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It’s easy to overlook the importance to Porsche of the 924 model, but it was a significant and successful model – purists be damned. Not only did it make Porsche a viable company so that those precious air-cooled dinosaurs could be produced, but it laid the platform for many enthusiast favorites down the road both inside and outside of Germany. Of course, the most tangible benefit was the later 944 and 944 Turbo spawned from the bones of the 924, but highly prized models from other manufacturers were also influenced; the Mazda RX-7 was a blatant copy for example, but you can also see aspects of the 924 seep in to the Toyota Supra and Nissan 300ZX designs later in the 1980s.
Like its similarly revolutionary big brother 928, for some time the market did not recognize the importance or the significance of these designs. But while the 928’s needle has begun to head up the tach, the lowly 924 remains an absolute budget bargain for classic Porsche fans. One model that has gained some appreciation of late is the 924 Turbo. Though the technology was relatively primitive compared to more recent turbocharged mills, the 931 packed a potent punch in the early 1980s. Even in detuned American-market form, the 924 Turbo had nearly 150 horsepower from the pedestrian but heavily revised Volkswagen 2.0 liter at the same time that a 5.0 liter Corvette hit the market with 180 lazy horses. The Turbo was upgraded over its relatively short life span too, and models like this 1980 came equipped with a sport package that included 16″ forged wheels, upgraded 4-wheel disc brakes and a sport suspension:
I’m fairly certain that the very first Porsche 912 I featured here at GCFSB was one of the single-year 912E. In the three years since then, I’ve never featured it again. That is in part because the long-hood models are simply much better looking, but also they’ve tended to make more sense when their values are compared with those of their long-hood 911 brethren. Because mid-year 911s haven’t shown nearly the same high values the 912E doesn’t attract our notice quite as much. However, the long-hood 912 has begun to rise enough that they no longer seem like the wonderful values they once did. Perhaps the 912E can begin to make a little more sense. In that regard, I’m curious to have a look at where one might sell. We come across them pretty rarely, and frankly most of them are in pretty bad shape. But the one we see here, a Sepia Brown 1976 Porsche 912E with Tan interior, looks in pretty good shape. It needs work, as the seller readily admits, but the overall condition appears quite sound and perhaps the value it shows will begin to bring these into greater favor.
We’ve often lamented on these pages about when enthusiast cars used to be more affordable. Pick your poison; there were days you could buy a pretty sorted E30 M3 for under $10,000, a clean 911 in the teens, a pristine W113 Pagoda for under $20,000. At least for the foreseeable future, those days have left us, and enthusiasts on a modest budget need to pick and choose between the few remnants of a once vibrant sub-$10,000 market. I’ve spent a fair amount of time predicting and watching the ascension of the 944 turbo – the understated, underrated giant killer from Porsche. It’s been no surprise to see soaring values on clean 944 turbos, so you’d be forgiven for thinking that once again another classic has been priced out of sight. But if you’re willing to prioritize driving over shows, there are still some great deals to be had out there:
I’ve featured just about every 911 model at one point or another and I’m fairly certain this particular model I’ve featured only one other time. We simply do not come across the 2.7-liter Carrera Targa very often, certainly much less frequently than the Carrera Coupe of the same vintage, so when we come across one it’s almost always worth stopping in to take a look. This one possesses added interest in that it comes in a rare Salmon Metallic exterior and retains much of its originality. The Carrera was the top-of-the-line model for ’74, distinguished from the base 911 most significantly by a higher horsepower engine (175 hp v. 150 hp) and from the 911S by its Carrera graphics – deleted on this Targa – ducktail rear spoiler and wider rear fenders. While all of the mid-year 911s have suffered reduced values relative to most of their long-hood predecessors, the Carreras have reached values that can exceed those of the 911T and in some cases even the 911E. They’re a far cry from their European brothers, which were basically an impact-bumpered Carrera RS Touring, but still attract plenty of notice. The one we have here was first owned by former Portland Trailblazer Sidney Wicks: a Salmon Metallic 1974 Porsche 911 Carrera Targa, located in Oregon, with Cinnamon interior and 92,500 miles on it.
I’ve seen this car around a few times and for whatever reason have passed it by. Perhaps I thought it was priced too high; perhaps other cars took precedence. Regardless, I think it deserves some attention and, at the very least, if I did indeed pass it by because of price, then that problem has been solved as it is now up for auction without reserve. The market will decide its fate. This Porsche began life as an entry-level 911T, but has since been transformed into a far more aggressive looking and driving build. The engine is now a built 3.4 liter flat-6. We don’t have much information about the engine other than those details. I’d guess it originally was an early 3.2 liter especially since it remains mated to a 915 5-speed transmission. It is now said to be making 275 hp. That’s a substantial upgrade in power and should transform the entire character of this 911. The aesthetics fit the general ethos of quite a few modified 911s, especially those which have been backdated. The interior is spartan, but purposeful, and the exterior features a widened rear along with wider, fatter, tires to help fill out those fenders. I’d imagine given the extra power, those wider tires will be much appreciated!
