Porsche 924/928/944/968 E-Book

Glen Smale

• Herausgeber: Crowood
• Kategorie: Lebensstil
• Sprache: Englisch

Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2015

Beschreibung

The story of Porsche's front-engined, water-cooled transaxle cars, Porsche 924/928/944/968 contains interviews with several of Porsche's key engineers, designers and modellers who worked on the car in period. The book outlines the design processes and development work, detailing each model, and contains sections on the motor sport achievements of each model, as well as owners' views of their cars.

Leseprobe

PORSCHE

924/928/944/968

THE COMPLETE STORY

GLEN SMALE

THE CROWOOD PRESS

First published in 2015 by

The Crowood Press Ltd

Ramsbury, Marlborough

Wiltshire SN8 2HR

www.crowood.com

This e-book first published in 2015

© Glen Smale 2015

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopy, recording, or any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publishers.

British Library Cataloguing-in-Publication Data

A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library.

ISBN 978 1 78500 040 9

CONTENTS

Acknowledgements

PART I

PORSCHE 924 (1976–1985)

CHAPTER 1

ORIGINS OF THE PORSCHE 924

CHAPTER 2

THE 924 DESIGN STORY

CHAPTER 3

THE 924 MODEL BY MODEL

PART II

PORSCHE 928 (1978–1986/1987–1995)

CHAPTER 4

THE 928 – PINNACLE OF EXCLUSIVITY

CHAPTER 5

THE 928 – A TECHNOLOGICAL INNOVATION

CHAPTER 6

THE 928 MODEL BY MODEL

PART III

PORSCHE 944 (1982–1991)

CHAPTER 7

THE 944 – AN ABLE SUCCESSOR

CHAPTER 8

THE 944 DESIGN STORY

CHAPTER 9

THE 944 MODEL BY MODEL

PART IV

PORSCHE 968 (1992–1995)

CHAPTER 10

THE 968 – THE LAST FRONT-ENGINED PORSCHE

CHAPTER 11

THE 968 DESIGN AND DEVELOPMENT

CHAPTER 12

THE 968 MODEL BY MODEL

Index

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

In a moment of inspiration, the potential title for a book came to mind many years back and when I mentioned it to a publisher, they liked it so much that after just a little bit of panel beating, it became my first published book. That book was on the subject of Porsche cars, and it opened the doors to the achievements and engineering quality of one of the most respected sports car manufacturers in the world. So impressed was I that I deliberately sought out other Porsche topics to write on, this book now being my sixth on the marque to date.

Over the years it has been mostly 911s and motor racing that captured my imagination as regards the Stuttgart manufacturer, but when it was suggested that I might consider doing something on the transaxle Porsches, I thought it would be a good opportunity to visit the other models in the family.

This work has allowed me to meet regularly with many good folk, and in this respect I must single out the extremely knowledgeable and helpful folk at the Porsche Archive. Dieter Landenberger, Archive Manager, and Dieter Gross have been a great help there and in particular Jens Torner, who I imagine wants to hide every time I call, but it is through this valuable relationship that I have been able to interview the engineers, designers and drivers who worked with these cars. In this regard I would like to thank Harm Lagaaij, Hans-Georg Kasten, Peter Reisinger, Wolfhelm Gorissen, Herbert Linge and Jürgen Barth for their patience in being interviewed at length.

Also, Michael Cotton, former head of Public Relations for Porsche Cars Great Britain, was very helpful and willing to share his memories and experiences from his time with the company. I would also like to express my thanks to racing driver and author Tony Dron, who sat in a press car and was interviewed by me at a car launch and later over the telephone on a number of occasions. Likewise, racing legend John Fitzpatrick, whom I have interviewed on numerous occasions over the years, was very willing to assist with his memories of the 924 Turbo and 928 that he owned and drove.

And last, but by no means least, I would like to express my heartfelt thanks to my wife, Elke, for translating several German interview transcripts under pressure, and for helping throughout the project in many ways. Elke was also indispensable in getting many of the images colour balanced and prepared for the book… Vielen Dank für deine Unterstützung und Geduld!

