Porsche 924, Complete History

The Car That Shouldn’t Exist

The Porsche 924 is one of the most improbable success stories in automotive history. It was designed by Porsche for Volkswagen, cancelled by Volkswagen, bought back by Porsche, powered by an Audi engine, built in a former NSU factory, and derided by Porsche purists from the day it was announced. It should have been an embarrassment. Instead, it became the foundation of Porsche’s most successful product line and proved that the future of the sports car did not have to be air-cooled and rear-engined.

The story begins in the early 1970s, when Porsche’s survival as an independent company was far from certain. The 911 was expensive to build, difficult to develop further, and its rear-engine layout was considered a dead end by many engineers. Porsche needed a more affordable, higher-volume model, and Volkswagen needed a sporty car to sit above the Scirocco in its range. A joint development programme was the obvious answer.

Project EA425: A Sports Car for Volkswagen (1970-1975)

In 1970, Volkswagen-Audi Group (VAG) commissioned Porsche to design a new sports car under the internal designation EA425 (Entwicklungsauftrag 425, Development Contract 425). The brief was for a front-engine, rear-wheel-drive sports car with a transaxle gearbox, using as many existing VW/Audi components as possible to keep costs manageable.

The project was led by Harm Lagaaij (exterior design) under the overall engineering direction of Porsche’s team. The key engineering decisions were made early and proved prescient: the engine would sit at the front, the gearbox at the rear in a transaxle arrangement, and the weight distribution would target 50:50 front-to-rear. This layout maximised handling balance and interior space, something the rear-engined 911 could never achieve.

The engine selected for the EA425 was the EA831, a 2.0-litre single overhead cam inline four-cylinder originally developed for the Audi 100 and later used in the Volkswagen LT van. It was not glamorous, it was a workhorse engine designed for reliability and low-cost production, not for sports car duty. But it was available, it was proven, and it could be fitted with Bosch K-Jetronic fuel injection for acceptable performance.

By 1974, the car was essentially complete. Prototypes were running, the Neckarsulm factory (formerly NSU, by then part of the Audi division of VAG) was being prepared for production, and VW’s sales network was gearing up to sell what was expected to be a high-volume sports car.

Then Volkswagen pulled the plug. Rudolf Leiding, the VW chairman who had championed the project, was replaced by Toni Schmucker in 1975. Schmucker’s priorities were elsewhere, and the EA425 programme was cancelled. VW had spent the development money but no longer wanted the car.

Porsche Buys Its Own Design Back (1975-1976)

Porsche was in a difficult position. The company had invested engineering resources in the EA425 and had been counting on it as a lower-cost model to complement the 911. When VW cancelled, Porsche negotiated to acquire the rights to the design. The deal was complex: Porsche would buy the production tooling and the rights to the car, but VW/Audi would continue to supply the EA831 engine and the car would continue to be built at the Neckarsulm factory by Audi workers, with Porsche paying a per-unit production fee.

It was an awkward arrangement. The car that would carry the Porsche badge was built in an Audi factory by Audi employees, powered by an Audi engine, using numerous VW/Audi components for the suspension, steering, and electrical system. The only things that were pure Porsche were the design, the chassis tuning, and the badge on the nose. This would haunt the car for its entire production life.

Porsche designated the car the 924 and announced it at the 1975 Frankfurt Motor Show. Production began in late 1975, with the first customer cars delivered in early 1976.

Launch and Reception (1976-1978)

The 924 went on sale in Germany in early 1976, priced below the 911 but above the VW Scirocco that had partly inspired VW’s original brief. It was immediately controversial.

The motoring press acknowledged the handling. The 924’s front-engine, rear-transaxle layout delivered the 50:50 weight distribution that the engineers had targeted, and the resulting chassis balance was superb. Road testers praised the steering, the cornering poise, and the overall composure of the car. On a twisting road, the 924 could stay with machinery costing twice as much.

But the engine was a problem. The EA831 produced just 125 bhp in its European specification (95 bhp in US trim, strangled by emissions equipment). The car weighed approximately 1,080 kg, giving it adequate but unexciting performance: 0-100 km/h in about 9.9 seconds in European form, and well over 11 seconds for the US car. By comparison, the base 911 SC offered 180 bhp and could reach 100 km/h in around 6.5 seconds.

The press and the public did the maths and reached the same conclusion: the 924 was underpowered. The fact that Porsche charged a premium price for a car with an Audi van engine and Volkswagen switchgear did not sit well. The purists were scathing. “Is it really a Porsche?” became the rhetorical question that would follow the 924 for its entire life.

