Porsche 924/928/944/968

The Complete Story

Glen Smale

• Éditeur: Crowood
• Année: 2015
• ISBN:
  9781785000409
• Sujet: Tecnología e ingeniería
• Sous-sujet: Transporte e ingeniería automovilísticos

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. This complete story of the Porsche transaxle cars will be of interest to all motoring enthusiasts and useful as a reference guide. Superbly illustrated with up to 300 colour photographs.

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 m...