From Baby Porsche to Front-Engined Beast: The Story of the 924 Carrera GTR

There are many reasons why the 924 is overshadowed by classics like the 911, 928, and 944. The Volkswagen-sourced four-cylinder engines play a key role here, as many enthusiasts don't consider the 924 a true Porsche. Granted, the 924 wasn't impressively powerful either beyond Carrera GT and GTS homologation specials.

Then there's the front-engined layout. The 924 arrived at a time when Porsche was producing rear- and mid-engined cars exclusively and die-hard enthusiasts did care much for that nonsense. On the other hand, the 924 was met with high praise for its excellent handling.

So what led to the creation of the Carrera GTR, you ask? Well, Porsche soon recognized the need for a high-performance version of the 924 and introduced the Turbo model. But the nameplate also needed some of that racing pedigree that helped make other Porsche nameplates famous.

It all started in 1979 when the Germans unveiled a Carrera-badged concept car at the Frankfurt Auto Show. The show car signaled Porsche's intention to enter the 924 in competition and it was quickly followed by the road-going Carrera GT.

Created to homologate the race-spec 924 for Group 4 racing, the Carrera GT was built in 406 examples. Porsche also put together a limited-edition GTS, of which only 59 were built. The run also included 15 race-prepped versions dubbed Clubsport. The Carrera GT was the first 924 to exceed 200 horsepower.

But Porsche didn't stop there. Aiming to also race the 924 at the 24 Hours of Le Mans, the Germans unleashed the ultimate development of the front-engined sports car in 1980. The nameplate expanded to include an R, morphing into Carrera GTR.

But even though it shared most of its badge with the Carrera GT, the GTR was significantly different. It featured a more radical aero kit with much wider rear fenders and a front bumper that extended all the way to the ground and ditched the retractable headlamps for a more conventional light-under-lens design (like the Carrera GTS).

Tipping the scales at only 2,050 pounds (930 kg), it was the lightest 924 ever built. In addition, it was also the most powerful thanks to a highly modified 2.0-liter inline-four rated at 375 horsepower. It generated 130 horses more than the Carrera GT and 95 horsepower more than the GTS Clubsport.

This configuration enabled the Carrera GTR to hit 60 mph (97 kph) from a standing start in only 4.7 seconds, a couple of tenths quicker than the 911 Turbo (930) of the era. Its top speed was also slightly higher than the 911 Turbo at 180 mph (290 kph).

Porsche fielded three GTRs in the 1980 24 Hours of Le Mans, which went on to finish sixth, 12th, and 13th overall. The quickest GTR finished third in its class, behind purpose-built prototypes. It also finished just one lap behind a much more powerful Porsche 935 raced by Dick Barbour Racing.

The Carrera GTR was raced extensively by both Porsche and privateers through 1986. Even though it didn't manage to score outright wins in endurance races at Daytona, Sebring, Monza, or the Nurburgring, the GTR won a few races in the Trans-Am series.

In 1981, Porsche also built two special Carrera GTP cars with 2.5-liter four-cylinder engines rated at 420 horsepower. One of them was raced at Le Mans and finished seventh. In all, the German company put together 17 Carrera GTRs.

Come 2022 and most of these cars are still around. And amazingly enough, a few of them haven't been raced and survived to this day as low-mileage collectibles. One such privateer car, delivered new to Japan in the early 1980s, was auctioned off for $406,500 in 2021.