Wikicars - User contributions [en]

RUF BTR - 1993-1997

2007-03-03T06:29:04Z

82.41.159.41: IN PROGRESS

RUF

2007-02-12T11:52:15Z

82.41.159.41:

{{List of RUF Models}}
'''RUF''' is a German automobile manufacturer. RUFs are built from unmarked [[Porsche]] chassis. When a chassis arrives, RUF builds their own independent work into the car. Because RUF installs many of their own-made parts, the company is recognized as a manufacturer by the German government. This is a similar business model to the one employed by [[Gemballa]].

==RUF - A Passion for Porsche==

Tucked away in the German town of Pfaffenhausen is the small independent company '''RUF Automobile'''. Owned and managed by Alois Ruf, the company specialises in tuning Porsche automobiles to the highest standards, as well as restoring classic Porsches to their original glory. It has gained TuV status in 1981 as an independent manufacturer.

===History===

The company was opened in 1939, on the same site that the current garage occupies. Back then, it was a general service garage, caring for all of Pfaffenhausen's motoring needs, and run by Ruf Sr. By 1949, an element of growth was evident, and a petrol station was built on the premises. '''AUTO RUF''', as it was known then, started to diversify from general mechanics, and a tour bus was produced - the first of its kind in Germany. Demand for similar vehicles was strong, and a certain bus company was set up parallel to the automobile section.

Meanwhile, Ruf Jr. was developing a penchant for Porsche, and began to restore the first Porsche cars of RUF in the late 1960s. By 1974, Ruf Jr. was in overall charge of the company, and chose the Porsche 911 as a development car to show the capability of his company. The rest, as they say, is history. . .

===The First Porsche===

The RUF Porsche made its debut in 1975, and two years later, a 3.3 litre turbocharged flat-six engine was introduced. The legendary 'Yellowbird' was born, and RUF was well on its way to becoming one of the best-known tuners of Porsche in the entire world.

In 1980, RUF developed a five-speed manual transmission for the Porsche 930 Turbo, to replace the standard four-speed. This move gained the approval of many customers, and by 1981 the company had attained TuV status. In 1983, RUF's first production automobile was produced - badged the '''RUF BTR'''. This was available in standard 911 narrow body, or with the Turbo wide body. The car was powered by a 375BHP 3.4 litre flat-six engine. All cars were handbuilt from either production shells from the Porsche factory or from existing cars customers chose to upgrade. The model also saw the debut of the famous RUF alloy wheel design - a stylish single-piece forged 17-inch design, built for use with Dunlop's RunFlat system, which was made especially for the Porsche 959.

===The Speed Record===

Developments of RUF vehicles continued at an ever-increasing pace, and in 1987, the '''RUF CTR''', a 911 coupe with a 475BHP twin-turbocharged engine, received type approval by the German authorities for road use. The car's first outing was strictly for marketing purposes - it was taken to the Nardo High-Speed Bowl in Italy, for an attempt the break the speed record for production cars.

The CTR succeeded, with a speed of 342km/h - an amazing 212mph!

The end of 1987 was celebrated by RUF receiving type approval by the American authorities - opening up the USA market for a burgeoning small company.

===The 1990s===

The dawn of a new decade heralded the dawn of a new Porsche 911 - the type 964.

The '''BTR''' and '''CTR''', now available with a six-speed manual transmission, and wheels up to 19-inches in diameter, were selling well, but RUF saw room for a new model in the line-up, and replaced the BTR with a 360BHP, single-turbocharged model based on either the 964 Carrera 2 or Carrera 4, of the same name. An engineering breakthrough occurred in 1992, with the inception of '''EKS''', or Electronic Clutch System, developed by RUF in conjunction with Sachs and transmission engineers Fichtel. The system automatically engaged and disengaged the clutch for the driver - one step closer to a fully automatic gearbox, something that was not yet available on a RUF.

The CTR replacement arrived in 1993, based on the 964 Turbo, with engines of either 3.6 litre or 3.8 litre capacity. Badged the '''CTR 2''', it featured innovations such as carbon-ceramic brake discs, forged magnesium 19-inch RUF alloy wheels and 520 BHP engine. Included in the package was a new RUF feature - the integral roll cage.

