When we think of valuable or rare Porsches, it’s almost inevitable to gravitate towards an early Speedester or turbocharged 911. The 924 and 944 cars rarely enter that same plateau of desirability and success, but a few exceptions exist – like this 1981 Porsche 924 Carrera GTR listed here on Coys UK with only 190 KM’s from new. It is one of 17 ever made, nine of which either raced in or qualified at LeMans, impressive credentials indeed. Thanks to Barn Finds reader Drew V. for sending this unbelievable P-car to our attention!
While Porsches are universally known for their racing DNA, the 924 Carrera GTR is on another level entirely. Born from the homologation special 924 GT, the factory also created the 924 GTS and GTR models. Following its entry into the 24 Hours of LeMans, Porsche had to manufacture and sell a street-version of its racing products in order to satisfy Group 4 requirements. While the GTS was fairly hardcore (a few of which even came delivered with roll cages installed), the GTR like the one featured here delivered even more incredible performance. One look at this interior reveals it’s all business in the cockpit with zero frills or luxury.
The GTR also came with the roll cage, as well as a larger intercooler, adjustable suspension, huge brakes and a heavily modified 2.0L motor that cranked out 375 b.h.p., but many experts suspect that estimate is low. These race-bred 924s also were super light-weight, clocking in at a mere 930 kilograms and giving it a top speed of 180 m.p.h. It always blows my mind that Porsche was able to ramp up the power so significantly while still using the same 2.0L block found in more plebian 924’s! This example is one of two delivered new to Japan, where its minimal use was limited solely to track days. It has been stored for much of its life.
And of course, who wouldn’t love the huge flared fenders and period-correct turbofan wheels. Coys says this may be the best version in the world of the ultimate 924, and I don’t doubt the claim. When you realize just how special this car is and how few exist – and of the few, how many of them have mileage lower than this? – it becomes clear that this special Porsche will hammer home for a huge price at auction. This is the kind of car Jerry Seinfeld would buy, and it goes to show that the Porsche lineage runs as passionately through vehicles like this one as they do in any Speedster or 911 ever made.
Don’t know what I like more the car or the Bad T-shirt models.
Would a car like this be street legal?
As a Le Mans car this 924 is far more extreme than the street 924 from the other day. 375 HP from a 2 liter Audi 4-cylinder engine shows that if you crank the boost up high enough you can get big power out of a small street-based engine—-almost 200 HP / liter in this case, which is not a comforting number when it comes to long term reliability.
You would not want to use this for commuting or even getting a 6-pack down at the corner store. It’s a lot less useful than the previous 924, and must have a smaller market than the already tiny market for 924s.
That said, I’d still really like to drive it on a closed course. It should be fun, once you master the art of survival through throttle modulation.
Never seen it, love it.
Power, I think the BMW 320i 4cyl. Is the basis for over 1,000 horsepower in 80s F1.
This car looks awesome. When I was a kid My favorite car was a GT5 Pantera with big fenders and the largest DOT tires available. There’s a question about the power output hear? This is a Porsche, I’d be more worried that the roll cage is made from aluminum.
Man nobody seems to know my aluminum role cage reference. If Smoky yunick was involved the role cage would hold more gas.
**109 KM’s from new**
WOW!!! Ultimate 924 is right. Interesting car, and again, I love the period road racing body work and styling. Cant say i enjoy the wheels on it. Probably worth a small fortune alone however It WOULD look cool with some gold Honey comb/mesh light weight wheels.