Despite the criticism, the 924 sold well. Porsche had never produced anything at this volume, over 20,000 units in 1977 alone, and the car found an audience of buyers who valued its handling, build quality, and the Porsche badge over outright straight-line speed. In many markets, the 924 outsold the 911.

In Australia, the 924 arrived in 1977 as Porsche’s most affordable offering. It was positioned against cars like the Datsun 280ZX and the BMW 320i, and it acquitted itself well on price and performance. Australian delivered cars received the European-spec engine, avoiding the worst of the US-market power deficit.

The 924 Turbo: Addressing the Power Problem (1979-1983)

Porsche recognised that the 924 needed more power, and the solution was turbocharging. The 924 Turbo, launched in 1979, fitted a KKK K26 turbocharger to the existing EA831 2.0-litre engine, raising output to 170 bhp (later cars produced up to 177 bhp with revised boost control).

The Turbo was more than just an engine upgrade. It received larger brakes from the 911, wider wheels, a redesigned front end with four separate round driving lights instead of the base car’s integrated units, distinctive NACA-style cooling ducts on the bonnet and front bumper, and a revised interior with additional boost gauge and oil temperature gauge. The suspension was stiffened and lowered.

The result was transformative. The 0-100 km/h time dropped to approximately 7.7 seconds, and the top speed rose to around 230 km/h. More importantly, the engine now had genuine mid-range urgency, the turbo spooled up from around 3,000 rpm and delivered a solid push of torque that the naturally aspirated engine could never provide.

The 924 Turbo was the car that the 924 should have been from the start. It was quick enough to silence the “not a real Porsche” complaints, at least partially, and it established the 924 as a serious sports car rather than a badge-engineered compromise.

Production of the 924 Turbo totalled approximately 12,400 units over its four-year run.

The Carrera GT: Homologation Hero (1981)

To homologate the 924 for Group 4 motorsport, Porsche needed to build a minimum of 400 road-legal examples of a competition-derived variant. The result was the 924 Carrera GT, one of the most focused driver’s cars Porsche has ever produced.

The Carrera GT used a heavily revised version of the turbocharged 2.0-litre engine with an air-to-air intercooler, raising output to 210 bhp. The body was modified with flared wheel arches to cover wider wheels and tyres, a polyurethane front spoiler, and a large rear spoiler. The interior was stripped, lighter glass was fitted, and the overall weight was reduced.

The Carrera GT was a raw, uncompromising machine. It was louder, harsher, and less refined than the standard 924 Turbo, but on a circuit or a fast mountain road, it was electrifying. The extra power, combined with the reduced weight and improved aerodynamics, made it a genuine competition car in road-legal clothing.

Porsche built 406 Carrera GTs, exactly meeting the homologation requirement. Two further competition-oriented variants followed:

• 924 Carrera GTS (1981): A more extreme version with 245 bhp, further weight reduction, and additional aerodynamic modifications. Only 59 were built, each hand-assembled to a higher specification than the GT.
• 924 Carrera GTR (1981): The full race car. The engine was developed to produce approximately 375 bhp, and the car was stripped to its bare essentials. Only 17 GTRs were built, and they competed at Le Mans, the Nurburgring, and numerous other circuits with considerable success.

The Carrera GT programme proved that the 924 platform had genuine competition potential. More importantly for Porsche, it generated the engineering knowledge and development data that would feed directly into the 944 Turbo programme.

The 924S: The Quiet Redemption (1986-1988)

By the mid-1980s, the 944 had been in production for several years and had established itself as a critical and commercial success. But Porsche needed an entry-level model below the 944, and the old EA831-powered 924 was no longer viable. The Audi engine was outdated, emissions regulations were tightening, and the base 924’s reputation for inadequate performance had not improved with age.

Porsche’s solution was elegant: take the lighter 924 body shell and fit it with a detuned version of the 944’s M44 2.5-litre inline four-cylinder engine. The result was the 924S, introduced for the 1986 model year.

The 924S produced 150 bhp in its initial specification, rising to 160 bhp from the 1987 model year when Porsche revised the camshaft profile and engine management. This was the proper Porsche engine that the 924 should always have had, a genuine inline four designed in-house, with a balance shaft system for smoothness, modern fuel injection, and strong low-end torque.

The 924S was approximately 100 kg lighter than the equivalent 944, and this weight advantage was immediately apparent. The car felt more nimble, more responsive, and more eager than the 944, despite its slightly lower peak power. The handling, already excellent in the original 924, was even better with the improved engine’s broader torque curve and the 944’s upgraded brakes.

