This is a case of a car that is tragically unloved by the collector marketplace but looks wholly deserving of its asking price, especially with the work the seller has done. Supposedly found in the proverbial elderly owner’s garage where it had been parked for 17 years, the seller did a fair amount of reconditioning it after extracting it from its resting spot. The paint is a wonderful shade called Indiana Red Metallic and over a tan interior, it’s a nice change of pace from the typical red. The seller is moving and has listed it here on the Classic Motorsports website for $5,500.
While it’s not incredibly well preserved, it does look like it was never flat-out abused. And I would attribute the condition largely to the long-term ownership in the hands of an owner who was likely quite proud of it for many years, until driving became too much of a risk/chore. This 924 was also optioned quite well from the factory, equipped with the pretty multi-spoke alloy wheels you see here and front fog lamps. The seller refers to this as a “sport steering wheel,” but I thought those were typically 3-spoke units. Either way, you can upgrade it in a jiffy with myriad aftermarket options. I always liked the auxiliary gauge pod in the center stack of the dash. Body-wise, he notes the hood is missing its paint due to the garage door being broken/stuck open when it was found.
The seller’s work to revive this 924 included the following: new water pump and timing belt, valves adjusted, transmission fluid changed, new plugs, rebuilt distributor, new battery, and a new fuel pump round out the mechanical improvements. In addition, the seller has installed new tires, brakes, and wheel bearings along with fresh Koni adjustable shocks, Weltmeister 250 lb. springs in the front and 26mm torsion bars at the rear. I mean, that’s a healthy list on any car, but it’s particularly impressive on a vehicle like the 924 that is chronically unloved. Power-wise, the CIS-E equipped Porsche produces 115 b.h.p.
Seeing small details like a mint condition owner’s manual and booklet reinforces (to me, at least) the likelihood of this car seeing very little use before the current owner picked it up. These cars are labors of love if you’re intent on bringing one back to life, and the seller is clearly surprised that no one is stepping up to be its next caretaker. I feel for him, having been in that spot myself on occasion with vehicles and bikes that got a lot of my attention but barely seemed to register for the general public. Hopefully, this well-sorted 924 finds a new home soon.
The hard core Porscheophiles never liked the 924 from new, being the first water cooled and front engined, along with its Audi lineage. HERESY!!! Until the turbo appeared, they were never known for performance either. That bias has never really gone away, even though between rust and age they’ve become rare.
I think the 944 & 968 absolutely outshone the 924, which never really allowed it to be appreciated. Plus, I believe the vastly superior 928 came out shortly after the 924 was introduced, that can’t have helped its rep any.
The problem with these is simple, they are more expensive to repair than what they will be worth when you’re done with the restoration. A buddy of mine found this out, when he got a so-called cheap Porsche 924.
Sounds like a slow car meant to be driven fast. I like for their ability to allow my legs to stretch out in front of me.
best niche’a da porsche clan in my opinion…
First moves away from ‘the doctor’ in ~ 1/2 a century.
Thank heavens the others were @ least RW drive, but…
Having owned several cars from this brand back in the day – though never a 924 – the problem I’ve always thought with these is that they cost just as much to repair and maintain as any of the other – much better – models. So you end up paying a lot to maintain a car that while kind of cool, isn’t really all that great, imo. Might as well pony up the money and get a used 911 or 944, because it’s gonna cost almost as much as to keep this running. Of course these days no used Porsches are a bargain anymore with how they’ve skyrocketed in value.
We’ve owned 24 Porches one of which was a ’77 maroon with a European Special Edition engine. Fast enough, great comfortable touring car, and with the upgraded suspension was a fast autocross machine. This one here could be a car that would give the owner something fun to go to work in and play with on weekends.