WHEN Porsche introduced the 924, it was a bit of a hand-me-down, but in true Porsche fashion, they made a success of an ugly duckling.
Sure, most of the engineering work was done by Porsche, but it was Volkswagen-Audi (VAG) that footed the bill. So, the original design brief required that most of the bits and bobs come from the VAG parts bin.
When the 1970s oil crisis hit, VAG figured no one would buy an expensive Volkswagen or Audi sportscar and so they decided to abandon the project.
On the flip side, Porsche could use a more affordable model in their line-up and they took up the project.
When launched in 1976, it split the Porsche universe as those who were true to the 911 couldn’t even bear to lay their gaze on the car without suffering from chronic brand pain. But those who got one were happy that Porsche had a car they could afford.
The Audi-sourced engine and Volkswagen parts meant that the car was as close to bulletproof as any German car can get.
The concept of an affordable front-engine sportscar was so appealing that the 924 was reincarnated into the 944, and finally the 968 before taken off the shelves in 1995.
For a hand-me down, it had a very commendable 19-year run.
Through the years, Porsche gave the 924, 944 and 968 bigger engines, a turbocharger, 928-style frog-eye lamps and proper sports car performance numbers.
While the cars got more modern with each incarnation, the original Harm Lagaay design is the most elegant and reflects the spirit of the 1970s most accurately.
The overall look of the car is something of a sleek yet practical sports hatchback, a sportscar designed for everyday life, a sportscar designed for city professionals who have a bit of leisure cash lying around and want something that could get them excited on the weekends, but would also work as a daily transport.
It was among the first cars designed from the ground up specifically for the yuppies, but it appeared before even there were yuppies.
If you consider that the 924 was hip before it was hip to be hip, then this is one of the original hipster cars.
While the shape was exciting, there was a certain Teutonic sensibility and logic to it.
The nose was pointy and it had trendy pop-up lamps, while the bonnet was suitably long to fulfil the needs of male-ego projections. But these were actually necessary for the car to have the engine pushed as far back from the front axle as possible.
Porsche engineered a transaxle for the rear not because it was something nice to put on the brochure but because a proper sports car needed good front-to-rear weight distribution. Thanks to the transaxle the 924 had a 52:48 weight ratio.
Apart from the actual dashboards and door panelling, all the dials, stalks and switches were refugees from Wolfsburg and Ingolstadt. The handbrake light switch is from the Volkswagen Combi Van of that era.
The engine was VAG’s EA831- 2.0-litre in-line four-cylinder unit that also appeared in the Audi 100 and the Volkswagen Van. Porsche gave it a new cylinder head.
With Bosch K-Jetronic metering precise quantity of fuel, the engine could conjure 95hp in North American trim and closer to 110hp when breathing old world air.
The launch variant came only with a four-speed manual and a year later Porsche offered an Audi three-speed auto into the model mix. They also replaced the four-speed manual with a five-speed dogleg box, which is kind of sweet.
Three years later, the five-speed dogleg was replaced with a conventional H-gate, taking away some of the racing romance.
Giving the 924 a conventional gearbox meant owners no longer had to explain to their potential girlfriends what a five-speed dogleg was.
Actually, owners didn’t have to bore anyone with the dogleg box was but they’re just painful anoraks; many left parties alone. Many 924 owners were also suspender-wearing Wall Street types, so they were universally shunned anyway.
When the 1980 model year 924 came on sale, the passenger seats got more wear, making them less desirable in today’s classic market.
The lack of a dogleg box to talk about is another crucial factor why post-1980 cars are less desirable among classic car anoraks. Well it should be.
Actually, the 924 sold like stale cheesecakes because it cost nearly twice as much as the considerably more powerful Nissan 280ZX and, let’s be honest, the Nissan is a far more exciting looking car.
Porsche was a small company then so the numbers were pretty good. They kept costs under control by having Volkswagen contract-manufacture the 924 at the old NSU factory in Neckarsulm.
Porsche didn’t get to be the behemoth that it is today by giving up on ugly ducklings. Just as they created a myth around the squatting toad silhouette the 911, Zuffenhausen made the practicality of the 924 as its calling card.
If you sell it for long enough people will start to believe whatever you say.
Millions of people believe that the 911 is among the world’s best-looking car, and that’s after they’ve put on their glasses. Some even gush about the design of the original Cayenne, and, would you believe it, Panamera.
You can probably get a 924 in running condition for less than RM50,000, if you can find one in Malaysia.
The best bet is to find one in the United Kingdom where a runner can be yours for less than £4,000 (RM22,160), while a really clean car goes for between £8,000 and £10,000. Search for one in the autumn and prices are even lower.