Porsche 924 Carrera GT | Spotted
Four-pot Porsches aren't cool, you say? This homologation special proves otherwise...
Porsche and four-cylinder engines go way back - all the way to the beginning no less. We all know that the marque’s first production car, the 356, was based on a Beetle, but even when the 911 came along a four-pot 912 version was released alongside as a more affordable alternative. And yet, nobody seems to like them. Naturally, six or more cylinders will always be more desirable than four, especially on the modern stuff where smaller engines are employed chiefly to skirt ever more stringent emission tests - which is pretty dull. But there’s a wonderful world of four-pot Porsches to explore for the open-minded, particularly from the depths of the company’s back catalogue.
This 914 ticks the mid-engine (and quirky) box for under £30k, while throwing an extra grand into the budget opens up this one-of-179 RHD 968 Club Sport finished in a spectacular shade of Amarynth Violet. On the complete opposite end of the scale, you’ve got Kamm’s track-focused 912C restomod or, if you happen to live in Hong Kong, this uber rare 924 Carrera GTS. If, however, laying down a quarter of a million quid on a four-cylinder Porsche seems a bit excessive, then this Carrera GT delivers heaps of homologation coolness for a fifth of the price.
Now, the bog standard 924 wasn’t what you’d call peak four-cylinder Porsche, mainly because it was originally destined for Volkswagen before the oil crisis of the mid-1970s hit, prompting the car giant to pull the project. Porsche bought the rights to what would become the 924, where it would serve as the company’s entry-level sports car. The launch derivative’s Audi-sourced 2.0-litre engine produced a meagre 97hp, though the introduction of a Turbo model at the end of the decade saw power leap to 173hp. At the same time, Porsche was planning a racier version that would allow the 924 to compete in Group 4 championships, appearing in 1980 as the Carrera GT.
With the Turbo serving as the Carrera GT’s base, Porsche dialled the VW-sourced inline-four up to 210hp thanks to forged pistons, an intercooler mounted to the top of the engine, a higher compression ratio and the company’s all-new Digital Ignition Timing Control. Weight remained the same as the Turbo (1,180kg is hardly portly, these days), while the suspension was lowered 10mm at the front and 15mm at the rear, and the brakes were upgraded with ventilated discs and better cooling.
Then there’s the body kit, featuring outrageous blistered wheel arches and a deeper front splitter all made from glassfibre. The rear hatch also packed a chunkier rubber spoiler, while the bonnet sprouted an air scoop and a quartet of vents for what has got to be one of the most purposeful front ends on the planet. Granted, the 924 didn’t take the motorsport world by storm, although it did bag a Le Mans class win (albeit with a prototype engine) and even featured on the rally stage. For a car that had the sporting appeal of a corduroy suit, the Carrera GT did a herculean job of turning around the 924’s image.
Porsche only needed to produce 400 examples for Group 4 homologation. Carrera GT production exceeded that by six when prototypes are taken into account, with 75 cars destined for right-hand drive markets. This example is one of them, and even features a handful of optional extras including a limited-slip differential, air conditioning and even a passenger wing mirror. It was supplied to the UK from new, and the seller (Porsche specialists Autobarn, no less) says it’s had ‘considerable investment’ poured into it to bring it ‘up to standard’ - which isn't hard to believe. At £58,000, it’s a good chunk cheaper than a GTS, too. And very nearly as cool.
SPECIFICATION | PORSCHE 924 CARRERA GT
Engine: 1,984cc four-cylinder, turbocharged
Transmission: five-speed manual, rear-wheel drive
Power (hp): 210@6,000rpm
Torque (lb ft): 206@6,000rpm
MPG: N/A
CO2: N/A
Year registered: 1981
Recorded mileage: 69,000
Price new: N/A
Yours for: £58,000
This 924gt is a rare curio for sure, but I suspect the target market for these is very small. A car that’s waiting for a buyer who had one new and wants to recreate memories maybe? Can’t imagine anyone else would blow £60k on a 924
It is amusing to note that the AMC Gremlin used the same engine though:
This 924gt is a rare curio for sure, but I suspect the target market for these is very small. A car that’s waiting for a buyer who had one new and wants to recreate memories maybe? Can’t imagine anyone else would blow £60k on a 924
As it happens, I’d love one, although having sat in one at the NEC Classic Car Show, if you have anything other than moderate thighs then you will find the steering wheel being moved by the aforementioned appendages as well as your hands.
The other take aways I got from that encounter were how wonderfully diminutive it is and how the ‘sports seats’ are quite squishy compared to the modern equivalent, which probably bodes well for a long distance haul…
The base 924 Turbo was always an interesting car - with the blistered arches/grill/wheels a proto-944 - and with 210 old-skool turbo horses will be a hoot to drive.
Assuming that is straight/kosher then I think that is a brilliant buy for less than the price of a Ford Escort.
Its weird how people slag them off, saw a classic car Facebook group post one for sale and Ford enthusiasts piled saying how crap and slow it was with its van engine hurr hurr, but an RS2000 had 110 bhp and a Pinto engine that saw service in the Transit van for years ! (not that it matters) Fine to not aspire to something but probably worth getting the facts straight.
The base 924 Turbo was always an interesting car - with the blistered arches/grill/wheels a proto-944 - and with 210 old-skool turbo horses will be a hoot to drive.
Assuming that is straight/kosher then I think that is a brilliant buy for less than the price of a Ford Escort.
And loving the ticked option box for the passenger door mirror - ah those happy days when your range topping German car from some manufacturers could arrive without a radio :-)
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