The range remained stagnant until 1997, when an update for the CTR 2 arrived. Named the '''CTR 2 Sport''', the vehicle was a standard CTR 2, but lightened and strengthened.

The 964 model 911 was replaced by a new model, the 993, in 1997, and the turbocharged version emerged in 1998. RUF released a new model, based upon the Turbo, called the '''rTurbo''' - it was tuned to 490BHP and won numerous awards for reliability, driveability and performance.

===The New Millenium===

The new Boxster was released by Porsche in 1998, and RUF responded by producing the '''3400S''', a Boxster with a 911 996 3.4 litre engine. The vehicle featured RUF's synonomous alloy wheels, along with exhausts sprouting from the rear bumper and revisions to the interior. Developing 310BHP, this car was quick and manouverable, due to a balanced mid-engined chassis.

A brand new model, called the '''RGT''' was released, based upon the 996 Carrera. RUF chose not to turbocharge this model, but still manage to tune the powerplant to 385BHP.

The 996 Turbo was unveiled by Porsche in 2000, and RUF released its version, the '''rTurbo''', in 2001. This supercar developed a massive 520BHP, which rose to 590BHP by the end of its lifetime.

The all-new 997 model came out in 2004, and in 2006 RUF released its version - the '''Rt12'''. The car had a 650BHP motor.

Other news for RUF in the new millenium came when it opened its first dedicated US dealership in Dallas, in 2005.

A collaboration was formed with '''StudioTorino''' in 2006 to produce a limited series of Boxster and Cayman based models, featuring uprated mechanicals by RUF and unique styling and paintwork by StudioTorino. These vehicles each were produced in a limited run of fifty vehicles, and had prices nearly four times that of the standard car.

A new generation of RUF fans were honed by the brand's inclusion into the ''Gran Turismo'' series of computer games, in which the player can select any of the company's cars, and pitch them against rivals.

==RUF Models==

===Previous Models===

*[[RUF BTR - 1983-1993]]
*[[RUF CTR - 1987-1993]]
*[[RUF BTR - 1993-1997]]
*[[RUF CTR-2 - 1993-1997]]
*[[RUF rTurbo - 1998-2001]]
*[[RUF 3400S - 2000-2004]]
*[[RUF RGT - 2000-2004]]
*[[RUF rTurbo - 2001-2003]]

===Current Models===

*[[RUF Rt12]]
*[[RUF RK Spyder and Coupe]]
*[[RUF RGT]]
*[[RUF r Kompressor]]
*[[RUF Dakara]]

{{RUF}}

Porsche 959

2007-02-12T11:41:44Z

82.41.159.41:

{| border=0 cellspacing=0 cellpadding=4 style="float:right; margin:0 0 .5em 1em; width:250px; background:#fff; border-collapse:collapse; border:1px solid #999; font-size:83%; line-height:1.5; " summary="Infobox Automobile"
|- style="text-align:center; background:#f0f0f0;"
| colspan=2 style="padding:0; background:#996; color:#fff; border-bottom:1px solid #999;" | [[Image:Porsche 959.jpg|300px]]
|- style="color:#fff; background:#996; font-size:larger;"
! colspan=2 | '''Porsche 959'''
|-
! colspan=2 style="text-align:center; font-weight:normal; background:#ddb;" | [[Porsche]]
|- style="vertical-align:top;"
| aka
| Porsche Gruppe B
|- style="vertical-align:top; background:#f0f0f0;"
| Production
| 1987 - 1989
|- style="vertical-align:top;"
| Class
| Super Luxury
|- style="vertical-align:top; background:#f0f0f0;"
| Body Style
| Coupe
|- style="vertical-align:top;"
| Length
| 4260 mm
|- style="vertical-align:top; background:#f0f0f0;"
| Width
| 1840 mm
|- style="vertical-align:top;
| Height
| 1280 mm
|- style="vertical-align:top; background:#f0f0f0;"
| Wheelbase
| 2272 mm
|- style="vertical-align:top;"
| Weight
| 1451 kg (Komfort)
|- style="vertical-align:top; background:#f0f0f0;"
| Transmission
| 6-speed Manual
|- style="vertical-align:top;"
| Engine
| 2.85 litre turbocharged flat-six<br>Both air and water cooled.
|- style="vertical-align:top; background:#f0f0f0;"
| Power
| 450 hp
|- style="vertical-align:top;"
| Similar
| [[Ferrari F40]]
|- style="vertical-align:top; background:#f0f0f0;"
| Designer
|
|}

