FIRST PORSCHE: FOUR MORE
A quartet of cars for your consideration.
Despite criticism it was subjected to as a consequence of joint Vw-porsche parentage, the mid-engined 914 paved the way for a different kind of thinking in Stuttgart. The boxy, Targa-topped roadster was a sales success, proving there were huge benefits for the two manufacturers to work closely together when developing new vehicles.
1972 saw the beginning of a project codenamed ‘EA 425’. The work formed part of Porsche’s contract to design and produce new products for VW. The coupe being developed had a silhouette unlike any Porsche up until that point in time. Designed by Harm Lagaaij, the new model featured a smooth nose and pop-up headlights harking back to the styling of the 914, but that’s where similarities ended — from front to rear, the car’s body rose wedge-like to a curved tailgate. It was quite unlike anything else Porsche had produced.
The slipperier and even more outlandish 928 was a few years away from being unleashed onto the world, but the V8powered ‘land shark’ was already in development. The grand tourer’s radical move away from the rear-engined, aircooled configuration of the 911 inspired Porsche engineers to adopt the same layout for EA 425. It was due to be launched just as the last 914s rolled out of main dealer showrooms in 1976, but VW bosses got cold feet in the wake of the global oil crisis little more than a year into the project. Sensing they’d be better off investing their time and energy into the launch of the imminent Golf and Scirocco, they called time on the project. Porsche, however, had invested much of its resources into EA 425, leading bosses in Stuttgart to come to an agreement with VW whereby Porsche would acquire the rights to the project regardless of VW’S loss of confidence. Part of the deal included an agreement to build the car at the old NSU factory at Neckarsulm, with VW named as subcontractor (its employees would assemble the car under Porsche supervision). Marketed as a new entry-level Porsche, the resulting coupe was launched as the 924 and leap-frogged the 928 in being a radical rethinking of the Porsche sports car concept.
Happy with the completed design and its component make-up, Porsche launched the 924 in 1975 with a basic recipe of Vw-audi ingredients. A 1,984cc, watercooled, four-cylinder engine linked to a rear-mounted Audi four-speed gearbox and differential powered what would go on to be recognised as the first production model in Porsche’s transaxle family of cars. A near-perfect 52/48 front/rear weight distribution, however, did nothing to convince Porsche purists alarmed at the use of parts borrowed from other manufacturers. Admittedly, early 924s are a tad underpowered, but this was a wellbalanced steer in true Porsche tradition. Even so, critics chose to ignore the car’s better qualities, calling it “a Porsche with a van engine” (the EA 831 was also used in the VW LT, as well as the Audi 100). This simply wasn’t the case — a Porsche cylinder head was fitted to all EA 831-equipped 924s, replacing Audifavoured Weber/holley carburettors with Bosch K-jetronic fuel injection. Power was 125bhp with 121.5lb-ft torque. US variants were kitted-out with anti-smog kit reducing power to a mere 95bhp.
Performance was similar to the two-litre 914 of 1973 (European 924s managed the 0-62mph dash in 10.5 seconds, while top speed was rated at 125mph). Macpherson struts featured up-front, with a more conventional, Beetle-derived transverse torsion bar setup at the rear. A Stateside launch in July 1976 saw the 924 prove popular from the off. 4,544 examples were sold in the five months that followed, with 13,696 finding homes in the US during the course of the next year. Without doubt, the first publicly available Porsche transaxle was a success. In fact, during the 1977 model year, 23,180 924s were produced, and during its twelve-year lifecycle, the 924 was often listed as the world’s bestselling sports car — an amazing quota of 50,000 924s were built in just twenty-six months. UK deliveries started in January 1977, with early cars priced at £6,999. Options included a Porsche-made, closeratio five-speed manual gearbox or an Audi-sourced three-speed automatic. For the 1978 model year, Us-bound emissioncontrolled cars gained catalytic converters and a boost to 110bhp (upped to 115bhp in 1980), while all 924s gained uprated shocks, rubber bushes and an oval-tipped exhaust. Sadly, from the highs of 1977, the following year brought with it a sharp decline in sales. This was particularly apparent in the USA, where the number of 924s sold slumped to just 10,483 units. A look into Zuffenhausen’s crystal ball delivered what many hoped would be the answer — inspired by the forced induction variant of the 911, the turbocharged 924 was about to make its mark on the automotive landscape.
