Model Year: 1981
Exterior: Guards Red
Interior: Black
Displacement: 1.6
Transmission: 5-speed Manual
Power: 157 kW (210 HP)
The 924 made its debut globally in November 1975, at Camargue in the South of France. It was the result of an opportunity seized, when Volkswagen decided to shelve a project known as EA925 – a car that would’ve been VW’s flagship. Instead, The Scirocco was conceived, based on Golf mechanicals – cheaper for Volkswagen to produce and likely to evolve with the Golf, as it utilised the same platform. For Porsche, the opportunity that was presented was to complement the 911 range with an entry-level sports car that offered similar inherent qualities, but cost less to build, and consequently cost the client less. It would become the genesis of a linage of front-engined Porsche sports cars that would sell in high volume, and be produced from 1976 through till 1995. The 924 replaced the 914 as the entry level offering, and it was radically different from what Porsche’s traditional client base had come to know. It was the first Porsche with a front-mounted engine, the first to have an engine which was water-cooled, and the first to be offered with the option of a fully-automatic gearbox.
The 924 was powered, in its initial versions, by a 2.0 litre Audi-sourced engine, mated to a four-speed transaxle; a gearbox and differential in unit, mounted at the rear axle and thus endowing the car with a 48/52 weight distribution, endowing it with good road manners that made it more capable than its humble output would initially suggest. In typical Porsche style, the car was set to evolve. Larger brakes were offered with bigger wheels as an “S package”, and in time the four speed gearbox would make way for a Getrag five-speed unit. Later in the production cycle, its 2.0 litre Audi ‘four’ was replaced by a 2.5 litre Porsche four-cylinder unit, and like its older brother the 911, it would also be used for turbocharger research and development and in fact, the ultimate ‘catalogue’ version of the production 924 would indeed be the ‘Turbo’ models.
No Porsche sports car is ever truly developed until it has been adapted for motor-racing, and the 924 was no exception. At the 1979 Frankfurt Motor Show, Porsche exhibited a concept version that wore ‘Carrera’ badges, and a year later this manifested itself in production as the Carrera GT. To satisfy the requirements for homologation for Group 4 Competition, 406 units would be produced (just 75 of those in RHD format). Identified outwardly by blistered polyurethane guards, to cover wider wheels and bigger brakes, a much larger rear spoiler, and polyurethane air dam up front, the Carrera GT retained the Turbo’s perforated front badge panel, but usurped the NACA duct with a large air scoop to feed the intercooler. This addition helped to cool the intake air for the turbocharger, a feature that the normal 924 Turbo did without, but in this car helped to produce the 210 hp that along with weight-savings and aerodynamic aids, defined it as a racing car for the road, and allowed privateer teams to use the cars in various competitions including Le Mans, where it scored a class victory in 1980. The 924 Carrera GT was available in Black, Diamond Silver metallic and as seen here, Guards Red. All versions were upholstered with black and red pinstripe velour.
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