Glen Smale Carmarthenshire, Wales.

PART I

PORSCHE 924 (1976–1985)

CHAPTER ONE

ORIGINS OF THE PORSCHE 924

When Porsche opened its doors for business back in 1948, it was on the single 356 model that the company would pin its hopes for growth and a future in the automotive industry. Fortunately for the fledgling company, it introduced a product that, within a remarkably short period of time, would prove so popular that it enabled the Stuttgart company to grow and to establish itself. When fifteen years later the company sought to replace the now ageing 356 with a new sports car, that model’s loyal following were horrified, claiming collectively that nothing could take the place of their beloved little 356. However, the 911 was indeed introduced at the Frankfurt Motor Show in September 1963, and while it was obviously a follow-on from the model it was intended to replace, the 911 was entirely new and altogether more modern. The critics of the new model would in time grow silent as the 911 evolved into a mature and worthy replacement.

Thirteen years after the introduction of the 911, Porsche would once again rock the world when it introduced its radically new, front-engined 924 model, a development that was almost a step too far for some Porsche purists and enthusiasts around the world. By now Porsche followers should have realized, though, that the company was not one to make hasty decisions and new models were never introduced without due consideration and thorough market research. They should also have realized that Porsche was not in the habit of introducing models that did not uphold the company’s strong sporting ethics, and that somewhere in there was a plan to eventually enter each model in competition. The story of the 924 however starts a little earlier, in 1970 in fact, when exploratory plans were pursued jointly by Volkswagen and Porsche with the view to introducing a new model to replace the VW-Porsche 914.

THE 1973 OIL CRISIS

During the first half of the 1970s the world experienced an economic earthquake with potentially globally crippling consequences when the oil price effectively doubled overnight. The 1960s and 1970s witnessed a time of transition in the international economic and political landscape characterized by widespread decolonization and the birth of many new independent states in the developing world. OPEC (Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries) shocked the world in the early 1970s when oil prices came increasingly under the control of its member states, rather than their colonial parents, resulting in significant price volatility. This worrying development set the stage for a steep oil price rise when in 1973 the (inflation-adjusted) price per barrel rose from US$24.82 to US$44.29, this being triggered by the Arab oil embargo of 1973.

As a result of this oil price surge, not only did fuel prices skyrocket but a fuel shortage in America towards the end of 1973 persuaded buyers to seek smaller-engined cars, effectively ending the era of the big V8 in that country. Sales of American cars plunged 20 per cent, a development that coincided with a growing preference for smaller, better engineered, more ‘exotic’ machinery from abroad. This resulted in many Americans looking to Europe and Japan for their next vehicle, which played into the hands of those foreign manufacturers, the only problem being that they were themselves feeling the effects of the oil crisis.

VW-PORSCHE 914

Porsche 914, a joint venture between Volkswagen and Porsche.VOLKSWAGEN AG

Taking a step back in time, sketches for the 914/916 model were drawn up as early as 1965 and were approved by the Volkswagen executive board in 1966. Internally the project was referred to as EA 142, where EA stood for Entwicklungsauftrag (‘development contract’). This was Volkswagen’s first foray into the sports-car market. Through a collaborative initiative between the two companies, the Porsche 914 and 916 models offered buyers a slice of Porsche engineering combined with the reliability of VW components, which resulted in an affordable and practical sports car. Porsche had long believed in the principle of creating products using, where possible, components and even engines from an established production model so as to reduce the final cost of their product. Besides the favourable cost implications, there was of course the benefit of using proven technology, which significantly improved reliability. This philosophy worked well with the original 356, and it worked well again with the 914 and 916 models, which were released for sale around September 1969 (thereby making it a 1970 model as Porsche’s production year ran from August to July).

