Reader Paul D spotted this very dusty Porsche 924 here on eBay and thought we might be interested in seeing it. I’ve always liked the 924, they are fun cars to drive and far more affordable than a 911. This one is a bit of a mystery though, as it is in a barn in Germany and has what appears to be special graphics hiding under all that dust. I know Porsche offered a number of visual packages for on the 924, but I can’t quite make out what the graphics are on this one.
I have to admit, my German isn’t up to par, so I had a tough time figuring out what the ad says. From what I was able to figure out, this car has just 28,000 kilometers on the dial (the seller admits it could be 128k). If that’s correct, this Porsche saw just a little over 17,000 miles before going into the barn 24 years ago. That works out to about 1,100 miles per year, so it didn’t see much use. I’m going to guess it’s far more likely that it saw 128k kilometers, but that’s still only 80k miles!
As you can see, the interior is complete although it’s also very dirty. I really like the upholstery in this car, it’s sporty yet odd! I’m sure it’s going to need more work than just a good cleaning, but you never know.
Power comes from a 2.0 liter inline 4, which is rated between 95 and 110 horsepower depending on when it was built in ’77. Hopefully this is a late ’77, as it would have the additional 15 ponies!
So these decals are really throwing me off. At first I thought it was a Martini & Rossi edition, but it looks like it has the text “SportDesign” in it and the shape is all wrong. So do any Porsche 924 experts want to weigh in here? Is it equipped with a desirable options package or is that just a decal a previous owner ordered and installed? Special thanks to Paul for sharing this dusty barn find with us!
As someone who does not care about 100% factory stock condition, a Porsche 924 is an ideal candidate for a VW R32 engine swap for some real horsepower.
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I keep reading about others submitting finds, and have yet to figure out how to do so. Any help would be appreciated!
email the link to the “find” to tips@barnfinds.com. They use some of them but not all… I think they secretly BUY the tips they like best…. LOL
The 924 was an entry level ‘Porsche’ back then, but it had an Audi engine so it could sell for cheap compared to other Porsches. I haven’t owned one but everyone I have heard talk about the 924 says the engine is way slower than the car, and it runs rough and isn’t very refined.
I like the look of the body, and I have looked for a decent 944 to buy now and then. With the superiority of the 944 engine over the Audi engine in the 924, and the low prices that 944s are bringing now for such a good looking / driving car, I would hold out for a 944 over a 924.
What’s with finding all the cars we used to own! Bought a beautiful maroon ’77 924 in ’79. Previous owner found one of the European ’78 limited edition engines and put it in. We added a complete suspension package, super-tuned the engine and had a great autocross and track car. Great fun on the road. Did a couple cross countrys with it cruising in the high ’80s. Competition suspension made some of the rough roads a chore but that extra power and a comfortable interior made up for it.
My dad had two of these. The first was metallic grey with “Pascha” op-art velour. The second was Copenhagen blue with black leather. Pretty cars but the Audi engines? They made little power, didn’t like to rev, and were coarse as cheese graters. Sadly the lack of power made the car seem ponderous.
I was going to buy one of these in the late 70’s. Took it for a test drive and it was so slow, it made my Chevy Monza seem fast. Pretty car, though. Red with black interior.
Too bad they were strangled by US emissions from the Euro model’s 125 to 95 in the US when first Introduced. Later models made 110. This fad of selling dirty cars is just ridiculous.
The EBAY link didn’t work. Try this one.
http://www.ebay.de/itm/Oldtimer-Porsche-924-Scheunenfund-/231938538731?hash=item36009d3ceb:g:vlsAAOSwt7pXMFI7
The 1987/8 Porsche 924S had a slightly detuned Porsche 944 engine (rather than the earlier Audi unit), and because it was lighter than the 944 was actually faster
Quicker yes, the 924S got a shorter 5th gear so it wouldn’t out pace a 944. Short 924S 5th gear swap into a 944 gearbox is common 944 racer modification where the taller 944 5th can be disadvantage on some tracks.
From what I can see in the oics, this is a Euro car, so more HP. The graphics are aftermarket. I’ve owned several 924s, I’ve added a turbo to a 77 that I had, and currently own a 82 924 Turbo(931) with only 60,000 miles, as well as a concours winning 89 944 Turbo (S) with only 32,000 miles, which MIGHT be on here soon.
Your 89 Turbo S is beautiful. My 89 is an S2. This is my 25,xxx mile Concours winning 84.
Joe,
NICE! I’ve always been a fan of the 924/944/968 line. Gotta love em!
I know that this is too late to help the original poster but had to chime in. I’ve owned a bizarre assortment of cars from a 351 Cleveland powered Intermeccanica Italia to a Volvo S60R and also own a box stock 1979 924. I’ve had the 924 for three years.
In my opinion the 924 is far better to actually drive on a trip than most performance cars. It gets great gas mileage, it has never left me stranded (even on a trip to Canada from San Diego and back). The seats are comfy Recarros and coming DOWN a mountain pass, even in snow, nothing could pass it. All for $3,000. That’s a lot of fun per dollar. Also it has nothing I don’t need which means nothing extra to break (take that S60R – you finicky bastard). Yes it lacks power, but given enough road it will get to, and cruise over, 100mph all day long.