By the year 1980, [[Porsche]] had come a long way. In merely twenty years, the Stuttgart-based company had quickly become the performance benchmark to which all other car companies would aspire to - past, present and future. The dedicated engineers and motivated designers had shown the world that they could beat the best at [[Le Mans]]. They had proved their worth at [[rallying]], with a 1965 win in Monte Carlo, and they had become champions all over the world in the [[Grand Touring]] class. Most prolific of all, the team had produced a quick, reliable and desireable sports car, in the shape of the 911, from a seemingly 'flawed' chassis - which had a large proportion of mass behind the rear axle. The most recent triumph had been to harness turbocharging efficiently and safely in a road car.

Instead of lying back amongst their many laurels, the Porsche engineers decided to bring all the knowledge, experience and hard-won data together, and create a Car for the Future. A car that would beat all comers on road and track. A car that would form the very essence of Porsche DNA. And it was to be called the '''959'''.

==History==

In 1980, the [[FiA]] unveiled the regulations for the new [[Group B]] class of the [[World Rally Championship]]. [[Helmuth Bott]], Porsche's Research and Development Chief, saw these new regulations as the ideal field for which to build a new super-Porsche, and soon became immersed in talks with the engineers and designers, hatching plans for the supercar. Bott envisaged a car which made elaborate use of exotic modern compounds and composites for the bodywork, an exciting and technologically advanced chassis and drivetrain, and electrically adjustable, computer-controlled suspension. With these plans, he headed off to speak with [[Peter Schutz]], Porsche CEO, and the rest of the board.

Schutz paricularly like Bott's idea, and shared his enthusiasm for a super-Porsche. However, other board members were not so pleased with the propositions, and pointed out the financial strain that the project would place upon the still-young Porsche. The regulations demanded the production of 200 near-identical cars, built to match the specification of the race car that would be entered in the championship. Porsche realised that this figure was too high for a race car - after all, there were only so many privateer rally teams. The high figure would necessitate the production of road legal cars, which would involve intensive development into making the car reliable for long journeys, and comfortable to use from day to day. And anyway, trying to recoup the mighty development costs of such extreme engineering would be impossible from the sale of a single batch of 200 cars.

Despite the naysaying board members, Schutz greenlighted the project, and the finalisation of the design took place. One compromise Schutz and Bott were willing to make was to use the 911 shell as a (loose) base, to keep tooling costs to a minimum. However, the roof, doors and wings were to use Kevlar, a recently patented plastic composite material, that was very strong, very light, and very expensive. The use of Kevlar involved new tooling anyway. Other materials were used for the remainder of the car - aluminium, for where a modicum of strength and a degree of lightness was strived for, and steel, for where torsional rigidity was desired. The design of the car used an almost-identical 911-esque roofline, complete with the same glass as the smaller coupe, but featured fresh bumpers, with integrated air vents (the rear bumper containing an interesting pair, that would create a vacuum behind the car to draw out hot gasses from the engine) and a new rear spoiler and bootlid. The front lights remained very similar to the 911, although were flush to the wings and canted back a few degrees, to give a fresh-faced and contemporary look. The shape was honed in the company's wind tunnel, and tweaked to ensure that it was 'zero lift' - important for the high speeds that the car would be able to perform. New wing mirrors were fabricated, and small air intakes were cut into the rear wings, to provide cooling.