Interestingly, Heinz Nordhoff, who had taken on the running of the ruins that were left of the VW plant after the Second World War, was still very much in charge when the 914 was about ready to go into production. Nordhoff would have overseen these initial negotiations with Porsche but he died in 1968 just before the car went into production, his position being filled by Kurt Lotz, who in turn was succeeded by Rudolf Leiding in 1971.

Often dubbed the VW-Porsche, the 914 was offered with both 4-cylinder (VW 411 E) and 6-cylinder (Porsche 911 T) engines.VOLKSWAGEN AG

Between 1970 and 1975, some 119,000 units of the 914 were sold and although this is a significant number of sales, it translates to only roughly 20,000 units per year, and in truth the market struggled to accept this car as a true Porsche. By VW standards this was not a large number and it desperately needed to boost annual sales as the company had a very narrow product range supporting a huge infrastructure, and so Leiding was faced with some difficult decisions. One consideration was a move away from air-cooling as a base for its engine architecture towards water-cooling, which held several advantages, engine noise reduction being one and technological advances being another.

DEVELOPMENT PROJECT EA 425

EA 425, the first 1:1 (full scale) clay styling model on display outside Werk 1 circa 1972. The styling and feasibility development went on until the end of 1973.PORSCHE-WERKFOTO

Rudolf Leiding was a sports-car enthusiast and, prompted by Porsche, the idea of a new, small VW sports model began to gather pace through 1971. The project was conceived at a time when cooperation between Volkswagen and Porsche was still strong. The new model would wear a VW badge and was intended to replace the VW-Porsche 914. It was to be designed and developed for Volkswagen by Porsche, with the understanding that it would utilize as many parts from the VW/Audi parts bin as possible. The brief was for a smaller, more streamlined vehicle that should be more conventional than the mid-engined 914.

The Porsche design office, under the overall leadership of Anatole (Tony) Lapine, developed initial ideas through 1971. Their proposals were accepted by VW and in March 1972 EA 425 was issued, formally commissioning Porsche to design and develop a successor to the VW-Porsche 914. Work on project EA 425 continued through 1973 and 1974 but during this time Volkswagen decreed that its future engineering philosophy would indeed lie with front-engined, front-wheel-drive, water-cooled engines. However, when Rudolph Leiding took over in 1971 he had noticed that there were around 4,000 people working in Wolfsburg on research and development alone, and not all were being fully employed in the right way. As a result, he decided that, apart from EA 425, VW should conduct their own research and development and so it was Rudolf Leiding who ended the close cooperation that had existed between the two companies. This development ushered in the era of the Golf and Passat models (and later Scirocco), while at the same time throwing the EA 425 project into some doubt.

As 1974 rolled into 1975, there was a change at the top of Volkswagen that saw Rudolf Leiding being replaced by Toni Schmücker on 10 January 1975. Schmücker inherited control of the company at a time when it was in a precarious position financially. Just as EA 425 was nearing the production preparation phase, he decided that it should be discontinued. With the benefit of hindsight, it was actually two factors that combined to bring the project to a premature end: the change in engineering philosophy described above and the disbanding of VW-Porsche Vertriebsgesellschaft (VG). This was a sales department, based in Ludwigsburg just north of Stuttgart, that was created solely to take care of those cars marketed by both Porsche and VW, such as the 914. This state of affairs left no place in the model line-up for a sports car developed by Porsche, so its cancellation was perhaps inevitable.

From Volkswagen’s archives, this photograph of the project EA 425 concept car was dated 31 January 1973.VOLKSWAGEN AG

FROM EA 425 TO PORSCHE 924

First Porsche 924 Coupé driving prototype with rudimentary styling, circa 1972.PORSCHE-WERKFOTO

Porsche was convinced that the project was still viable and decided to proceed with the front-engined sports car themselves under the name Porsche 924. Porsche realized, too, that having just a single model themselves, the 911, and a highly priced one at that, placed the company at risk should it lose a significant number of sales in uncertain times, such as during the oil crisis. With so much work already having been done on EA 425, Porsche purchased the project back from VW and it is this model that became type 924 in Porsche’s books. Unfortunately for the finance department, the project went from being an income earner to a project cost overnight.

