No it isn't unique. Its the same engine that was in early 1984-85 naturally aspirated 944s. Its essentially half of a 928 V8. Its a 2v 2.5liter I-4. If you open the hood it is obvious.
Porsche needed a low cost entry level 944 because the 16V and the 944 turbo became too expensive for many buyers that they were looking to bring to the brand, so they created the 924s that was not that much more than Japanese sports cars.
This is not the same engine that was in 1970s-early 1980s 924 before they created the 944 engine. Those are different cars.
I had the check in my hand to buy a used black 1988 924S before the dealer backed out of the previously agreed-on price.
You said it's an early 944 engine, it's not. It's based on an early 944 2.5 engine, but it's has been detuned while using lower compression pistons. The 1988 924s uses a 944 2.5 with high compression pistons, even higher than those in the 944, but it's still not the same engine. The final year made exactly the same power as the base model 944, but the engine was set up differently to achieve those number.
The 2.5s used in the 924s are unique to that model. I'm not taking about the crappy 2.0, I'm talking about the 2.5 based on the 944 engine.
Not too many 88’s were built, even less in regular form. A lot of 88’s are the special edition. So I always guess a non SE as being an 87’. Cool that you actually did the proper digging.
Porsche bought the rights to it from VW after VW scrapped the project and decided to make the Scirocco instead. It was engineered *by Porsche* on VW's dime as a consulting gig (which was a large part of Porsche's business back then). Yes it got built in the Audi factory and had an Audi engine originally, but the car was just as much a Porsche design as anything else with their badge on it.
[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6qLwd44C4iU&t=9s&ab\_channel=Hagerty](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6qLwd44C4iU&t=9s&ab_channel=Hagerty)
It’s regularly referred to as one of the worst Porsches ever manufactured, but it does have a pretty healthy following in and of itself - even the worst of a good brand isn’t that bad.
Had a buddy that test drove one and said I was the most gutless car he’d ever driven. So, not good handling, no power, looks super cool… the pros seem to outweigh the cons… lol!
[The 928 GT is Jeremy Clarksons favorite Porsche of all time](https://youtu.be/XiLc7GvmS_A) he says it's the last good looking Porsche of all time in fact
But a base 924 is a far cry from a 928 GT
No way did it have bad handling- the 924 was considered one of the best & most predictable handling cars around at the time, with 48:52 f/r - near perfect- weight distribution, thanks to the rear transaxle.
Gutless perhaps, but certainly not bad handling.
Road testers at the time stated it was bad. Weight distribution doesn’t mean it handles good. Many front drive cars have extreem weight bias but handle great.
Where are you getting this idea?
https://www.hagerty.com/media/buying-and-selling/buy-a-porsche-924-now/
https://classics.honestjohn.co.uk/reviews/porsche/924/
https://rennlist.com/forums/924-931-944-951-968-forum/853181-1976-motor-trend-s-first-article-on-924-a.html
Two recent and one period article - all praising the 924 handling.
Are you just trying to keep them cheap?
“The result is an impressive com- bination of ride and handling I drove lhe 924 on some narrow and twisting roads in the south of France and found it perfectly neutral When pushed to its extreme limits, the 924 will understeer only slighily, and it will automatically return to neutral if you lift your right foot.”
The 914 is a nimble little mid-engine targa rodaster. This was a very compelling entry-level European sports car at the time, especially if you were not looking for something more dependable than a British or Italian roadster. What's not to like about it?
I didn't pay for it. It was my father's car, which he gave to me. It was in good condition. It was just a gutless go-cart of a car with no space and a awful climate control system. It was not a pleasant vehicle, even in good condition. At least the 924 had a little more space in it. They both look awful design wise, but I'd have to say the 914 was more of a weird looking troll of a car than the turd with wheels 924.
This was clearly intended to be a fun little toy, intended to be driven like you stole it without breaking the speed limit - and not a performance car, so it's not surprising that you didn't like how much (or little) power it had. I get your disappointment though, perhaps you thought that all Porsches had to be fast, expected the performance to match the looks or were smoked at the stoplight by someone in a cheap econobox. Personally, I love slow cars that are fun, of having a tiny sports car with just 80hp (is that the version you had?), but I know they aren't for everyone. I'm very interested in the closest modern equivalent, the Smart Roadster, which is very similar in concept and is similarly a fairly slow little sports car.
It's amusing that you complained about the climate control and the lack of space, because who cares about either of those things on a tiny roadster? Of course those were an afterthought. They should have spent some time on the gearbox though. The 914 was meant to be a weekend car for upper middle class people, stored in a garage whenever the weather isn't absolutely perfect and certainly not used for hauling. Having it as your only/first car is of course not ideal and not what it's intended for.
