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40 years later. Walter Röhrl's Porsche 924 Carrera GTS

1976 was a key year for Porsche. For some it was the moment when the brand dared to go a step further, creating efficient and affordable cars that saved it from ruin. For others it is the moment in which the Stuttgarters betrayed the until then perennial engine configuration behind the rear axle. Central at most, as happened with the 914 of 1969. Diatribes between purists and openings aside, the truth is that the appearance that year of the Porsche 924 was a shock for its followers.

However, both those who supported 924 and those who did not agree on something. They did not predict a bright future for him in competition. Those who were against this first front-engined Porsche because they remained faithfully attached to the benefits of the 911. An increasingly competitive car on circuits but also in rallies. And those who were in favor because they saw it as a simple model of access to the brand. A balanced and useful vehicle entered the Porsche range more to solve economic problems than to win laurels.

Well, they were both wrong. And it is that, in addition to being one of the greatest commercial successes of Porsche thanks to its cost of production / sales ratio… The 924 got its grip in many competitions, being a mount capable of putting much more performance cars in trouble. Something that was accentuated when in 1978 the first turbocharged version appeared, increasing the 170CV of the first version to 125. Of course, much less than the 375CV that the best-prepared units by the Porsche Motorsport department came to yield. This 924 Carrera GTS ex Walter Röhrl is one of them.

PORSCHE 924 CARRERA GTS. THE MOST POWERFUL VERSION

In 1981 the most expensive production Porsche was not a 911. Far from it, the modest 924 had received improvements to become with the 924 Carrera GTS a racing beast of which only 50 units plus 9 prototypes were built. A sports car thirsty for victories that, like the GT and GTR It was based on the 924 Turbo. Proof that Porsche had successfully developed its transaxles for competition, placing the gearbox on the rear axle and the engine behind the front. A two-liter inline four-cylinder engine, derived from a project managed by Audi, with between 240 and 275CV depending on the unit.

In the case of our protagonist, we are talking about a 924 Carrera GTS Rallye that left the factory on December 12, 1980. Unit number five of the prototypes. In fact, its propeller even has a serial number because it is an experimental part.. An extraordinarily tough and reliable engine, capable of withstanding an entire rally season without damage. Therefore, the restoration of this unit has been easy for the team of the Porsche Museum. All after an endoscopic examination, which also revealed the good condition of the KKK26 turbocharger.

As for the transmission, it was dismantled for safety. However, it was only necessary to change the clutch for another original of the time, as was done with the Pirelli 255/55 R15 tires. A restoration that had the help of Schmidt Motorsport, responsible for the maintenance of this Porsche 924 Carrera GTS during 1981 and 1982. His two seasons in exercise before being deposited in the brand's warehouses. The first one with Walter Röhrl at the controls, for whom this work was secretly done forty years later. A project conceived as a birthday present for his 74th birthday.

1981. A YEAR OF TRANSTION FOR WALTER RÖHRL

Most of the fans linked the image of Walter Röhrl to that of the Audi Quattro from 1984 to 1987. However, his two overall victories in the World Rally Championship came in 1980 and 1982 aboard a FIAT 131 Abarth and an Opel. Ascona 400. Two moments of glory including a transitional year in which Röhrl drove with Porsche models. A year of little success in the WRC, since he only played one event: the San Remo aboard a 911 SC. However, 1981 was not a wasted year for this pilot genius. And it is that thanks to the Porsche 924 GTS Carrera that you are seeing, it achieved four victories in rallies of all kinds, the Serengeti and Germany being notable.

All of them playing with the response of some turbo that at that moment were taking their first steps. A novelty that, in the words of Röhrl himself, drove him crazy after coming from years driving atmospheric cars. “The turbo lag was huge! To get out of the curves quickly, you had to start accelerating shortly before entry and always keep the engine speed high ”. Driving tricks to handle this still quite rough turbocharger but which, mounted on a car with excellent traction and handling, resulted in a winning character.

Thus, the 924 Carrera GTS demonstrated the racing capabilities of a model poorly received by fans. Those who had to accept, even reluctantly, that the 924 is an excellent Porsche despite having the engine in front of the cabin. In addition, and if the results and the mechanics were not enough, it must be remembered that if it were not for the reorganization of accounts achieved by the sales of the 924, perhaps new series of the 911 could never have been carried out again. In short, the 924 it's not just a great Porsche. Is that, in versions like the 924 Carrera GTS, it is a top-notch machine.

Photographs: Porsche

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Written by Miguel Sánchez

Through the news from La Escudería, we will travel the winding roads of Maranello listening to the roar of the Italian V12; We will travel Route66 in search of the power of the great American engines; we will get lost in the narrow English lanes tracking the elegance of their sports cars; We will speed up the braking in the curves of the Monte Carlo Rally and we will even get dusty in a garage while rescuing lost jewels.

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