The chassis of the car was where the engineers were allowed to show off all their talents. For a start, the 959 was four-wheel drive, as the design brief wished for the maximum traction possible. Called Porsche-Steuer Kupplung (PSK), the system ensured that the drive was split automatically between the axles, by a split differential - a first for commercial cars, and the basis of all modern four wheel drive automobiles. The traction itself was switchable - Porsche wanted the car to be used to its greatest ability, no matter what the conditions. Thus, there was a dial on the dashboard with which the driver could select modes to conform to the current weather. The system started off as a 'Wet and Dry' only - but with cold weather testing taking place in Scandanavia, the engineers realised that even the 'wet' mode was incompetent in snow. A 'snow' option was added. The dial actively changed the suspension levels and the drive split to provide the optimum for the conditions. The fully changeable suspension consisted of 4 shock absorbers per wheel, and the ride height was adjustable, from a ground hugging stance perfect for the track, to a heightened level capable of driving in snow or crossing shallow fords.

Under the bonnet, the ubiquitous flat six configuration of the 911 was retained, though extensively modified. Twin turbochargers were added, and benefitted from 'multi-stage turbocharging', in which boost strength was increased or decreased according to engine revs. This provide a lag-free system, and ensured a constant, Earth-moving acceleration. The engine itself (2.85 litres in capacity), was air cooled, apart from the cylinder heads, which were water cooled, for the improved efficiency. The lump developed 450 BHP, and 370 lb ft of torque, allowing the 1451 KG car to power from 0-60 mph in 3.7 seconds - quicker than anything else out there, at the time, and still comfortingly quick these days. The 959 topped out at 197 mph.

Development, which took place around the infamous Nurburgring Nordschleife, highlighted a loose link in the 959-branded chain - the tyres. The harsh acceleration and high top-end speeds, added to the stress from the four-wheel drive chassis, caused the tyres to wear unperceptably quickly. Also, due to the width of the new design alloys, a spare could not be fitted anywhere in the car. So, Porsche joined forces with [[Dunlop]], to create a tyre that would 'never go flat'. Called the Duloc, the tyre featured much stiffer sidewalls than a standard version - thus providing continued support in the event of a deflation, allowing a 959 driver to drive 150 miles, with a speed limited to 50 mph, with a flat. The pressures were monitored by a computer, and the driver was alerted to a pressure drop. The forged magnesium wheels hid suitably humungous brake discs - 322 mm at the front, and 308 mm at the rear.

As spy photographs of the 959 circulated, the rumour mill wound into overdrive. Porsche received over 100 letters of interest from loyal customers, inquiring into the new car. The specification and technology was kept tightly under lock and key, and several styling bucks, named 'Gruppe B', did the worldwide motorshow tour. Schutz was getting tetchy over development times, and to solve the problem, Porsche enlisted British rally specialists, [[Prodrive]], to help produce three 959s for the 1985 [[Paris to Dakar rally]]. The rally was to provide a test bed for the car - and Porsche gained so much data that it reputably slashed two years from the development time. The rally 959s used the basic Carrera engine, due to the early stage of the real engine's development, but featured all the technology from the finished article. However, results-wise, the '85 Dakar was a flop for Porsche, with one car rolling spectacularly, and other smashing into a sand-covered rock at near-on 170 mph, and the third and final car suffering from a burst oil pipe - but Bott was quick to explain that the race was never about the results.

By 1985, Porsche had received 120 firm orders for street-legal 959s, and 20 for racing versions. However, by 1986, Group B rallying was dead, and Porsche was suddenly left with an almost-finished hypercar, which now had no final purpose. For a while, development remained stagnant, but Schutz and Bott decided to persevere, and in 1988, the first customer examples were delivered.

==Performance==

The Porsche 959 was designed, out and out, to be the biggest performer of the range, and still succeeds in this aim today. The turbocharged engine allows the car to blast from 0-60 mph in 3.7 seconds - 0.2 seconds quicker than the [[Porsche Carrera GT|Carrera GT]]. 0-100 mph was dispatched in 8.3 seconds, and 0-140 occurring in a barely believable 19 seconds, the car travelling less than 900 metres in doing so. The quarter mile took only 11.8 seconds, with the car crossing the line at 119 mph. One thing the 959 could never be called was 'a bit slow'.

The ride height automatically lowered at different speeds, along with the stiffness of the suspension. This meant that around 30 mph, the ride was soft and supple, but by 110 mph was at its stiffest. The driver was unaware of the changes, due to the system being controlled entirely by computer. Although manual changes to the suspension settings could be made, the ability was switched off above 110 mph for safety reasons.