Harm Lagaaij, the 924’s Dutch designer, recalls:

Porsche took over this development project themselves, and VW/Audi agreed to provide the parts. The car would be made at Neckarsulm where all the Audi parts were being made anyway, so it was actually a positive decision because employment at the Neckarsulm plant would be secured. Typically, Porsche got the parts at a very good price!

Professor Helmuth Bott, former director of the research and development department, recalled, ‘In 1974, we lost our valued long time development contract with VW. That was exclusive for us, so we could not develop cars for anybody else. We lost the EA 425 contract, and in 1974–75 we had to start to find new customers.’

Porsche engineers Jochen Freund and Friedrich Weger were involved with the project from the beginning. Freund remembers that EA 425 was a replacement for the 914: ‘Yes, it was a successor to the 914, Volkswagen gave us the order to build the car, they paid for it and it had VW badges, but Porsche carried out the design. It was called the 914N (N – Nachfolger, or successor).’

The decision to make it as a Porsche was taken in 1975, as Freund recalled:

The factory in Neckarsulm did not have any work and the staff were to be laid off, so we agreed to build it there. I think that everybody who worked on the car was happy that it became a Porsche, we really had no doubts about it. We know that there was a lot of criticism of the car when it first came out, but when people drove the 924 they thought differently. The fact that it had Volkswagen parts was a handicap for the 924 all of its life, but we engineers were happy with the development.

In February 1976, the New York Times reported that Porsche had not only survived a 25 per cent drop in its output during what it referred to as a ‘disastrous period for the European car industry’ but also expanded to include a whole new model line. At a time when Maserati and Aston Martin were teetering on the verge of bankruptcy, Porsche managed to identify a gap in the market and to maximize a production opportunity with a close ally. The company’s rationale, it was argued, was that in a recessionary period it was extremely risky to rely on just a single, highly priced performance sports car for its survival, and that a broader product base was needed.

Harm Lagaaij had this to say:

The strategy or vision of the Porsche top management was certainly not hampered by the oil crisis. From both a factory and a top management point of view, they didn’t display any hesitation, but rather courage, which showed when they did the 924 and the 928, and on top of that in the middle of the oil crisis, they did the 911 Turbo!

Although other sporting makes, such as the MGB, were produced in higher numbers (in excess of 500,000 units between 1962 and 1980), the Porsche 924 was sold in quite significant numbers for a luxury sports model. Between 1976 and 1988, a little more than 150,000 units of the 924 model were produced, showing that this was indeed a well-thoughtout, attractive sports car that offered excellent performance and roadholding. This compares with the 911’s production of 163,145 units between 1976 and 1988. To put these numbers into perspective, at the time of the 924’s introduction in 1976, the newcomer represented Porsche’s second model line and during its lifetime almost equalled the total production of the company’s mainstay model, the 911.

When Porsche introduced the 924, it positioned the new model such that it would sit beneath its well-established 911 range, thereby offering potential Porsche customers an entry-level model. Some would say it was a brave move, others might say it was perhaps foolhardy, especially with the oil crisis so fresh in the minds of car buyers, but either way the 924 was for Porsche a revolutionary model in every respect. While it certainly wouldn’t be accurate to say that Porsche invented the modern sports car with the introduction of the 924, it would be fair to say that the model refined the lower segment of this market with a sophisticated product.

CHAPTER TWO

THE 924 DESIGN STORY

924 DESIGN

The 924 design team gathered around the 1:4 fibreglass model in the design studio. From left to right: Richard Soderberg(senior designer), Reinhold Schreiber (design-engineer), Ernst Bolt (modeller), Harm Lagaaij (designer, with folded arms), Eberhard Brose (modeller), Sigi Notacker (engineer), Hans Braun (interior designer).PORSCHE-WERKFOTO

When the time came to make a start on the project, one of the challenges facing the design team at Porsche was that Volkswagen had nothing in its model line-up to aid the designers, as there was no family resemblance to draw upon. The Volkswagen range in the early 1970s consisted of the Beetle, the boxy K-70, the Transporter range and the VW-Porsche 914. All of these models were different from each other in almost every conceivable way, and as Volkswagen wanted to move away from the mid-engined layout of the 914, there was no benchmark for the designers to draw inspiration from when looking for a starting point for the new sports car.

