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Porsche 924

Harm Lagaay · 1976

Porsche’s first water-cooled, front-engined road car was a compromise — and the smartest one it ever made.

Worth your time?3.5/5Yes.Drive the whole thing.What works, what does not, who it is for ↓
10:00in productionCh. 1 · Origins/ 10:00 · ceiling 15 min
4 chapters · 10:00Ceiling 15:00

The brief is written and checked. The video joins this page when it is cut.4 chapters · 1 min read · 10:00 planned

Read the brief

The Porsche 924 is a two-door, 2+2 coupé produced by Porsche in Neckarsulm, Germany, from 1976 until 1988. It was the first production road-going Porsche to use water cooling and a front-engine, rear-wheel-drive layout, and the first Porsche to be offered with a conventional fully automatic transmission. It began as a joint venture with Volkswagen and its overall styling was created by Dutch designer Harm Lagaay. A turbocharged version was introduced in 1978.

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Chapters & takeaways4
  1. 1:00
    Origins

    A 2+2 coupé styled by Harm Lagaay, born from a Volkswagen partnership.

  2. 3:00
    Layout

    First water-cooled, front-engine, rear-wheel-drive Porsche — and the first with a conventional automatic.

  3. 4:51
    Evolution

    Turbocharging arrived in 1978 — an early signal that this platform could scale.

  4. 6:21
    Production

    Built in Neckarsulm, Germany — not Stuttgart — marking a geographic and industrial shift.

1 more chapterFewer chapters
Worth your time?

Yes. Drive the whole thing.

3.5/ 5
What works
  • It places the engine ahead of the driver, sends power to the rear wheels, and cools it with water instead of air.
  • It offers a conventional automatic transmission — new for Porsche at the time.
  • It gets the wedge-shaped proportions right: low bonnet line, flush grille, folding headlights.
  • It gets usability right: 2+2 seating, daily drivability, accessible service points.
What does not
  • It does not deliver the throttle response or steering feedback of air-cooled Porsches.
  • It does not isolate the driver from road noise or transmission clatter.
  • It does not hide its Volkswagen-derived origins in the drivetrain.
Drive it if
  • It is for drivers who value clean lines, accessible rear-wheel drive dynamics, and the quiet confidence of a Porsche badge without air-cooled ritual.
  • It is not for purists who require manual-only engagement or flat-six resonance.
Skip it if
  • It is not for purists who require manual-only engagement or flat-six resonance.
Who should drive it, and who should skipHide who it is for
The written brief1 min read

What the car is and where it came from

A two-door, 2+2 coupé produced by Porsche in Neckarsulm, Germany, from 1976 until 1988. It began as a joint venture with Volkswagen. Dutch designer Harm Lagaay defined its overall styling.

How it works, in terms someone would actually use

It places the engine ahead of the driver, sends power to the rear wheels, and cools it with water instead of air. It offers a conventional automatic transmission — new for Porsche at the time.

What it gets right

It gets the wedge-shaped proportions right: low bonnet line, flush grille, folding headlights. It gets usability right: 2+2 seating, daily drivability, accessible service points. It gets layout logic right: front-engine balance aids predictability on wet German roads.

What it does not

It does not deliver the throttle response or steering feedback of air-cooled Porsches. It does not isolate the driver from road noise or transmission clatter. It does not hide its Volkswagen-derived origins in the drivetrain.

What it changed

It moved Porsche into water cooling and front-engine, rear-wheel-drive packaging for its entry model — a pivot that shaped the 944, 968, and ultimately the Boxster and Cayman layouts.

Who it is for, and who it is not

It is for drivers who value clean lines, accessible rear-wheel drive dynamics, and the quiet confidence of a Porsche badge without air-cooled ritual. It is not for purists who require manual-only engagement or flat-six resonance.

Is it worth your time

Yes, if you want to understand how Porsche redefined its entry point without abandoning rear-wheel drive or driver engagement. No, if you expect raw performance or mechanical purity.

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Porsche’s first in-house car wasn’t a 911 successor — it was a quiet declaration that grand touring could be German, precise, and entirely self-made.

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10:03