The period press revelled in the car, and fought each other for the most superlatives - the general consensus was that Porsche had created a wonderful automobile. It was truly all-weather, and although it may have lacked a little of its arch-nemesis, the [[Ferrari F40]]'s passion, it was a great deal more reliable and less temperamental. Porsche eventually produced 283 959s in total, this figure including Komfort and Clubsport specifications

==Models==

The Porsche 959 was created in a number of variants on a purpose-built production line in Stuttgart. The first cars were shipped across to Prodrive for conversion into the Dakar rally cars, in 1985, and continued in desert rallying until 1987. The cars, with the synonomous Rothmans tobacco advertising, were then sold to privateers, many of whom continued to race the cars.

The customer cars were available in two variants - the Komfort and the Clubsport. The Komfort was the most popular model, and was optimised for road driving and long cruises. Therefore, the interior was trimmed to the highest standard, with lush carpeting and a full leather package - the pillars, dashboard and seats trimmed in the finest. The interior colour was open to customer specification, with a number of vehicles leaving the factory trimmed in the attractive 'three-tone' leather, featuring a dominant colour for the seats and doorcards, with a series of silver and another colour or leather stripes across them. Other cars, like the one delivered to the Prince of Monaco, featured red seats, red dash and red carpeting. The interior design itself came under criticism - it was identical, apart from a few minor controls, to the basic [[Porsche 911|911]], and customers complained that it was not exclusive enough for Porsche's greatest car.

The Clubsport followed in the footsteps of previous RS models - weight loss and a roll cage. The carpets were jettisoned, replaced with thin felt. The electric and heated seats of the Komfort were replaced with buckets, and harnesses replaced the inertia reel seatbelts. The rear perches were lost altogether, and the rear was dominated by a web of intertwined metal tubing - the roll cage. Bars also framed the windscreen, and removeable door crossbars were supplied with the car. The light 959 was made even lighter, and although usable on the road, was really a bit too harsh, and suited the smooth confines of a racetrack.

In keeping with the original concept of the car - a racing machine - Porsche unveiled the [[Porsche 961|961]], a 959 for [[Le Mans]] and [[Daytona]]. Built to the [[IMSA]] X regulations, the car was moderately successful, but was terminally overshadowed by its bigger brother - the [[Porsche 962|962]], which was taking the racing world by storm. Only a handful of cars were built, and the Porsche factory car was destroyed in a fire at Le Mans.

==Living With a 959==

Being such a specialised car, the 959 demands a high standard of maintenance which very few dealerships worldwide can offer.

British 959s can be serviced at Porsche Great Britain's headquarters in Reading, also the only service dealership in the country for the Carrera GT. Many European owners wish to return their cars to the factory for servicing, and Porsche can even supply mechanics to far-off countries for servicing and parts replacement. The cars seem to be reliable enough - which is just as well, as parts costs are extorsionate. To give you a little taster, the wheel centres (the plastic piece with the Porsche crest stamped upon it) each cost £700 - mainly due to the rarity of the parts.

The 959 was only made road legal in 1999, due to Porsche's refusal to allow the car to be crash-tested. A change in regulations with regards to the crash testing of automobiles sold in the USA (which itself was brought about by famous 959 owners Paul Allen and Bill Gates) allowed the legality of driving the 959 on US roads - but modifications must be made to the turbochargers and exhaust system to allow the car to pass emission and drive-by noise tests. However, many 959 owners simply refuse to have this done, and the majority of Stateside cars are garage queens, only venturing out for shows.

==Legacy==

Porsche board members were right - the 959 never made back its investment - conservative estimates describe Porsche selling 959s for half of the build cost. Well, not in the sense of the single model, but traits of the 959 can be seen in modern Porsches. For example, the four-wheel drive entered series production with the [[Porsche 964|964]], and had been part of the 911 range since. The changeable turbochargers made future racing models and Turbo models easier to produce and develop. The front wings and headlamps were simplified and formed the front end of the [[Porsche 993|993]]. The air intakes in the bumpers are echoed in the [[Porsche 996|996 Turbo]], and the rear 'vacuum' have similar purposes. The mirror and alloy wheel designs became and integral feature of the 1990s Porsche range. And, most recently, the adjustable suspension has been released on the [[Porsche 997|997]], [[Porsche Boxster|Boxster]], [[Porsche Cayenne|Cayenne]] and [[Porsche Cayman|Cayman]], as [[PASM]], although in a more advanced format.

