Porsche 924 ~ 1976-1985

The 924 was Porsche’s new entry-level car, developed partly in conjunction with Volkswagen, and for a time it was almost badged a VW.

 

It was a departure for Porsche in that it had a front-mounted, water-cooled four-cylinder engine, linked to a rear-mounted gearbox driving the back wheels. The engine itself was a 2.0-litre Audi unit which Porsche modified to give more power. The front engine/rear transmission layout gave a balanced weight distribution to optimise handling.

 

The 924 was a good-looking car with its smooth lines and fashionable pop-up headlamps. It was also very practical with its small rear seats and an opening rear hatch. Despite not being a high performer, the 924 was a great sales success, winning Porsche many new customers.

 

• Front-mounted, water-cooled straight-four engine

 

Capacity: 1984cc

Compression ratio: 9.3:1

 

Maximum Power: 125bhp @ 5800rpm

 

Maximum Torque: 165Nm @ 3500rpm

 

Brakes: Front: 256.5mm discs; rear: 228.6mm discs

 

Suspension: Front: MacPherson struts with telescopic dampers and coil springs; rear: trailing wishbones with telescopic dampers and transverse torsion bars. Optional front and rear antiroll bars

 

Wheels & Tyres: Front: 14x5.5J with 165HR14 tyres. Rear: 14x5.5J with 165HR14 tyres

 

Length: 4213mm

 

Width: 1676mm

 

Weight: >1080kg

 

 

A total of 121,289 examples were built: 83,003 for Rest of World, 36,902 for the USA and 1383 for Japan.