The creatively named 924 Turbo was unveiled in the spring of 1978. It packed a 170bhp punch thanks to a fresh alloy cylinder head, a reduced compression ratio of 7.5:1 and a KKK K-26 turbocharger. Arguably the car the 924 should have been from the start, the Turbo rewarded those with a keen eye: four front-mounted intake vents fed air to a standalone oil cooler, grilles appeared beneath the spotlights and a NACA duct was integrated into the car’s bonnet. Fifteen-inch latticed alloys differentiated the model from its lesspotent stablemates, as did a polyurethane rear window spoiler. A choice of twin-tone paint jobs also ensured the turbocharged transaxle was hard to miss. Torque was up to 180lb-ft. The 924 Turbo scampered to 62mph from rest in 7.8 seconds and topped-out at 140mph. A five-speed G31 gearbox was linked to an engine built in Stuttgart (even if the basic design was similar to the powerplants rolling off VW’S Salzgitter lines). Bilstein gas dampers and a larger brake servo added to enviable specification, but even with the extra kit, the 1,180kg Turbo weighed only fifty kilos more than the naturally aspirated 924. Unsurprisingly, USDM Turbos were less powerful (150bhp), but in all other respects, the 924 was, at last, a proper performance car.
The first 924 Turbos for the UK market arrived in November 1979, just as ‘regular’ 924s were fitted with five-speed gearboxes as standard equipment. Priced at £13,629, the range-topper was an attractive buy, yet a far hotter 924 was waiting in the wings. Revealed at the 1979 Frankfurt Motor Show, the 924 Carrera GT prototype was a sexier, more muscular version of the watercooled Porsche. 210bhp, aggressive wings and matching rear quarters (bodywork designed by Porsche styling hero, Tony Lapine) suggested the new car had been assembled with a particular task in mind: to go racing at Le Mans.
The 924 Turbo was dropped from Porsche’s product range in 1982, but not before being treated to the newly-launched 944’s front suspension and steering components. Itself developed from the 924 and featuring bodywork based on that of the Carrera GT, the 944 used a new Porsche-designed 2.5-litre lump producing 163bhp. Classed by the motoring press as more of a ‘genuine’ Porsche than the 924, the newer car sat squarely between the 924 and 924 Turbo.
February 1982 saw the 100,000th 924 produced. All 924s gained the 944’s updated interior and rear spoiler. Sales passed 130,000 in 1983, while detail changes extended the two-litre variant’s life until 1985, at which point VW ceased production of the EA 831 engine.
The 924 S was introduced for the 1986 model year, becoming the only 924 available order new from main dealers. 150bhp was achieved from a detuned version of the 944’s engine. Performance was on par with the discontinued 924 Turbo (0-60mph took 7.8 seconds, romping all the way to 137mph), yet the S was not to be dismissed as an engine ‘drop-in’ special. The model borrowed the 944’s brakes and part-aluminium suspension, with power rising to 160bhp in 1987. Furthermore, late 1988 model year cars featured 944-style polyurethane front and rear skirts claimed to improve airflow.
Sadly, the 924 was discontinued in August 1988 after 150,211 units (all types excluding motorsport versions) were sold. Just before the model’s demise, UK buyers needed £21,000 to bag themselves a piece of the action. Affordable? Not entirely, but today, a usable, early 924 can be bought for the far more agreeable cost of around four grand. Fair-condition Turbos can be found for nearer £15k, while the 924 S is likely to empty your wallet for a sum somewhere in between.
Once seen as the ‘poor relation’, the 924 is now widely accepted in classic Porsche circles, offering buyers genuine performance and a rewarding drive.