In the late 1980s Porsche was running out of options as the pricing of the 944 ballooned out of reach of many American drivers. As they had done in the past with the 912E, Porsche introduced a stop-gap price leader to attempt to keep the competition at bay and continue to garner foot traffic in dealer showrooms, the 924S.
While the narrow 924 had already ended production in 1985 (1982 in the U.S.) with the introduction of the wider and more powerful 944, customers were begging for a less expensive entry point. In 1987 Porsche reintroduced the 924 a few thousand dollars less than a 944 of the same year.
The new 924 featured a lot of standard equipment and a 944 engine rather than the 2-liter Audi motor found in earlier 924 models. It also included the old interior and dashboard found in pre-1985 944s and 924s all the way back to 1976. The 924S was essentially a narrow body 944 with an old interior. It’s a little more aerodynamic, but has less tire contact patch, which makes it a bit faster and occasionally quicker, but it doesn’t offer quite the same handling prowess as its wider brother.
I can’t get enough of these vintage MotorWeek reviews. I was born at about the same time as the 924S, so I don’t know what it was like to drive when it was new. I can only see the 924S in the context of 32 years of history, but this review gets to see it as it was when it was new, and for that it’s incredibly valuable.