Harm Lagaaij, the 924 designer, outlined his approach:

One of the most interesting things about submitting the design proposal for the VW sports car in 1971–72 was where to start, because there was nothing to relate it to. The only cars they had were the Beetle and the successor to the 1600, that large, unattractive, four-seater, four-door car.

The 924 concept taking shape in the design department in Weissach, 1972.PORSCHE-WERKFOTO

In one way this is an ideal place for a designer to start from, but without a tangible corporate model identity it made the project especially difficult.

Early Design Proposals

One of the three very early design proposals (scale 1:5) prepared for the first VW design presentation. This proposal was done by Dawson Sellar.PORSCHE-WERKFOTO

The design process starts with the vehicle package, which is a technical layout of the vehicle where all the technical hardware including engine and radiator position in all dimensions is shown. This is shown from all four perspectives: side view, top view, front view and rear view. The design process focuses not only on the outer shape of the vehicle, but takes into account both form and function, using this package as the starting point. In the case of the 924, this included: the exact position, length and width of the transaxle; the exact position of the gearbox; the exact position of the front suspension and rear suspension; and, most importantly, the position of the occupant. The position of the occupant is defined by the so-called H-point; which is the theoretical but specific pivot point of the occupant’s hip as this will have a bearing on internal dimensions, the height of the vehicle, the position of the cabin and many more design-related factors. In the case of the 924, this needed to allow for two front occupants and the two rear occupants in a 2+2 layout, as well as the approximate size of the luggage space.

Lagaaij again:

For a designer it was a very free scenario. I was inspired by Italian cars in those days, and therefore my car was a little bit Ferrari-influenced. I was not experienced enough to further develop it professionally, and therefore one of the more experienced designers who also submitted a design proposal himself, Richard Soderberg, supported me a lot and we then developed the car into the final 924 design.

Despite having a fairly free rein in the design, there were limitations, as Lagaaij explains:

In the case of the 924, it was obviously influenced by the Audi and VW parts used. The suspension was also based on Audi parts and engine of course as well as the gearbox. Because Porsche was offering VW a design proposal that would be the successor of the 914, the vehicle package department of Porsche came up with the specifications.

A 1:5 scale fibreglass model of the 924, spring 1972.PORSCHE-WERKFOTO

It was customary for the Porsche design department to submit at least three design proposals for a new model for consideration by top management and, according to Lagaaij, three was VW’s minimum requirement. Proposals by Dawson Sellar, a Scotsman working in the Porsche design office, Richard Soderberg and the young Harm Lagaaij were submitted in 1971/72 to Wolfsburg management, which included the chairman of VW, Rudolph Leiding. As Lagaaij explains:

The three design proposals were made in scale 1:5, quite small actually, but it was normal in those days to make small models. All three of the design proposals our studio did for VW were first of all not only completely different in style, but they were also individually extremely different. He [Leiding] chose my design, and although I was very young in those days and not that experienced, he apparently liked my design the best. The rivalry between designers is only in the very beginning when the design themes are submitted, but after that everybody joins in and they support you. The next step was then to go to a 1:4 scale, which is quite a big step for a designer, present that again to top management, and then after that to go to a full size prototype.

The 1:4 scale fibreglass model was one step forward from the 1:5 scale model. This model dates from mid-1972.PORSCHE-WERKFOTO

Refining the Design

When asked if, as a designer, he had an idea of the final product in his mind before he started the design process, Lagaaij replied:

The design theme, as we call it, was clear, but the problem was when you go from scale 1:5 to 1:1, all the little mistakes whether they are styling-, proportion- or graphic-related, they become five times as evident on the full-scale model. Therefore there is a big modifying process necessary to make a full-size model look correct.

