Porsche 924

Then came the 1973 oil crisis and a whole series of regulatory changes. Volkswagen underwent a board reshuffle, and suddenly the idea of a VW sports car seemed less exciting. Project 425 was shelved in favor of the more practical Golf-based Scirocco. Needing a replacement for the 914, Porsche struck a deal with VW to buy back the design. With the 914 out of production and a gap to fill, Porsche brought the 912 back to the North American market as a Stopga.

The deal was simple: the car would be built at the old NSU factory in Neckarsulm, with VW employees taking over production under Porsche's supervision. The design would belong to Porsche, and the car made its big debut in November 1975 – not at a fancy car show, but at a port in La Grande Motte in the Camargue. Cheap to build, the 924 proved to be a moneymaker for Porsche despite criticism of its performance. It ended up being one of the company's best sellers.

Under the hood of the original 924 was an Audi-sourced four-speed manual transmission, now working as a rear axle drive, paired with VW's 2.0-liter EA831 inline-four engine. This powerplant had a long history as a globetrotter, finding its way into the Audi 100, Volkswagen LT Van, and even the AMC Gremlin, Concord, Spirit, and Post Jeeps in the U.S. In the 924, the engine received a Porsche-designed cylinder head and Bosch K-Jetronic fuel injection, and produced 95 hp in North America, which was increased to 110 hp in 1977 with the addition of a catalytic converter. Initially there was only a four-speed manual, but by mid-1977 a five-speed doggle gearbox was offered. An Audi three-speed automatic was also added to the lineup in 1977.5. By 1980 the five-speed gearbox had morphed into a conventional H-gear, making finding reverse a little easier.

This is the story of the Porsche 924, a car that was born with collaboration, built with ingenuity and, despite all the prophecies of doom, developed into a major market leader.

This 924 was built in 1979 so is an early model with no spoilers or other visual extras. It came in red with a brown interior. The owner added some stickers and stripes to get a bit of a surf look.