Near Perfect Porsche 924 Carrera GT On The Auction Block
The king of Porsche homologation specials is yours for the bidding.
Listed earlier today on Bring A Trailer's auction site, this 1981 Porsche 924 Carrera GT is one of just 406 cars built, and is the ideal collector's piece for any Porsche transaxle-car enthusiast. It the 924/944/968 series is what gets your blood pumping, this is one of those uber rare cars that you can't afford to let get away. Personally, I really like Porsche's 924. It's a bit on the slow side, but it is a dynamic car to drive with incredible feedback through the steering wheel and the seat of your pants. The 924 Carrera GT amps that driving excitement up a few notches with an intercooled turbocharged engine producing an era-impressive 210 horsepower from just 2 liters (versus 125 horsepower for the naturally aspirated 924 and 170 horsepower for the standard 924 Turbo).
In 1981, the 924 Carrera GT cost as much as two base 924s, and 20% more than even a 911 SC on the same showroom floor, making it a difficult sell to those not in the know. Compared to a regular 911 SC, the statistics are remarkably similar, as the two cars weigh nearly the same amount and have nearly the same horsepower and torque ratings. It must have been the 924s scarcity and motorsports heritage that made its selling price so much higher, then. The car was built as a homologation special to allow the 924 to compete in FIA Group 4. The rear overfenders and wider front fenders are built from glass fiber reinforced plastic, and were added to the car with the intention of fitting wider wheels and tires, as large as 16X7 front and 16X8 rear.
The car listed here is currently located in Monterey, California. It is finished in original silver metallic paint, and looks nearly new. Even the engine compartment is nearly perfectly clean. There are only about 43 thousand miles on the odometer. It is worth noting that the speakers mounted in the door panels are not factory, and I personally believe this should have been ammended before the car was listed. They look gaudy and out of place. The opening bid was a whopping $19,950, but the car will likely end up bidding much higher than this as a similarly cared-for car sold at Bonham's Zoute sale a few months ago for just shy of $70,000. Happy bidding!