Front-engine, rear-wheel drive transaxles are the best layouts since mid-mounted transverse V12s, and the wonderful Porsche Museum pays tribute to that with a temporary exhibition starting tomorrow. It’s time to head towards Stuttgart to look at their rarest front-engined models.
Porsche underwent a bit of a revolution in 1976, the year it introduced the Type 924.
While the front-engined cars with their gearboxes pushed to the rear had superior balance and therefore handled better, hardcore Porsche fans were stunned by the fact that their beloved brand is making cars now which worked more like an Alfa Romeo GTV – at least in layout – than a trusty old Beetle.
But Porsche wanted to make cheaper cars in higher volumes, so the light and nimble 924 was followed by the 928s, 944s and 968s, all the way until production came to an end in 1995.
On the occasion of the 40th anniversary of these models, the Porsche Museum is showing 23 rare cars from “The Transaxle Era,” with over half of them being exhibited there for the first time ever.
One of those will be 1979's 924 Turbo Targa prototype, which never went into production but inspired the development of the 944 cabriolet.
Oh boy, the things Alex Roy would do to get his hands on that!
I know most of you won’t be able to make it to Stuttgart for this, but the few who can should check out the further exhibits as well, including:
That blue never gets old.