The 924’s final design, in the mind of the designer, retained many of its early intended elements and these included the side window graphics, as well as the shape of the large rear window. Also important were the two dominant lines running along the car’s flank. As Lagaaij pointed out:

On the side, you have those two crisp lines, one along the upper part of the door and one along the middle of the door. Then you have the B-pillar actually being lower in position than the A-pillar, which is a bit unusual. Those things, and the little quarter-lights behind the B-pillar, that was visible on my early design but everything else had to be tweaked, modified, stretched and made feasible for full-size purposes.

In order to retain a low nose profile, Lagaaij had to come up with a creative way of dealing with the headlights. Regulations required that the height from the centre of the headlamp to the ground had to be a certain minimum distance; the flip-up headlamps were developed to satisfy that requirement. In this respect the Lagaaij car differed from both of the other proposals, which featured conventional fixed headlamps.

With the Lagaaij proposal selected, two smaller-scale clay models were produced between the end of 1971 and the beginning of 1972. By the end of the year the full-size model had been completed and the first rough prototypes, or ‘working mules’, had been constructed in metal. According to Lagaaij, the prototypes were very ugly and rough, and hardly needed any camouflage.

Being developed at the same time as the 924 was the more powerful 928, as Lagaaij explains:

The 928 was developed in parallel and so there were two sports cars being made, one for VW and one for ourselves. They had the same conceptual layout but obviously the engine, gearbox and the whole platform was different. But in Porsche’s view, and in accordance with their strategy, they would be good for the company because both cars had the same concept.

Although the only commonality between the two cars was the same basic layout – a front-engined transaxle format – there would be synergies in so far as conceptual experience and testing were concerned.

This Opel Manta is actually a Porsche 924 prototype in disguise, undergoing tests by towing a VW Beetle and accompanied by a 911 in the background, circa 1974.PORSCHE-WERKFOTO

When it came to testing, Porsche employed some deceptive methods in order to throw off any prying eyes. The 924 base test vehicle was an Opel Manta, while an Audi 100 Coupé was corralled and fitted with a V8 engine in order to carry out certain tests as a 928 test bed. According to Jochen Freund, ‘At first we had a BMW which we bought in April 1972, and then an Opel Manta. The BMW was called the 914N which we had on the rolling road in October 1972, to check noise, airflow and engine cooling.’

This BMW 2002 served as a technology test mule for the Porsche 924.PORSCHE-WERKFOTO

Harm Lagaaij confirms, ‘The first Porsche 924 was a BMW 2002, and also interesting to note is that there were already parts from the VW Golf used in the 924. The Golf, of course, was already decided so you already had Golf front suspension and the steering rack.’

An early 924 being put through a wind-tunnel test at Weissach in 1975.PORSCHE-WERKFOTO

This 1972 prototype 924 Coupé now resides in the Porsche Museum collection.PORSCHE-WERKFOTO

Slotted into the BMW engine bay was a 2-litre Audi engine that would later power the Porsche 924.PORSCHE-WERKFOTO

Cutaway of an early pre-production Porsche 924, circa 1976.PORSCHE-WERKFOTO

And then, as quickly as it had all begun, Volkswagen pulled the plug on the project in early 1975. Toni Schmücker was not interested in having an expensive sports car like the EA 425 in their model line-up, and therefore it was decided to cancel the project. The change of heart came about as a result of some future thinking by the VW senior management, in which it was decreed that they would go with a front-engined, front-wheel-drive concept across the board.

Lagaaij recalled:

They changed their future strategy completely. They were already thinking about a sports version, which was the Scirocco, and then of course the next step was the Passat and they said thank you very much for your 924, but we will not use it anymore. So it became a Porsche project, which was good for Porsche because a large part of the development cost had already been paid for by VW.

