The Porsche 924

The Porsche 924 was an automobile produced by Porsche AG of Germany from 1976 to 1988. A two-door, 2+2 coupé, the 924 replaced the 914 as the company's entry-level model, and was the model that finally retired the 912. It was the first Porsche model powered by a water-cooled, front-mounted engine to make production, although the similarly-configured 928 was designed before the 924. The front-engine, rear wheel drive arrangement was normal for most other manufacturers, but it was unusual for Porsche, who had previously only used mid or rear-mounted engines of a boxer configuration, all of which had been air-cooled.

The first official appearance of the 924 took place in November 1975 (as a press launch rather than a motorshow appearance) at the harbour at La Grande Motte, Camargue in the south of France. The model was a success and not only helped to take Porsche out of financial ruin, but created the revenue stream needed to continue building and developing the 911. The 924 was replaced by the 944 in 1982 in the US market, but continued to be produced until 1985 in the Rest of World market.

For the 1986 to 1988 model years the car aqquired the powerplant from the 944 model and became the Porsche 924S.

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The Porsche 914, part 2

There are different ways to tell which year a particular 914 model was made. The most distinguishable trait are the bumpers. Between 1970 and 1972, both front and rear bumpers were flat across and available in either chrome or painted metal. In 1973, bumper stops were added to the front of the car. And in 1974, bumper stops were added to the front and rear of the car. In 1975 and 1976, the big black bumper years, the bumpers were rubber covered and heavy. Some people like the smooth look of the later bumpers, but most prefer the lighter weight chrome ones. Many people have backdated their bumpers, so this is not always a tell all, but certainly a good starting point for identity.

Another way to distinguish 914's is by the plastic piece that goes around the headlight. White ones are from the first 914s to mid-production of 73. After that, it was a black plastic. Another feature to distinguish the 914 by year is if it has a movable passenger seat, it is 73 and later, while the 72 and earlier had a fixed passenger seat.

Estimates of the number of surviving 914s vary wildly. Because of the cost and availability of repair parts compared to the inexpensive cost of a new chassis, many cars with serious but repairable damage were salvaged over the years. In fact many cars were cut up over the years with the purpose of saving other cars. The increasing scarcity of clean cars is driving up the value of the model.

While the 914 has been out of production for over 30 years, many repair parts are still available. In large part this is due to small companies which specialize in 914 parts, as well as many active car clubs. While a few parts are considered scarce and expensive, (such as US-spec rear turn signal lenses and D-Jetronic Manifold Pressure Sensors), most are available from a variety of mail-order sources while still others are tooled and manufactured. Due to its nimble handling and the low cost of a basic 914, the "poor man's" Porsche of the 1970s has become the poor man's weekend racing car on amateur racing circuits.

Many enthusiasts see the 914 as a blank canvas upon which to create their own automotive dreams. Owners have modified the original four cylinder motors to upwards of 170 horsepower. Many owners instead choose to swap different engines into the 914's sizeable engine bay. These swaps range from Volkswagen turbodiesels, to 911 engines (following in the foosteps of the much sought after 914/6) or Corvair air-cooled sixes, to a small-block Chevy V8. Recently, swaps of Subaru engines have gained popularity among the non-Porsche purists. The 914 is also the base for an electric vehicle conversion kit.

Body modifications are another popular way to personalize a 914. Some of these are simple, such as bolting on fiberglass bumpers that aid the 914 into morphing into a look of the 916 prototype. Some are more extensive, such as installing steel or fiberglass fender flares a la the super-rare 914/6 GT. Some involve completely changing the appearance of the car, often to resemble some other mid-engine car, such as the Porsche 904 or the Ferrari Testarossa. A fiberglass kit was offered in the 1980s dubbed the "9014." The "9014" never found its following, the parts were impossible to find and as a result the car-kit died off, though sometimes an entire car can be spotted on Ebay.

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The Porsche 914

The Porsche 914 was a sports car built and sold collaboratively by Volkswagen and Porsche from 1969 through 1976.

By the late 1960s, both Volkswagen and Porsche were in need of new models; Porsche was looking for a replacement for their entry-level 912, and Volkswagen wanted a new range-topping sports coupe to replace the Karmann Ghia. At the time, the vast majority of Volkswagen's developmental work was handled by Porsche, part of a setup that dated back to Porsche's founding; Volkswagen needed to contract out one last project to Porsche to fulfill the contract, and decided to make this that project. Ferdinand Piëch, who was in charge of research and development at Porsche, was put in charge of the 914 project.

Originally intending to sell the vehicle with a flat four-cylinder engine as a Volkswagen and with a flat six-cylinder engine as a Porsche, Porsche decided during development that having Volkswagen and Porsche models sharing the same body would be risky for business in the American market, and convinced Volkswagen to allow them to sell both versions as Porsches in North America.

