1981 Porsche 924 Carrera GTS Clubsport

One of the more surprising models ever to leave Stuttgart was the 924 Carrera GTS Clubsport. Yes, Porsche made a track-ready racer 924 that was originally destined as a homologation model for FIA Group 4 racing. It was a 924 Turbo with aluminum body panels, 16″ Fuchs wheels, 930 Turbo-style brakes, Bilstein coilover suspension, an integrated roll cage, plastic window treatments, 935-style seats, and a fire suppression bottle. Also it looked really menacing compared to the standard 924 Turbo. Only 15 road-legal cars were produced, which puts this in the rarest of the rare category when talking about the special cars from Porsche. Today, we happen to have one for sale up for sale in Miami with a crazy 37,000 miles on the odometer. Although that maybe isn’t so crazy after I tell you the price.

CLICK FOR DETAILS: 1981 Porsche 924 Carrera GTS Clubsport on eBay

Year: 1981
Model: 924 Carrera GTS Clubsport
VIN: WP0ZZZ932BS710020
Engine: Turbocharged 2.1 liter inline-four
Transmission: 5-speed manual
Mileage: 37,045 mi
Location: Miami, Florida
Price: $300,000 Buy It Now

Vehicle Original VIN : WP0ZZZ932BS710020
Chassis No: WP0ZZZ932BS710020

Odometer: 37,045 Kms

Engine: 2.1 Litre EA831, Inline-4 SOHC with KKK Turbocharger @ 1.1 bar

Transmission: Getrag 5-Speed Manual, Type G31

Performance: 275 bhp @ 6,500 rpm / 247 lb-ft – 0-60 mph 5.2 sec / 160 mph

Exterior: India Red

Interior: Black Fabric

Group 4 Homologation Special, Most Iconic Transaxle Variant – One of Only 15 ClubSports & Fully Federalized

About This Car
“No other Porsche or Ferrari could be faster at 275 bhp with an unbelievable fighting weight of 1,060 kg. With the 924 Carrera GTS Clubsport, Porsche stretched its limits and reached the zenith of all road-legal Porsches. In order to keep the weight of this high-performance package low, even damping materials and other comfort elements were removed, leading to the phenomenal acceleration of 0 to 60 mph in 5.2 seconds. Porsche priced the Clubsport variant with a sticker price of 120,000 DM. The GTS Clubsport was the fastest and most expensive road legal Porsche of the time by quite a margin. For comparison, the Porsche 911 SC or the Ferrari 308 GTB could be had for less than 60,000 DM, after all it was the only 924 variant built entirely by hand at the development center in Weissach”.

This very significant Porsche is well known to us, since James Hondros helped his dear friend and long time client verifying and ultimately purchasing the GTS back in February of 2011. The 924 Carrera GTS was ordered by the original owner directly through Weissach’s customer program and was delivered on August, 1981. According to the factory invoice, the lofty sum of 110,000 DM was paid for the privilege.

What is notable on this rare Porsche is that while all the Clubsport designated equipment like seats, AUTOFLUG harness, lightweight shell doors, Lexan sliding windows and rear screen, Sigla thinner windscreen as well as the deletion of the cloisonné badge with a corresponding decal, the roll cage is absent while some insulation and carpeting was fitted at the factory as per the owner’s wishes. With this bespoke configuration it is obvious that the intention of the original owner was to enjoy this track weapon on the American highways.

Upon delivery, the Carrera GTS was immediately shipped to Southern California but being a limited production, homologated car it was never destined to be exported or retailed in the North American market. The motorcar was imported on a bill of sale and according to our records it was stored as part of a private collection until the later part of the decade.

At that point, the owner decided to attempt to legalize the car as initially intended to and no one at the time had the means or expertise on federalizing these kind of sports cars other than Bruce Canepa, the man responsible for developing a legalized version of the 959 as well as been successful in passing the Show and Display law in 1998. After a great expense of time and money the Carrera GTS passed the emission test at the Palmdale, CA inspection facility on January 22, 1998 although the car was issued a California title for the first time on June 3, 1986.

