Rare M471 Package: 1980 Porsche 924 Turbo

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Just a few days ago, we featured a Porsche 924 Turbo and extolled the virtues of its unique turbocharged powerplant, along with how difficult it is to find good, running examples of the elusive 931. Well, here we are a few days later, and one of the nicest-looking examples has popped up for sale with excellent provenance and rare options. The 1980 Porsche 924 Turbo listed here on craigslist on Long Island is a claimed lifelong Hamptons resident that is equipped with the desirable M471 package that the seller believes makes it a 1-of-1oo car based on how few were equipped that way. The asking price is $16,000.

Checking the M471 box got you a variety of upgrades, including larger brakes, stiffer shocks, front and rear sway bars, and a rear spoiler. Really, in Porsche-speak, it’s a way to get some very nice chassis upgrades directly from the factory. Of course, all these years later, the shocks are likely due for replacement, but a set of Bilsteins or Konis are likely pretty close to what they would have spec’d off the showroom floor anyhow. The seller’s car is rare not only for just being a turbocharged 924 but also for the condition and this nice-to-have option; even if doesn’t matter much by today’s performance standards, it adds to the car’s provenance.

The 931 offered savvy sports car buyers a very quick powertrain with a sleepy exterior. The 924 was well-known as Porsche’s entry level model, applying the same logic as the SUVs do in the modern era: we need to sell a lot of these in order to keep building the 911. However, I’d argue that the 924 Turbo at least kept the focus on car enthusiasts as it was a legitimate sports car versus a Macan or Cayenne that is by-and-large purchased by suburban housewives to lollygag around suburbia. The seller’s 924 is parked in a garage next to a C3 Corvette, and I’d love to know if both cars were purchased new and kept in the Hamptons as a subtle rejection of vehicles considered “acceptable” by the 1 percenters of the day.

(There’s the C3 ‘Vette – other photos in the listing show what appears to be a nicely preserved example of a 70s Corvette.) The seller’s car has survived without any major cosmetic blemishes or tacky modifications, and he notes that it benefits from a recent fuel system rebuild. The fact that the car hasn’t need a significant overhaul of any kind tells me it has been looked after since new, and given many of the 931s were left for dead due to owners not understanding the maintenance requirements of a turbocharged car, it has likely been looked after by an enthusiast over the course of the two owners it has had. The 924 Turbo is a bargain in today’s vintage sports car market, and this looks like one of the better ones we’ve seen recently.

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Comments

  1. bobhess bobhessMember

    Said it before, will say it again, a fun driver of the highest order. Nice car.

    Like 7
  2. Rob

    Is this car really going on 50 years old? Wow, where did the time go?

    Like 5
    • Bullethead

      Don’t rush it Rob, it’s “just” 44. Besides the M471 package what I recall about the 924 Turbo was it’s top speed. Without the flares it’s frontal area is significantly smaller than the 944. It’s lighter too, so slightly quicker. Plus, there are plenty of flared 944s… when was the last time you saw a narrow body? This is an appealing buy.

      Like 4
  3. JMB#7

    Nice car. Nice write up… and the truth was spoken. This car filled (and still fills) a niche that is often overlooked.

    Like 5
  4. DLOMember

    Looks just like the car I had named Donna, cause she donna wanna run. Asking $16,000?

    And to think I donated mine to a charity because they would pick it up for free.

    Sometimes BF just opens up old hurts from stupidity.

    Like 3
  5. angliagt angliagtMember

    When I went back to Eureka (CA) a couple of months ago,
    my friend Gordon let me drive his 924 S.I was impressed with
    how well it handled,plus it had no really “High Tech” garbage
    on,such as a touch screen.

    Like 4
  6. Michael R McCrary

    Wow. I had a 81 924 Turbo with honeycomb wheels , 4 wheel disks, wearing grey over tan/ black interior. I’d wear out the tires before wearing the brakes out. Turbo/clutch rebuilds, it rode like it should. 😔

    Like 0

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