It appeared to be a perfect win-win situation. On March 1st, 1968 the first 914 prototype was presented. However, development became complicated after the death of Volkswagen's chairman, Heinz Nordhoff, on April 12th, 1968. His successor, Kurt Lotz, was not connected with the Porsche dynasty and the verbal agreement between Volkswagen and Porsche fell apart.

In Lotz's opinion, Volkswagen had all rights to the model, and no incentive to share it with Porsche if they would not share in tooling expenses. With this decision, the price and marketing concept for the 914 had failed before series production had even begun. As a result, the price of the chassis went up considerably, and the 914/6 ended up costing only a bit less than the 911T, Porsche's next lowest price car. This had a serious effect on sales, and the 914/6 sold quite poorly. In contrast, the much less expensive 914-4 became Porsche's top seller during its model run, outselling the 911 by a wide margin, with over 118,000 units sold worldwide.

Volkswagen versions originally came with an 80 hp fuel-injected 1.7 L flat-4 engine based on the Volkswagen air cooled engine. Porsche's 914/6 variant came with a carbureted 110 hp 2.0 L flat-6 engine, taken from the 1969 911T. Karmann manufactured the rolling chassis at their own plant, then either sent them to Porsche for fitment of the Porsche suspension and flat-six engine or kept them in house for Volkswagen hardware. 914/6 models used a similar suspension and brakes to the 911, giving the car handling and braking superiority over the 4-cylinder Volkswagen models in addition to higher power output. A Volkswagen-Porsche joint venture, Volkswagen of America, handled export to the U.S., where both versions were badged and sold as Porsches. In Europe, the four-cylinder cars were sold as Volkswagen-Porsches, at Volkswagen dealerships. This "tainted" the car in the opinion of many automotive critics of that era, and a little of that attitude persists to this day.

Slow sales and rising costs prompted Porsche to discontinue the 914/6 variant in 1972 after producing 3,351 of them; its place in the lineup was filled by a variant powered by a new 95 HP 2.0 L, fuel-injected version of Volkswagen's Type 4 engine in 1973. For 1974, the 1.7 L engine was replaced by a 76HP 1.8 L, and the new Bosch L-Jetronic fuel injection system was added to American units to help with emissions control. 914 production ended in 1976. The 2.0 L flat-4 engine continued to be used in the 912E, which provided an entry-level model until the 924 was introduced.

The 914 was Motor Trend's Import Car of the Year for 1970 and a 914/6 piloted by Frenchmen Claude Ballot-Lena and Guy Chasseuil won the GTS class and finished sixth overall at the 1970 24 Hours of Le Mans.

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The Porsche 912

The Porsche 912 was a sports car manufactured by Porsche of Germany between 1965 and 1969 as their entry-level model. The 912 was a nimble-handling compact performance four-seat vehicle also capable of up to 30 mpg fuel economy. This combination was possible based on a combination of high-efficiency petrol engine, low-weight, and low drag. A variant of the Type 911, one of the most famous and successful sports cars of all time, upon initial offering the Type 912 initially outsold the 911, boosting the manufacturer's total production until success of the 911 was assured.

After the discontinuation of the 356 model in 1965, Porsche was left with the pricey new 911 as their only offering. Fearing that its considerable price increase over the 356 would cost the company sales and narrow the appeal of the brand, a decision was made by executives to introduce a new entry-level model. Built on the 911's chassis and sharing its bodyshell, Porsche was able to offer the 912 for much less than a base-model 911 by using the four-cylinder engine from the 356 rather than the 911's "flat" six-cylinder powerplant and by reducing the number of standard features. The proven reliability of the 356's powerplant combined with the 911 bodywork and low price made the 912 a very attractive buy to both new and old customers, and it substantially outsold the 911 during the first few years of production: Porsche produced slightly more than 30,000 units during its five-year production run.

After updating the 911 line-up to include both a more powerful 911S and a less expensive 911T, Porsche executives began to feel that the 912 had become redundant, that the 911 platform was sufficiently diverse and that pricing had largely come into line with market expectations. Owing to this and the desire to introduce a new model, the 912 was discontinued and superseded as Porsche's entry-level model by the 914 in 1970; a vehicle which Porsche had thought would be less expensive for them to manufacture and sell than the 912.

After a six year absence, the model was re-introduced to North America in 1976 as the 912E to occupy the entry-level position left vacant by the discontinuation of the 914, while the new 924 – the 914's official replacement – was being finalized and put into production. The new 912 featured the "G-Series" 911 bodywork and was powered by a 2.0 L version of the Volkswagen air cooled engine, previously used in late-model versions of the 914/4. 2,099 were manufactured in total, and were not officially sold outside the United States.