A California Vehicle Information label certificate number N5334958 was issued by the bureau and prominently placed in the engine bay, clearly stating the required codes of PCV, EVP, FR, CAT, SPK, CCO, O2 and quite possibly constituting this motorcar as the only Carrera GTS fully compliant for road use in California. During the required conversion a catalytic converter was fitted and certain lightweight panels were replaced in order to meet the DOT prerogatives. All such items were safely stored in a palette and to be reunited with the automobile once it met the 25 year exemption returning the car to its original feather-weight glory.

After the original care taker sadly passing away the dazzling Carrera GTS was sold by the late owner’s estate to car aficionado and well known automotive accessories manufacturer, Henry P. Camisasca. During its first quarter of a century custodianship the GTS clocked 22,205 careful miles (35,737 kilometers at the time of sale). Mr. Camisasca took possession of the Porsche on May of 2007 and a California certificate of tittle was issued in his name on the third day of June 2007 in the city of Irvine in Orange County. Henry, curated the Carrera GTS for about three and a half years by impeccably maintaining and enjoying less than a thousand driving miles before deciding to list the motorcar for sale in January 2011.

The obscurity of the little known 924 Carrera GTS in the California car circle did not last long and on January 2010 the editors of Porsche Excellence Magazine contacted Henry Camisasca in order to publish a story of this rare specimen alongside the more popular 944. The article by Ray Thursby, highlighting the mystique and stellar performance of the GTS went on print in the April’s issue and it is attached here as a further accolade to chassis No. 020.

The third and last owner, a true enthusiast of the German marque and collector extraordinaire from Miami, Florida came across the listing and decided instantly to pursue this elusive homologation special from Zuffenhausen. After some due diligence and short deliberation a deal was struck with Mr. Camisasca and the car was on its way to South Florida via an enclosed carrier. The Carrera GTS arrived in Miami in the first week of February 2011 and registered for road use on the eighth day of the same month. Since then, the Carrera GTS has been part of the same prominent collection with less than 500 maintenance miles added to the odometer over the course of a decade.

Speedart Motorsports, taking great pride on sourcing some of the rarest automobiles in captivity is thrilled to offer for sale this poster child from Porsche’s transaxle era.

The motorcar is presented in truly spectacular form with unquestionable originality and authenticity. The first paint India Red exterior is showing extremely well and with the exception of a respray of the front and rear valances the automobile still retains 90% of its original Glasurit single stage enamel. The ‘business office’ is equally unmolested and free of any blemishes with the high-grip fabric on the 935 race buckets in as-new condition, further attesting to the meticulous provenance and no evidence of track time.

The original 16×7 and 16×8 Fuchs alloys are rash-free and wear modern tread Bridgestone Potenza, Pole Position tires. The turbocharged motor and Getrag dog leg gear box operate as intended from the manufacturer and guarantee analog driving thrills to its lucky occupants. The Bilstein coil over suspension is dialed-in for hard cornering speeds and the oversized 911 Turbo brakes will allow spirited drivers to apply maximum force on the straight line or employ trail braking technics to a great effect.

One important note for the prospective buyer is that although the dial of the VDO speedometer was exchanged for a miles only dial, as it was required at the time of federalization, the core unit stayed intact and as such the odometer displays the correct 37,045 kilometers (23,018 miles) at the time of this listing.

Although the attached photographic lot represents faithfully the condition of this legendary Porsche in explicit detail, we encourage all interested parties to witness up close and personal in our Miami, Parc Fermé this Teutonic homologation masterpiece in its all original glory. With only 59 units ever produced, including 15 Clubsports and have already achieved cult status, the idea of even seeing one in person is an extreme rarity, never mind owning one.

Despite there only being 15 of these in the world, we actually just saw one sell in the spring for $261,000. A great market comp if there is one, but the math isn’t making much sense here for this one unfortunately. That car that sold for $261,000 had just 500 miles claimed, which is a far cry from the 37,000 miles here. Not to mention it was offered by one of the top Porsche shops in the world at Road Scholars. Today’s car had an asking price of $300,000, which I don’t need to tell you doesn’t add up. Maybe with only 15 cars in the world you can basically have a “take it or leave it” situation when one does come up, but I’d love to hear the seller’s thoughts on what makes this car another $39,000 more valuable than the example that has 36,500 less miles on it.

– Andrew