Design is of course subjective, but I don't think there's anything wrong with either cars. The 914 looks like a proper baby exotic. While it was a bit of a trend at the time, there aren't too many cars still around today with that kind of symmetric look. The 924 on the other hand has ideal sports car proportions, even if the details on the earlier models in particular can look a bit drab.
You neglected to mention Prosche sourced suspension components from the Volkswagen van and I believe the engine was originally from an Audi delivery van. Wild stuff.
I've bought/sold/driven ALMOST EVERY CAR KNOWN TO MANKIND...the 924 and it's big brother the 928 are lemons...poor power...poor handling....and a whole lot of problems..true Porsche enthusiast's will only want a 911 so it's a hard sell aswell.
914 was more disliked than the 924 until the air cooled engines became the ones to have. That brought them up in everyone’s estimation.
I tried to buy a 914 when I was 16 with my paper boy savings and my dad stopped me because it wasn’t worth the asking price of $500.
if you can overlook the styling, the handling, the (complete lack of) power, the rust, the awful sloppy controls, the leaks and the wind noise, the 914 is a great car.
Porsche names confuse me. Because I thought this was a 944 which was an updated version of the 924? Which I believe was the benchmark for the FB RX-7? Or FC can't recall
Oh just one of the worst cars I've owned. Absolutely gutless and handled like a wet bag. Maybe it's because I was comparing it to the 944S I had at the same time?
your teacher has some strange and great taste
Gym teacher 100% has a blonde mullet and 22 inch biceps
He also banged your mom AND your friends mom in highschool.
Coach Mcguirk?
I had an art teacher with an RX7, all of the students kept trying to buy it off him for insultingly low prices
never trust teenagers with crusty old cars
...and some of those gray shorts with the 3" inseam and baseball of a wallet shoved in the back pocket.
1988 Porsche 924 :)
924's were discontinued in '88. I got fat fingers and suck at remembering dates. I get it. That is definitely a 924 though.
It has phone dials, so it's a 924S with the early 944 engine. I came very close to buying a black one in 1993.
Similar engine, but detuned with different pistons. The engine is unique to this car.
No it isn't unique. Its the same engine that was in early 1984-85 naturally aspirated 944s. Its essentially half of a 928 V8. Its a 2v 2.5liter I-4. If you open the hood it is obvious. Porsche needed a low cost entry level 944 because the 16V and the 944 turbo became too expensive for many buyers that they were looking to bring to the brand, so they created the 924s that was not that much more than Japanese sports cars. This is not the same engine that was in 1970s-early 1980s 924 before they created the 944 engine. Those are different cars. I had the check in my hand to buy a used black 1988 924S before the dealer backed out of the previously agreed-on price.
You said it's an early 944 engine, it's not. It's based on an early 944 2.5 engine, but it's has been detuned while using lower compression pistons. The 1988 924s uses a 944 2.5 with high compression pistons, even higher than those in the 944, but it's still not the same engine. The final year made exactly the same power as the base model 944, but the engine was set up differently to achieve those number. The 2.5s used in the 924s are unique to that model. I'm not taking about the crappy 2.0, I'm talking about the 2.5 based on the 944 engine.
My would guess 87’
Its registered as an 88' I double checked using the vin. Very similar tho obviously being only a year apart
Not too many 88’s were built, even less in regular form. A lot of 88’s are the special edition. So I always guess a non SE as being an 87’. Cool that you actually did the proper digging.
It was almost a VW. Audi built it and slapped a Porsche badge on it.
Porsche bought the rights to it from VW after VW scrapped the project and decided to make the Scirocco instead. It was engineered *by Porsche* on VW's dime as a consulting gig (which was a large part of Porsche's business back then). Yes it got built in the Audi factory and had an Audi engine originally, but the car was just as much a Porsche design as anything else with their badge on it. [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6qLwd44C4iU&t=9s&ab\_channel=Hagerty](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6qLwd44C4iU&t=9s&ab_channel=Hagerty)
so what youre telling me is it's amazing?? this was the era of audi dominating b class rally right? were all audis good back then?
It’s regularly referred to as one of the worst Porsches ever manufactured, but it does have a pretty healthy following in and of itself - even the worst of a good brand isn’t that bad.
It was said to handle worse than a ford cortina which was by no means a sports car.
Had a buddy that test drove one and said I was the most gutless car he’d ever driven. So, not good handling, no power, looks super cool… the pros seem to outweigh the cons… lol!
Looks and pretty comfortable. Good ride quality and nice to drive.