But the 959's influence spread wider than the confines of Porsche. The runflat tyres feature prominently on modern cars, as does the variable four wheel drive. The turbocharging technique features on almost all modern diesel cars, and is similar in essence to Porsche's own VTG system. The 959 became the benchmark for modern supercars - and its DNA can be found in the [[McLaren F1]], [[Bugatti Veyron]] and almost every contemporary supercar. Porsche may not have created a monitary profit, but instead created a new benchmark for the automotive world.

{{Porsche}}

RUF CTR - 1987-1993

2007-02-12T11:35:48Z

82.41.159.41:

RUF BTR - 1983-1993

2007-02-08T16:22:47Z

82.41.159.41:

Ascari Ecosse

2007-02-07T15:54:15Z

82.41.159.41:

==The Launch of Ascari==

Ascari blasted onto the supercar scene in 1995, with a tantalising new concept car, named the FGT. The new car, designed by Lee Noble, promised class-leading performance allied to flawless engineering and innovative forward-thinking.

The car wasted no time in getting onto the market, and was available by the end of 1995. Priced just under the Ferrari F355, the Ascari had very stiff competition, but had exclusivity on its side - the company had vowed to produce seventeen cars.

===Motorsport - For the Road===

The production version of the RGT was named 'Ecosse', in reference to Ascari's owner having made his fortunes in the Scottish Oil and Gas industry. Two versions were available: both with a midmounted BMW V8, tuned by German BMW-meisters Hartge, producing 400 BHP and 300 BHP, from capacities of 4.7 litre and 4.4 litre respectively. Whichever engine the Ecosse was endowed with, performance was breath-taking - 0-60 mph under six seconds and a top speed of around 200 mph. BHP per ton? 387. Right up there with the best from Stuttgart, Modena or Sant'Agata.

The mega-performance figures were not difficult to come by with such a cleverly designed car - the car was built around a tubular steel spaceframe, and clothed in fibreglass. The end result weighed less than 1250 KG. The wishbone suspension was moulded from aluminium to keep weight down.

Although the car was very light, no weight-expense was spared in the interior. It was given all the toys - air conditioning, electrically operated windows and mirrors, and a proper stereo. The Recaro seats were leather trimmed, and the dash sparked a trend for carbon fibre panels.

===End of The Road===

All good things must come to an end, and so it was for the Ecosse in 2000. Ascari had created their seventeen, and had translated their learnings into the development of the successor - the KZ1. The final Ecosse - a 400 BHP model, naturally - was finished in Burgandy Metallic with grey leather inteior. Special alloy wheels were added. It didn't take long to sell.

Aston Martin DB AR1

2007-02-04T07:21:52Z

82.41.159.41: Still in progress. . .

Porsche 924

2007-01-22T14:02:03Z

82.41.159.41:

Porsche 924

2007-01-12T14:54:12Z

82.41.159.41:

{{Porsche}}

The Porsche 924 was one of Porsche's most successful models. Which is ironic, seeing it began life as a Volkswagen.

In the early 1970s, Porsche was approached by VW to produce a cheap, fast and easy to produce sports coupe. Porsche set about this task with gusto, and quickly formed the basis of a brief-completing coupe. It would be powered by VW's LT van engine, feature equipment from VW's Rabbit and be on the market by the mid-1970s. However, VW lost confidence in the project midway through, withdrew its funds, and the stillborn coupe was left without a manufacturer.

Porsche, a company gently growing its own model line after being in production for less than a decade, jumped at the opportunity to produce such a car, and bought the rights to the project from VW. However, before the vehicle was to be released to a critical public, certain changes must be made. Porsche CoD, Harm Lagaay, was contracted with modifying the exterior design, a submitted a contemporary two-box, cockpit-backward coupe, with a dominant rear glasshouse. The interior was also tweaked by the stylists - the seat and dash design changed significantly, and better quality plastics and materials were used. One change that could not be made was the choice of powerplant - the project was too far gone to make the switch of engine, from the VW engine to a Porsche engine, economically viable.

