Porsche 924S: The Proletariat Porsche
“It’s not a Porsche.” This casual dismissal of the Porsche 924 as being an illegitimate Porsche, usually uttered by the purists from the seats of their 911s and Boxters, is not only frustrating to those enamored with the little water-cooled rascals, but also streaked with hypocrisy: the purists seem to forget that their hallowed 911s trace their lineage back to the original Volkswagen Beetle (which, let’s not forget, was the brainchild of Ferdinand Porsche and his good buddy Adolf Hitler).
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I can understand their argument as it pertains to the original 924: it was, for all intents and purposes, a lowly Volkswagen in a well-hemmed suit. Low-slung, sleek, and replete with Porsche badges, this car looked good. It looked fast. It wasn’t. Powered by Volkswagen’s EA831 2.0 four-cylinder, the original 924 pumped out a dismal 95 horsepower, and it reached 60 in about the time it takes to cook a lasagna. So yes, based on its laughable performance and engine that would be better off in a weed-eater, I will concede that the first iteration of the 924 is “not a Porsche” in the way Cheese Nips aren’t Cheese-Its and Mega Blocks aren’t Legos. There’s something missing, some absent essence, displaced with a fusion of disappointment and longing for the real thing.
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However, the 924S, introduced in 1986, was different. The 924S came out in an era when S badging wasn’t mere marketing, but was actually substantive. The 924S, despite looking nearly identical to the plebeian 924, was equipped with the engine of the 944—a big, Porsche-designed 2.5 liter four cylinder making around 150 horsepower. This turned the previously dreary moaner that was the 924 into a pretty sprightly little machine, a machine that didn’t feel reluctant to do what Porsches are supposed to do: drive, hard.
Drive hard, yes, but still not particularly fast. Despite the 924S’ modest curb weight of around 2,400 pounds, it was by no means blisteringly quick. 0-60 happened in a little over 8 seconds with the 5-speed manual, and with the automatic, well, like the Porsche product line circa 1944, let’s not talk about it.
It is a bit embarrassing to know that my 924S, in a drag race, would get trounced by a fully--laden 2018 Honda Odyssey. It’s leagues faster than the late 924, sure, but in the eyes of most enthusiasts, it’s slow enough to be relegated to the squalid camp of stanced Miatas and tastelessly modified Civics, driven by those ignorant enough to think putting huge spoiler on the rump of a front-wheel-drive car is a stroke of genius.
But, as the Miata guys and girls so patronizingly preach, it’s not all about speed. It’s the little things. With good tires, The 50-50 weight distribution enables the 924S to corner hard enough to loosen your fillings, and the ride, not too harsh yet not too soft, would make goldilocks blush. Like any 80’s Porsche, the car is screwed together so tightly and seamlessly that it’s simply peerless among cars of that era. Closing the doors—even after thirty years—produces a satisfying clack rivaled only by bank vault doors and bolt action rifles. There’s also a surprising amount of cargo room, thanks to the hatchback, provided it still works after all these years, which is unlikely. Gas mileage isn’t bad.
But for those who don’t know–which is most people–the 924S looks like a six-figure vintage ride, and these people treat you as if you were someone who could afford such extravagance. Roll into a gas station at any time, day or night, and folks will swoon. I’ve been at the opposite pump of a guy in a brand new 911 Turbo, which, with a starting price around 160k, is about 155k more valuable than my humble little “Porsche,” and yet, my car garnered all the attention, all the questions and comments, all the thumbs ups, all the inquiries of it’s speed, to which I answered “Yeah, it’s pretty fast” while fixing the 911 guy in a smug stare.
If you’re bent on getting one of these proletariat Porsches, go for the 1988. That was the final year of the 924S, and also the best. Horsepower was bumped up a bit to 160, on par with that of the 944, which actually made the lighter and more aerodynamic 924S slightly faster than its big brother, topping out at a claimed 137 MPH. A nice one can be had for around 8 grand.
