Minneapolis Street Sighting: Porsche 924S

For every great 911, there's an equal-- but still great-- nontraditional Porsche; cars like the 914, and eventually the 924 (and 944 and 968) resembled the bulk of Porsches for younger buyers. As a result, these "lesser" Porsches weren't as flashy, nor did these cars have the same performance as the much-heralded 911 cars. Originally designed to be Volkswagens, the car was passed off to Porsche at the last minute; as a result, most Porsche aficionados either love the 924 dearly, or they hate it with a fiery passion. Somehow, I fall right in the middle. Then again, I don't worship the Porsche brand with the same enthusiasm that most owners of classic Porsches do. I never had any strong feelings one way or the other toward the 924, but as it gets older, I tend to like the initial design more.









I've shot these on occasion before, but I am really starting to see less and less of the "affordable Porsches"; I guess that has to due partly with the fact that these cars don't quite have a following yet, and because of their iffy reputation, likely never will, and second, these cars (like many German cars of the era) had sever quality problems, both mechanically and otherwise, so finding one in recently good nick is something of a treat. And what a treat this is. The last 924 I blogged was in okay condition, and could probably pass for a candidate if there ever was a US-version of the British TV show, "Wheeler Dealers", but this one actually looks.. nice. Okay, that might be stretching it a tad, but this example clearly had more going for it than that red example I posted last November.
Finished in a period but somewhat dated silver metallic (or what's left of the metallic anyway), and sporting a set of infamous Teledial wheels shared with the 928 and later 944, this budget Porsche means business. Well, sort of. Packing anywhere from 150 to 165 horses, this little car surely can run with other cars of its class-- now, anyway. I'm sure the other 1980s "sports cars" are just as quick to 60. And I'm sure the trek to 100 MPH is just as fun-- if not just as slow.
While the 924 (and 944, too, apparently) had its share of cosmetic maladies (including severe front fender rust, and rear wheel-arch rust), this particular one was surprisingly clean-- a trait not often found on Minnesota 924s. Like about 5% of its surviving brethren, this silver example had all its badges and trim, suggesting that this is likely a cared-for vehicle. Why you'd pour time and passion into keeping a 924 running is beyond me, but hey, someone has to do it.
I'm not necessarily dogging the 924 by any means, I just think there are nicer (and better) Porsches that an enthusiast could possibly be more concerned about. Or perhaps, that's why this 924S was rescued from certain death otherwise. While the 924 is by far not my favorite Porsche, I can't fault the owner for keeping it around to see another 30 years of motoring.