The 924S was produced for only three model years, 1986, 1987, and 1988. Total production was approximately 16,600 units. When the 944’s price was reduced for the 1989 model year, the 924S was discontinued, as the price gap between the two cars had closed to the point where the 924S no longer made commercial sense.

The 924S is the hidden gem of the 924 family. It combines the best chassis in the range with the right engine, and its limited production run means it is less common than either the base 924 or the 944. Enthusiasts who know the platform regard the 924S as the sweet spot.

Year-by-Year Evolution

Year	Key Changes
1976	924 launched. EA831 2.0L, 125 bhp. 4-speed or 5-speed manual, 3-speed auto. Pop-up headlights, rear hatch.
1977	Australian delivery begins. Minor improvements to interior trim.
1978	Revised seats. Improved heating system. 5-speed manual becomes standard in most markets.
1979	924 Turbo launched. 170 bhp, KKK K26 turbo, upgraded brakes, wider wheels, revised front end with four round driving lights.
1980	Minor revisions to base 924 interior. Turbo receives improved boost control.
1981	924 Carrera GT launched. 210 bhp intercooled turbo, flared arches, stripped interior. 406 built. GTS (59 built) and GTR (17 built) follow.
1982	Turbo production continues. Base 924 receives minor updates.
1983	924 Turbo discontinued. Its role will be filled by the 944 Turbo from 1985.
1984	Base 924 continues as entry-level model. Minimal changes.
1985	Final year of EA831-powered 924. Production winds down.
1986	924S launched. M44/07 2.5L engine (detuned 944), 150 bhp. New instrument cluster, 944-spec brakes.
1987	924S revised to 160 bhp with new camshaft and engine management. Interior upgrades.
1988	Final year of 924S production. Minor changes. Discontinued when 944 price drops.

Production Numbers

Variant	Production Years	Approximate Units
924 (base, EA831)	1976-1985	~121,000
924 Turbo	1979-1983	~12,400
924 Carrera GT	1981	406
924 Carrera GTS	1981	59
924 Carrera GTR	1981	17
924S	1986-1988	~16,600
Total (all 924 variants)	1976-1988	~150,500

Legacy

The Porsche 924’s legacy is far greater than its reputation suggests. The front-engine, rear-transaxle layout that the 924 pioneered for Porsche became the architecture for the 944, the 944 Turbo, the 944 S2, and the 968, cars that are now recognised as some of the finest sports cars of their era. Without the 924, there is no 944. And the transaxle concept, refined through these cars, informed the thinking that led to the mid-engined Boxster and Cayman, Porsche’s most successful sports car line in terms of volume.

The 924 also saved Porsche commercially. In the late 1970s and early 1980s, when the 911 alone could not sustain the company, the 924’s production volume kept the lights on at Zuffenhausen (and Neckarsulm). It brought new buyers into the Porsche fold, many of whom traded up to 911s later in life, and it demonstrated that Porsche could build a successful front-engined sports car without compromising its engineering standards.

The criticisms that dogged the 924 throughout its life, the Audi engine, the VW parts bin components, the “not a real Porsche” sneers, look foolish in hindsight. The 924 was as much a Porsche as any car the company has ever built. It was designed by Porsche, engineered by Porsche, developed by Porsche, and tuned by Porsche. The fact that some of its components came from the Volkswagen Group parts shelf is no different from the original 356 using Volkswagen Beetle mechanicals, and nobody questions whether the 356 is a real Porsche.

The 924 proved that a Porsche did not have to be rear-engined, air-cooled, or flat-six powered to be a great sports car. That might be its most important legacy of all.

The Australian Story

The 924 arrived in Australia in 1977 through Porsche’s official import channels. It was positioned as the entry-level Porsche, competing against established Japanese sports cars and the BMW 3 Series. Australian-delivered cars received the European-specification engine with 125 bhp, giving them significantly better performance than the emissions-choked US versions.

The 924 Turbo followed in 1979 and found a small but enthusiastic audience among Australian buyers who wanted Porsche handling with adequate straight-line performance. The 924S was available from 1986, though by this time many buyers opted for the 944 instead.

Right-hand-drive production was available throughout the 924’s life, and Australian-delivered cars are generally well-specified. However, the majority of 924s now in Australia are later imports, brought in from Japan (where right-hand-drive models were plentiful and well-maintained) or from Europe and the US (left-hand-drive, requiring compliance conversion for registration).

The Porsche Club of Australia and its state chapters have active communities that welcome 924 owners. The car’s affordability makes it an excellent entry point for younger enthusiasts joining the Porsche community, and the shared platform with the 944 means that parts availability and workshop knowledge are strong across Australia.