this car still works. Porsche built just more than 120,000 of them from 1976–85 (not to mention more special variants such as the 924 Turbo, the later 944-engined 924S, and the 924 Carrera GT) so standard models are plentiful and still affordable. And because they are, there’s no reason to settle for a rusty or previously bent one. I’d advise anyone to stay away from the early, slowpoke models, and that it’s worth seeking out the best 1979 or later five-speed example you can find. You’ll enjoy it. Fortunately the aftermarket provides a ton of goodies that can really amp up the car’s performance, and modernise it a bit, if that’s your desire. It was eye opening to drive a sports car without an airbag, nav or a single Bluetooth in sight.
Alternatives? There are plenty. Staying within the Porschesphere, you can consider a 914 if you’re really set on an air-cooled mid-engined machine, or with a bit of luck, you might sneak into a clean first gen Boxster for the same sort of money as the best 924s. Lots of hot hatches come to mind as alternatives, but they’re not Porsches and thus may or may not scratch that itch.
One obvious alternative, of different nationality and brand, is a second or third gen MX-5. Which is in many ways a better car, newer and more modern, a blast to drive, and a roadster to boot – but again not a Porsche. Those are issues only you can check and balance in your mind.
As of this writing, Sierra Madre Collection’s ’82 924 five-speeder is for sale at around $12,000 and, given its condition and low original miles, is a screaming bargain at that. Am I in any way 40 years younger having spent a few days in this memory-inducing ride? No, but maybe I feel that way. Just a little, which can only be a good thing, and isn’t that what running a classic car is all about? PW
For those looking to become Porsche owners, this car still works