The Porsche 924 was released to a stunned public in 1975, and went on sale in Europe from this date. Americans saw the car early 1976, but the car featured only 97BHP - much too little for a Porsche. Sales reflected this - a disappointing 5200 cars were sold in 1976. Something had to be done.

During 1977, Porsche revamped the 924. A right-hand drive version was developed, for sale in crucial markets such as the UK and Australia, and a few more BHP was eeked out to reach that magical 100BHP figure in the USA version. The colour options were changed, new fabrics offered inside, complimented by a new alloy wheel design. The changes worked. By the New Year bells of 1978, a massive 23000 new 924s had rolled off the Neckarslum production line. The 924 reached critical acclaim in major US and UK magazines, praised for its neutal balance, poised steering and sweet gearchange.

But Porsche didn't have it all its own way. By 1981, the 924 was fending off attack from more powerful and cheaper Japanese competiton, especially in the USA. A special edition, named the 'Weissach' was released, featuring special paint and many options as standard. The sales dam had been broken, though, and by 1982 the 924 was missing from the USA sales line-up, replaced by the 944. In other markets, the standard 924 continued until early 1985, before throwing in the towel and conceding defeat to the Japanese powerboxes, such as the Mazda RX-7 and Datsun Z-Cars.

The 924 bounced back fighting in mid-1985, badged 924 S, and featuring upgrades such as an all-new, all-Porsche 2.5L four-cylinder, a whole new set of colours and options, a new 'Telephone Dial' alloy wheel design and 150BHP (purposely detuned from the 944's 180BHP, to keep a noticeable performance difference between the two models). For the first time ever, all markets were supplied with identical power outputs, much to the joy of buyers, who lapped up the cars throughout 1985 and 1986. However, the spartan equipment levels (a passenger door mirror was an option), compromised design (right-hand drive cars had window-wipers set for left-hand drive cars) and the mounting challenge from the even more powerful and talented Japanese cars, sales in 1987 collapsed. A last gasp attempt to secure some sales resulted in the 'Le-Mans' special edition, given the full compliment of BHP, along with special paintwork and interior fabrics, but it failed to stop the landslide, and by 1988, the 924 S was part of Porsche's history.

Summary of Models:

1975-1985 - Porsche 924 Coupe (2.0 litre, four cylinder, naturally aspirated.)
1985-1988 - Porsche 924 S Coupe (2.5 litre, four cylinder, naturally aspirated.)
1979-1983 - Porsche 924 Turbo Coupe (2.0 litre, four cylinder, single turbocharger developing 170BHP.)
1980 - Porsche 924 Carrera GT Coupe (2.0 litre, four cylinder, turbocharged developing 320BHP.)
1980 - Porsche 924 Carrera GTS Coupe (2.0 litre, four cylinder, turbocharged developing 375BHP.)

Special Editions:

1977 - 'Martini' - Porsche 924 Coupe with white paint, Martini stripes, bright orange interior cloth, white alloys.
1979 - 'Sebring '79' - Porsche 924 Coupe with Guards Red paint, Sebring decals, tartan interior, black alloys.
1980 - 'Le Mans' - Porsche 924 Coupe with Grand Prix White paint, Le Mans stripes, black and white Pinstripe interior, Turbo alloys.
1981 - 'Weissach' - Porsche 924 Coupe with Pewter Metallic paint, two-tone tweed interior, air conditioning, electric windows, electric mirrors.
1979 - 'Turbo USA' - Porsche 924 Turbo with Dolomite Grey paint, tartan interior. 600 produced.
1983 - 'Turbo Italia' - Porsche 924 Turbo with Zermatt Silver paint, Porsche Logo interior in either burgandy or grey. 88 produced.
1988 - 'Le Mans' - Porsche 924 S Coupe with either Black or White paint, 'Pinstripe Flanned' 911 Turbo seats, Turquoise or Gold decals and stripes with coordinated wheel inlays. 1000 made.