Porsche 924

This crucial entry-level model marked a new direction for Porsche, and the 924 went on to be a major success. It still makes a canny buy now, four decades on from its launch...

- Paul Guinness

There are, of course, still somefolk who maintain that the924 isn’t a ‘proper’ Porsche, or who moan that it’s powered by a VW engine; but I can’t help thinking that they’re missing out on one of today’s best sporting buys. Even more impressive is the fact that an excellent 924 can be picked up for considerably less than the price of a Capri 2.0 in similar condition... more of which later.

It was inevitable that the 924 would attract criticism from Porsche traditionalists, with its up-front engine location being alien to fans of the 911. Then there was the fact that the model was developed in conjunction with Volkswagen, with the two companies collaborating throughout the early ’Seventies – only for the larger partner to pull out in the spring of 1975. Porsche wisely decided to go it alone, eventually launching the 924 as a Porsche-branded coupe in January 1976.

Those who didn’t ‘get’ the 924 pointed to its VW-sourced engine and the fact that it was built at a Volkswagen factory (at Neckarsulm) as proof that the newcomer didn’t deserve its Porsche moniker. For me, however, the 924 marked an excellent entry point into the Porsche line-up, with a number of clever and worthwhile design features that justified its badging.