Sold to the public for street use, the Porsche 912 was also raced, including rally events. Factory Rally Kits were available that included anti-roll bars, racing brake pads, and a dead pedal rest. In 1967 the 912 played a part in Porsche rally history when independent driver Sobieslaw Zasada of Poland drove a 912 to win the European Rally Championship for series touring cars.

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The Porsche Type 997

The Porsche Type 997, or simply 997 (nine-nine-seven or nine-ninety-seven) is the project code name for the current version of the sports car Porsche 911, built by the German manufacturer Porsche since 2004. Production began in July 2004 and two variants, the Carrera and Carrera S coupés, were available immediately. The all-wheel drive Carrera 4 and Carrera 4S versions began shipping in November 2005, while the Turbo and GT3 derivatives went on sale in late 2006. The Targa top models are also available.

According to testing carried out by several American automotive publications, the Turbo model can go from 0 to 62mph in about 3.4 seconds. The Carrera S model is capable of going 0 to 60mph in as little as 3.9 seconds, and carries a top speed of 300 km/h (186 mph), while the base Carrera model is slightly slower, able to run 0 to 60mph in 4.4 seconds, with a top speed of 285 km/h (175 mph). Note, however, that these figures contradict the conservative official Porsche figures.

The Carrera 4 and Carrera 4S will use the same engines as the Carrera and Carrera S, respectively. Visually, the rear bodywork is nearly 2 in (50.8 mm) wider over larger tires. The all wheel drive system sends between 5% and 40% of engine torque to the front wheels as needed.

The 997 Turbo debuted in February 2006 at the Geneva Motor Show. It uses a new front bumper with LED parking lights in a horizontal bar through the air intake. The fog lights are moved to the corners of the bumpers. Large air intakes in front of and behind the rear wheels are other obvious visual cues. The retractable rear wing is also one of the highlights, a feature which has been available on the 996 Turbo too.

The engine is reported to be based on the rugged and very reliable 964/GT1 design at 3.6 L with power output at 353 kW (480 PS) and 620 N·m (457 ft·lbf). The turbochargers will include BorgWarner's new Variable Turbine Geometry (VTG), which uses guide vanes located in front of the turbine wheel that modulates inflow angle and speed. While the 911 Turbo is the first non-diesel production car to feature a variable geometry turbine, a similar approach was used by Garrett Systems starting in 1989 with the Shelby CSX, that used variable nozzles instead. The optional Sport Chrono Package includes a temporary 2.9 psi overboost, upping peak torque to 680 N·m (502 ft·lbf) for ten second bursts.

According to official Porsche figures, it produces 480 hp, accelerates 0-100 km/h (62 mph) in 3.7 seconds with the manual transmission, and a has 0-100 km/h (62 mph) time of just 3.4 seconds with the manumatic Tiptronic S transmission, which is more than enough to edge out its current rival from Ferrari, the new F430. It has also recorded a 0-60mph time of 3.2 seconds at the hands of US motoring publication Motor Trend - eclipsing all of its major competitors and even Porsche's own Carrera GT supercar. The 997 Turbo has a top speed of 311 km/h (193 mph).

Possibly one of the most astonishing feats of the Porsche 997 is its 40 - 60 mph time. In second gear, it takes just 1 second.

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The Porsche Type 996

The Porsche Type 996 is a sports car, and the version of Porsche's "911" Carrera model sold from 1998 (as a 1999 model) through to 2004. It has since been replaced by the Type 997. At its debut, it featured the most significant changes to the Carrera model since its introduction in 1963. Chief among these is the fully water-cooled engine, replacing the previously air-cooled engines used exclusively by the Carrera models. More stringent noise regulations and higher customer expectations for both refinement and performance made the switch necessary. Other significant changes include a sleeker body with a more steeply raked windshield and a re-designed interior. With these differences in mind, many "purists" consider the 996 to be an altogether different car, at least in spirit, than the Carreras that preceded it, as opposed to being a development of the original.

The first 996s were available as a coupes or cabriolets with either rear wheel or all wheel drive and a 3.4 litre normally aspirated engine producing 300 bhp (224 kW). These cars shared the same front end as the 1996 Porsche Boxster. The design for the "fried egg" headlamp could be traced all the way back to the Porsche Panamericana concept car. In 2000, Porsche debuted the 996 Turbo, equipped with four-wheel-drive and a 3.6 litre, twin turbocharged and intercooled flat six producing 415 bhp (309 kW), making the car capable of 3.9 second 0 to 60 mph times. An "X50" upgrade package was available from the factory in 2002, increasing power to 450 hp (336 kW) through minor revisions to the turbochargers and engine control software. Porsche introduced a Turbo "S" in 2004, featuring the X50 engine upgrades and the formerly optional ceramic brakes as standard equipment. In 2002, the standard models underwent minor re-styling, which included switching to the Turbo-style headlamps and to a new front fascia. These were sometimes known as the Mk.II generation of the 996. In addition, engine capacity was also increased to 3.6 litres across the range, yielding gains of 20 horsepower (15 kW) for the non-Turbo models. 2002 also marked the start of production of the 996 based Targa, featuring a sliding glass "green house" roof system like its Type 993 predeccesor.