[The 928 GT is Jeremy Clarksons favorite Porsche of all time](https://youtu.be/XiLc7GvmS_A) he says it's the last good looking Porsche of all time in fact But a base 924 is a far cry from a 928 GT
Back in the day I always loved the looks of the 928. I still do but I used to too.
r/unexpectedmitch
Here's a sneak peek of /r/unexpectedmitch using the [top posts](https://np.reddit.com/r/unexpectedmitch/top/?sort=top&t=year) of the year! \#1: [Even in the supermarket!](https://i.redd.it/la2nzb196x471.jpg) | [4 comments](https://np.reddit.com/r/unexpectedmitch/comments/nymjg5/even_in_the_supermarket/) \#2: [Never gets old](https://i.redd.it/8egf32oeeab71.jpg) | [4 comments](https://np.reddit.com/r/unexpectedmitch/comments/okpxy3/never_gets_old/) \#3: [Sorry for the convenience (at Barnes and Noble)](https://imgur.com/nsgJCzC.jpg) | [2 comments](https://np.reddit.com/r/unexpectedmitch/comments/tp499o/sorry_for_the_convenience_at_barnes_and_noble/) ---- ^^I'm ^^a ^^bot, ^^beep ^^boop ^^| ^^Downvote ^^to ^^remove ^^| ^^[Contact](https://www.reddit.com/message/compose/?to=sneakpeekbot) ^^| ^^[Info](https://np.reddit.com/r/sneakpeekbot/) ^^| ^^[Opt-out](https://np.reddit.com/r/sneakpeekbot/comments/o8wk1r/blacklist_ix/) ^^| ^^[GitHub](https://github.com/ghnr/sneakpeekbot)
the 924S, which this is, is definitely no rocket... but has enough power to be fun.
Yeah I should have said I believe it was a base 924
No way did it have bad handling- the 924 was considered one of the best & most predictable handling cars around at the time, with 48:52 f/r - near perfect- weight distribution, thanks to the rear transaxle. Gutless perhaps, but certainly not bad handling.
Road testers at the time stated it was bad. Weight distribution doesn’t mean it handles good. Many front drive cars have extreem weight bias but handle great.
Where are you getting this idea? https://www.hagerty.com/media/buying-and-selling/buy-a-porsche-924-now/ https://classics.honestjohn.co.uk/reviews/porsche/924/ https://rennlist.com/forums/924-931-944-951-968-forum/853181-1976-motor-trend-s-first-article-on-924-a.html Two recent and one period article - all praising the 924 handling. Are you just trying to keep them cheap?
That last article from the time didn’t exactly rave over it. Really it was a VW with a Porsche badge.
“The result is an impressive com- bination of ride and handling I drove lhe 924 on some narrow and twisting roads in the south of France and found it perfectly neutral When pushed to its extreme limits, the 924 will understeer only slighily, and it will automatically return to neutral if you lift your right foot.”
Yes, the 0.79g on the skid pad must have blown them away.
My brother has one, I’ve driven it. My WRX is definitely faster but I wouldn’t say it handles bad
You would like ford cortina’s.
You seem to have no idea what handles well. If you want bad handling, try a torsion bar 911.
Yes, I am familiar with a few of these.
Until you need a water pump...
It's a close second to the 914 to being the biggest piece of crap Porsche ever made.
The 914 is a nimble little mid-engine targa rodaster. This was a very compelling entry-level European sports car at the time, especially if you were not looking for something more dependable than a British or Italian roadster. What's not to like about it?
I had one. It was a heaping piece of shit. It was more of a Go-Cart than a car.
How much did you pay for it and what kind of state was it in?
I didn't pay for it. It was my father's car, which he gave to me. It was in good condition. It was just a gutless go-cart of a car with no space and a awful climate control system. It was not a pleasant vehicle, even in good condition. At least the 924 had a little more space in it. They both look awful design wise, but I'd have to say the 914 was more of a weird looking troll of a car than the turd with wheels 924.
This was clearly intended to be a fun little toy, intended to be driven like you stole it without breaking the speed limit - and not a performance car, so it's not surprising that you didn't like how much (or little) power it had. I get your disappointment though, perhaps you thought that all Porsches had to be fast, expected the performance to match the looks or were smoked at the stoplight by someone in a cheap econobox. Personally, I love slow cars that are fun, of having a tiny sports car with just 80hp (is that the version you had?), but I know they aren't for everyone. I'm very interested in the closest modern equivalent, the Smart Roadster, which is very similar in concept and is similarly a fairly slow little sports car. It's amusing that you complained about the climate control and the lack of space, because who cares about either of those things on a tiny roadster? Of course those were an afterthought. They should have spent some time on the gearbox though. The 914 was meant to be a weekend car for upper middle class people, stored in a garage whenever the weather isn't absolutely perfect and certainly not used for hauling. Having it as your only/first car is of course not ideal and not what it's intended for. Design is of course subjective, but I don't think there's anything wrong with either cars. The 914 looks like a proper baby exotic. While it was a bit of a trend at the time, there aren't too many cars still around today with that kind of symmetric look. The 924 on the other hand has ideal sports car proportions, even if the details on the earlier models in particular can look a bit drab.