The 924 design timeline was such that the ‘styling freeze’ – the moment when all styling modification stops – was signed off at the beginning of 1974. (Engineers then develop the design into a series vehicle, taking it through to the ‘SOP’ – ‘start of production’ – stage.)

Such was the quality and richness of the 924 design that, as it passed from being a VW project to being a Porsche project, no changes whatsoever were made to the concept. This meant that the introduction of the 924 and 928 models, which were being developed simultaneously, would result in Porsche having two front-engined sports cars on its books at more or less the same time.

The Porsche 924 was characterized by a smooth front section with integrated front bumper with a slim, discrete air intake for the radiator beneath the bumper. A first for Porsche was the 924’s electrically actuated pop-up headlights, which gave the car a particularly streamlined nose. The 2+2 layout of the 924 offered flexibility. With the backs of the rear seats folded down, it provided a sizeable luggage compartment accessed through the hatch at the back.

Research revealed that a 911 customer would not necessarily warm to a front-engined 924, because it was a completely different type of car. The 914 model had earned Porsche a lot of new customers, and as a strict two-seater, it had a different appeal but, importantly for Porsche, it had broadened the company’s customer base. While the 924 was a 2+2 model, it again attracted a different type of owner in that it offered more flexible options than had the 914.

An early press shot of the 1976 Porsche 924 being admired by a young couple, the perfect target market at which Porsche was aiming.PORSCHE-WERKFOTO

These three renderings were done after the final 924 design was approved and already in production. The top rendering is a proposal for a two-tone paint scheme while the bottom two sketches were done as proposals for special decals (at that time 3M stickers) for limited-edition versions.PORSCHE-WERKFOTO

Importantly though for the Stuttgart manufacturer, through the introduction of the 924 the company had successfully expanded its client base by attracting customers with a whole new set of driving requirements and expectations.

Professor Helmuth Bott said:

If VW had not cancelled the EA 425 project, I think we would have made a similar sports car. We had given a lot of thought to the concept, and if it hadn’t been a VW there would have been a 4-cylinder Porsche anyway. It’s the most difficult class, though, because the price of the Porsche depends more on the numbers produced than on the size of the engine, or the car. We learned from the customer that he wants a Porsche solution, not an engine from a different manufacturer.

By the mid-1970s people’s expectations had moved on: they were now higher and perhaps more sophisticated, demanding value and performance for their money. It was normal to expect to gain conquest customers when a new model is introduced, especially if it doesn’t clash with anything else in the range. But Porsche found out that the market also expected motor manufacturers to constantly improve and upgrade their models, and to develop more powerful engines. Developing the 924’s engine though was not an option for Porsche because it had contracted to purchase the unit from another supplier, Audi, so it could not be altered in any way. What Porsche eventually did was to turbocharge it, which led ultimately to the development of its own engine for the 944 (seeChapter 8).

The other problem Porsche faced was that their rivals, these being larger manufacturers, were able to keep introducing new models every four to five years, which was something Porsche could not afford to do. According to Bott, ‘We had to ensure a long model life, fifteen years at least, and to offer customers new developments to keep the model interesting.’

The 924 was Porsche’s first front-engined, water-cooled sports model.PORSCHE-WERKFOTO

Luggage, personal effects or shopping bags could be concealed underneath the convenient plastic pull-out cover in the boot of the 924.PORSCHE-WERKFOTO

One such development was the installation of airbags. Safety regulations in place at the time of the introduction of the 924 were based on the premise that if 75 per cent of the population wore seat belts in cars, then airbags would not become compulsory. However, it soon became apparent that airbags would become mandatory in the USA. Porsche decided to do the research and development and introduce these into all of their models as soon as possible in order to get a head start on the rest of the industry. Bott explains further:

That involved a lot of work for us, as we had to make changes to the body. You have to inflate the airbag in front of the driver and passenger, and so you must change the interior completely. That was the original reason why we needed a new interior for the 944 and for the 911. We had to crash a lot of cars, ninety in one year, to test the airbag system.

Lagaaij Looks Back