Like the 993 before it, the 996 platform was used as the basis for two lightweight GT variants called GT2 and GT3. The GT3 was based on the standard RWD 996 Carrera, but was stripped of a great deal of equipment for weight savings, featured stiffer, adjustable suspension and upgraded brakes, and used the bodyshell of the four-wheel-drive version, which incorporated additional front-end stiffening. It was produced in two versions. The first, commonly referred to as the Mk.I GT3, was released in 1999 in all markets, save North America. It featured a naturally aspirated version 3.6L flat six making 360bhp. This engine was shared with the 996 Turbo and was a derivative of the Le Mans winning engine developed for the 911 GT1. The Mk.II GT3 variant was based on the second generation of the 996, and featured updated aerodynamics, and a more powerful version of the 3.6L engine from the MK.I, now producing 380bhp. The Mk.II was the first GT3 marketed in the North America. In 2004 testing of the Mk.II GT3, the car produced 0-60 times of 4.0 seconds, and produced 1.03 g on the skidpad, the second highest number ever recorded by a street legal automobile. Its counterpart, the GT2, was also RWD only, but received an added group of aerodynamic body parts, ceramic brakes of larger diameter, and a re-tuned version of the 996 Turbo's 3.6 litre, twin turbocharged engine featuring larger turbochargers and intercoolers, revised intake and exhuast systems, and re-programmed engine control software. The result was 477 horsepower (356 kW) and 472 ft·lbf (640 Nm) of torque, enough to launch the car from 0 to 60 in 3.6 seconds and to a top speed of 198 miles per hour (316 km/h). Both cars are available only with six-speed transmissions.

The engines in the 1999 and 2000 version have a large failure rate due to a design error. This problem was fixed in mid 2000. One will notice the resale price difference with these model years.

The 99/00/01 cars are all basically the same. 2002 brought a stiffer body which improved safety and handling. They also added seat belt pretensioners. The Tiptronic in 2000 was modified to allow it to enter manual mode by clicking the steering wheel mounted buttons. The Tiptronic would go back to auto mode after 8 seconds. The 2002 cars received the 996 turbo Tiptronic box which is stronger, shifts faster and had 250 shift modes. 2002 cars also received a 3.6L engine which provided an extra 25bhp. It also had some improved parts helping with some reliability issues on the 3.4L engines. The X74 suspension which lowers and stiffens the car was also available as a 2002+ factory modification. Meanwhile, Variocam Plus is standard for every 996's till production has ended.

The Porsche Type 993, part 4

The GT2 is best described as the race variant of the Turbo. For weight saving reasons the 4WD was deleted. The interior is similar to the Carrera RS. The fenders of the Turbo have been cut and replaced with bolt-on plastic pieces in order to accommodate large racing tires and to ease the repair of damages to the fenders often occurring in racing.

Until 1997, the GT2 had almost the same engine as the Turbo, but delivering 430 hp (DIN). In the last year (model year 1998) output was raised to 450 hp (DIN) and twin ignition was added.

The many racing variants have different engine set-ups depending on the applicable racing series. Power output came as high as 600 bph in a "Evo" version designed for the GT1-series, which was ultimately replaced by the mid-engine 911 GT1.

In Porsche terms, 'Speedster' stands for a Convertible with lowered roof and windshield and a rather spartanic interior.

In contrast to the G-model and the 964, Porsche never officially released a 993 Speedster. However, two were built by the factory: a dark green Speedster equipped with Tiptronic S and 17 inch wheels for Ferdinand Alexander Porsche (his 60th anniversary) in 1995 and another wide-body, silver Speedster with manual transmission and 18 inch wheels for American TV star Jerry Seinfeld in 1998.

After the 3.3 liter G-model Turbo convertible (1987-89), Porsche never officially offered an air-cooled Turbo convertible again. However, in 1995 14 993 Turbo Cabriolets were sold before the introduction of the 993 Turbo coupe. They featured the 360 hp (DIN) single-turbo engine of the 964 Turbo 3.6, a 5-speed manual transmission and the wing of the 964 Turbo 3.6. This required a premium of DM 89,500 (or plus 62%) over the standard 993 Cabriolet's price.