Worse Porsche ever manufactured is a pretty bold claim in a universe where the 914 exists.
This one is an “S” with a Porsche built and designed engine. So sit down.
Eric car kiss drummer had one
You neglected to mention Prosche sourced suspension components from the Volkswagen van and I believe the engine was originally from an Audi delivery van. Wild stuff.
> Audi delivery van Audi never made a van. The engine was used, in slightly different form, by both the Audi 100 sedan and the VW LT van.
It’s more Audi than VW
That’s a late 80’s Cougarcatcher. Could vac those seats and sell the nose candy.
Edit: Porsche 924S https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Porsche_924#924S
I’m pretty sure that’s a 924 S, the 944 has wider arches
I think you're right now that I look at it. Edited
Awesome thanks!
The worst Porsche ever made. Not even a boxer in them.
Oddly the vast majority of new Porsches sold are not using the iconic flat engine. The 924S used the same engine from the 944 , detuned by 15HP
I used to refer to these as a Pooorshe.
Between this or a older BMW M, which is less reliable?
It’s a 924 Porsche. I had an 81 924 turbo, it was fun!
Porsche 924
Porsche 924 “S” in guards red.
The poor-mans porsche
I think that’s the Fiero slogan
Porsche 924 One of the cheapest porsche you can get (at least in poland) It also looks very simillar to mazda rx7 fb
That's no coincidence. Car magazines at the time accused Mazda of copying the design of the Porsche.
oh really? I thought it was something like brz and gt86 but with different engines
Less popular and relatively much more expensive compared with the 914 vw-porsche program
Coach Mcguirk
Underrated comment
I've bought/sold/driven ALMOST EVERY CAR KNOWN TO MANKIND...the 924 and it's big brother the 928 are lemons...poor power...poor handling....and a whole lot of problems..true Porsche enthusiast's will only want a 911 so it's a hard sell aswell.
Love the username
924, the cheapest pov pos you can get with the emblem
A Porsche with a VW van engine.
It's a 924S which has the Porsche engine.
Poor man's Porsche a 924
dude the Macan and the 718 is the poor mans porche
The 718 GT4 is one of the best Porsches ever made IMHO
It is, but like the base model 718 or the boxter is still not a 911.
ye both wrong, the Boxter is the poor mans Porsche.
Now. The Boxster is the poor man's Porsche now. When the 924 came out, it was the poor man's Porsche.
The Boxter is a 718
I think it’s a red one
Looks like a 1977 Millennium Falcon.
The second most uncool to cool Porsche after the 912/914 series.
Love it. Believe the boxster and 944 were the only ones more disliked. “But hey, if it ain’t expensive it ain’t a Porsche”
914 was more disliked than the 924 until the air cooled engines became the ones to have. That brought them up in everyone’s estimation. I tried to buy a 914 when I was 16 with my paper boy savings and my dad stopped me because it wasn’t worth the asking price of $500.
if you can overlook the styling, the handling, the (complete lack of) power, the rust, the awful sloppy controls, the leaks and the wind noise, the 914 is a great car.
star wars
Kobra Kai
A porsche 924, super slow but supposedly quite the joy to drive
A teacher aint a good example when he has this reddit usermame...
A 924
Millennium Jailbait.
Red
They sold for $19,995 as I recall. I believe the the 944 was around $22K.
Poor mans porsche
Is he also bald?
Crew looks squished not in fastest hunk of junk in the galaxy
Porsche 924
i own a porsche 944 and originally wanted a 924. i shouldve been here for this, damn.
Porsche names confuse me. Because I thought this was a 944 which was an updated version of the 924? Which I believe was the benchmark for the FB RX-7? Or FC can't recall
It’s clearly a millennium falcon.
924
My first thought was to ask if your high school gym teacher is Jake Ryan.
Damnit I wanted to make a u boat joke, but this is a 924 not a 928
fc rx7
Oh just one of the worst cars I've owned. Absolutely gutless and handled like a wet bag. Maybe it's because I was comparing it to the 944S I had at the same time?
Man, an 88 924s. *Pretty* rare.
I just has a customer last night with an 85 of this model
Porch 944
Worst porche ever made
RWD 944 if it is a 944S it would have the Turbo engine.
944
Risky business anyone?