
The Porsche 924
The 924 originated as a contract design by Porsche for Volkswagen, based mainly on readily available parts from the VW parts bin, However VW chose to cancel plans late in the project for financial reasons. Porsche then bought the rights to the design for £40 million (£6 million less than the cost of development) and produced the car, having VW assemble the cars at its Audi plant in Neckarsulm.Porsche then proceeded through a series of upgrades to improve the performance of the car to meet the public's expectations of Porsche performance. Upgrades involved better brakes (vented discs front and rear), optional sport suspension (including springs, torsion bars, swaybars, shocks and struts), 5-speed transmissions, and more power for the engine. Comfort and convenience upgrades included the addition of AC, power windows, power mirrors, better stereo, optional 3-speed automatic transmission, and the like.
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| Wheelbase (mm): 2400 Length/Width (mm): 4213/1676 Significant developments: 4-cylinder engine, 4-speed transaxle gearbox, front MacPherson struts and rear semi-trailing arm suspension, 4-stud 5.5x14" steel wheels and floating calipers. 3-speed auto transmission based on VW/Audi assembly but with ratios specific to the 924. 1977 : Getrag 5-speed dog-leg gearbox becomes option. Rubbing strips added. Martini 924 SE model offered. 1979 : Separate air blowers improve ventilation. 1982 : Carrera GTS introduced. Limited slip differential becomes option. Torque converter uprated on auto gearbox. Ventilation system upgraded. 911 3-spoke steering wheel becomes standard.
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2-door, 2+2 coupe. Porsche's first attempt at a front-engined sports coupe was far from ideal. Lacklustre 4-cylinder engine and VW/Audi underpinnings resulted in an uninspiring driving experience. Later turbo models offered decent performance but with every enhancement came a price increase, which saw it costing more than £20,000 when it ceased production in 1988. Limited edition turbo charged Carrera GT and GTS models provided serious perfomance. Now cheap to buy and to run, the 924 offers the Porsche buyer on a tight budget a way into owning a piece of Stuttgart. We say save up and buy a 944



