The 924 is often not considered as a proper Porsche by enthusiasts as it was one of the entry level models in Porsche’s line up back in 1975. It was also one of the first Porsches that was front engine and rear wheel drive, all previous models used either mid or rear mounted engine configurations.
The 924 was originally intended to be Volkswagen’s flagship coupe and was called “Project 425″ during it’s development. At the time, VW lacked an internal research and design division, and Porsche did most of the development work. Porsche was contracted to develop a new sporting vehicle with the caveat that this vehicle must work with an existing VW/Audi I4 engine. The original design used an Audi four-speed manual transmission for the 924 with VW’s EA831 2.0 L I4 engine, subsequently used in the Audi 100 and the Volkswagen LT van (common belief is that the engine originated in the LT van, but it first appeared in the Audi car)
That’s a bit of history for you, now onto the amazing example I came across while browsing the internet
Rob acquired a ridiculously clean 1980 Porsche 924, it had been a concourse car since 1988 and has been dry stored in a garage for the last 6 years!
It has the 2.0 N/A engine and one of the first things that was changed was the interior for something that is a bit healthier for your eyes… (I don’t blame him, looks like one of those optical illusions you find on the internet!)
The new interior…
But this was only the beginning, next on the list were some Gaz coilovers and shocks for the rear.
Lowering the rear was a bit more difficult as it was a torsion bar setup. It was removed, stripped and re-indexed, with the car now sitting nicely it was time to throw some wheels into the mix…
Not just any wheels, these would really do the car justice, they were acquired from a wide arched Porsche 924 GTS replica. These Compomotives would help make the car look more aggressive due to their width, they are 8″ wide upfront and 10″ rears. Tyre choice was crucial as anything low profile would ruin the retro look of the car, yet enough arch clearance was required for the car to sit well.
Rob: “I agonised over tyre profiles for a while on this one; I wanted to fight the low-pro route as everyone is doing it and, well, it’s not strictly retro or in keeping with the car. So I settled on 195/60 and 185/65s.”
I don’t think any words are required to describe the final product…
I personally have never been fond of 924′s or 944′s but I really can’t fault what Rob has done with his 924, it really does look amazing!
If you are in love with this car as much as I am, you may want to keep up to date with any progress on his very own blog: http://racer86.com/