1976 – 1986 Porsche 924: The Shape of GT Cars To Come
The Porsche 924 is remembered as Porsche’s first water cooled front engine car, although the larger and more expensive 928 was on the boards first, the 924 beat it to the showrooms by a year. As such, the humble 924 replaced two formally entry level Porsches: the 912 and 914. Those cars seemed like stop gaps in that there were either not enough (912E) or too much (914) change. The 924 was originally supposed to be Volkswagen’s flagship car, but a fuel crisis changed that.
From Humble Beginnings
Volkswagen, having no real experience with this caliber of sports car relied on Porsche for nearly all the 924’s technical development. The oil crisis of 1973 forced Volkswagen to use a Golf chassis for it’s sports car they would eventually call the Scirocco. With Porsche left holding the bag and needing a replacement for it’s temporary entry level stand in the 912E, it acquired the design rights from VW and took on the production of what Porsche called Project 425.
As an entry level car, Porsche made many parts compromises by using Audi and Volkswagen components where feasible. An Audi four-speed manual transmission was modified to work with the 924’s rear wheel drive layout. Other corporate community parts included VW’s 2.0 liter four cylinder engine (also used in some AMC cars in America). Early 924’s had under 100 hp, but were light at well below 3,000 lbs. This made them fun to drive, a fact enhanced by a fully independent MacPherson Strut suspension. Early cars had ventilated front disc brakes, but simple drums in back. Still it was years ahead of old guard sports cars with their live rear axels. Although pricy, Porsche offered the technology and practicality of Japanese challengers like the Datsun 260Z and Mazda RX7, but with a German sporting pedigree.
A Practical Porsche?
The 924 was a revolution in the world of Porsche cars. Up to 1975, all Porsche had been lacking in the practicality department with either minimal cargo room, smaller cabins or both. The 924 would change that with an almost conventional car layout. A water-cooled front mid-engine layout contributed to the long nose silhouette while a rear mounted transaxle made for a nearly 50/50 weight balance. A roomy cabin and plenty of space for luggage was made possible by the easily accessible fastback hatch design. Visibility was never a problem with most Porsche, but the 924’s generous use of glass made for a truly open and airy greenhouse with excellent visibility. This improved visibility in the form of big windows was one of the factors that made the 924 look kind of homely and approachable. As a child I always associated it rounded curves with Easter eggs. This of course would change as it bulked up on its way into being a 944-like bruiser.
An Eventual Class Leader
It wasn’t always so good for the 924. Initially criticized for its lackluster straight-line performance, things did improve with various power upgrades. By the ‘80s the standard transmission was a Audi-sourced 5-speed manual. The biggest performance leap came with the arrival of the 924 Turbo in 1978. The 924 was praised for its handling, comfort and reliability. In an April 1979 Car and Driver article comparing the 924 to Corvette, 280-ZX, RX-7 and a pair of Alfa and Fiat Spiders, the Porsche ranked at the top for driver impressions along with the Mazda RX-7 according to the journalists.
Using the same engine as the normally aspirated 924, the Turbo increased power to 143 and would eventually reach 177 for the American version which arrived in 1980. American cars were heavier due to U.S. safety and emissions regulations, but cars on both sides of the Atlantic were using a Getrag sourced 5-speed manual transmission by now. Increasingly 924 buyers were opting for the 3 speed automatic. The Turbo model was distinguished from the base car by a distinctive tear shaped air duct on the hood. By the 1981 model year, the Carrera GT was introduced (inspired by the short run of 17 Carrera GTR race cars). The Carrera previewed the wide body look of the 944 which had come out in 1984 as a step-up between the 924 and 928. More importantly the turbo in the Carrerra GT and Carrerra GTS was inter-cooled, boosting power to 210 and 245 hp respectively. Interestingly this brought the 924 Carrera variants closer to the almost identical looking 944.
Fading Gently
In it’s final years, the 924 took a backwards step, further distinguishing itself from the 944 by using it’s detuned 2.5 liter straight four. Now called 924S (S for sport) it had 163 hp, but maintained the 924’s reputation as an efficient ‘sporty’ car while outperforming the 944 in some respects due to it being lighter. The 924 sold well as it offered some of the attributes of the more expensive 944 at a considerable discount. It might have been problematic for Porsche that a properly equipped 924 could appear as a 944 (especially the Carrera GT/GTS models). Porsche only stopped production because of the unfavorable exchange rate environment of the late ‘80s which made focusing on it’s core 911 (more expensive) products worthwhile. The 924 lived on in a way as the ultimate expression of the Project 425 as the 968 well into the ‘90s.
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