After buying my 924 a few years ago at University, it got under my skin and I never thought I would sell it.
A few weeks ago, I was browsing the 924OC forum and saw something for sale that caught my eye and things began to fall into place.
Through my 924 I was introduced to the owners club, which has always been a fantastic help, although I am less active online these days. I met lots of great people and got into the wider transaxle Porsche thing as a whole and this is when the seeds were sown. Back at the start of 2013 I photographed Gav's 944 Turbo for Retro Cars/GT Porsche and he kindly took me out for a drive afterwards. A month later I was in Sweden, driving a 924 Turbo on a frozen lake. That was it, I knew I was going to have a turbo at some point.
Landing my first proper job since University, I found myself with the funds to (hopefully) run a turbo. Initally I started buying parts for my NA; coilovers, engines, brakes and so on. However when this car came up for sale, I realised it was just what I wanted, complete, in front of me. Surprised to find the insurance was a mere £20 more, I put a deposit down...
For sometime I felt sad about selling my NA and wondered if I should rent a council garage to keep it in. However, realistically, it would just sit there and decay and so selling it for someone else to enjoy was the best option. I put it up for sale at a low price and a deposit was placed after a few hours. I simply couldn't keep it at my address since my girlfriend has a car and we've got a T25 camper, so there wasn't the space for another one!
Moving onto the car itself, it's based on a 1981 924 Turbo S2. It is now a convincing Carrera GT replica. The respray is thorough, with only a few traces of the original green colour on the chassis legs by the engine. Mechanically, it is very similar to a real Carrera GT.
The specification includes:
Staggered 16” Fuchs wheels
Carbon fibre front arches
Genuine Carrera GT rear bumper (Much deeper than others)
Genuine Carrera GT spec Langerer & Reich intercooler
Adjustable Koni shocks
Aside from a set of forged pistons, there's really very little between my replica and a genuine version. The S2 runs about .65 bar boost, but with the intercooler, I should be able to turn up the wick if I so desire. Previous rolling roads suggest a poorly fitted intercooler is good for around 25bhp and so the car should be putting out about 200bhp. Coming from a 125bhp NA this is a fair whack more! 0-60 is around 6 seconds and top speed 150ish. Not bad for a car from 1981! Consider a 944 Turbo weighs more, has .5 litre more capacity and pushes out only another 20bhp.
As anyone who has driven a 924 knows, steering feel and handling are the true joys of the cars, but they cannot be quantified so easily. The extra power should be fun though, especially in that 80's turbo style. To me, the Carrera GT line is the holy grail of the transaxle cars, you can keep your 968 club sports, I'll take the undiluted beginnings.
I will be using the car as a daily driver, although I'm a keen cyclist and so will probably cycle to work mostly! Still, expect to see it at the top end of a supermarket car park soon.
This year I plan to iron out any issues that rear their head and if it behaves then perhaps a trip to Spa 6 hour historic is on the cards. I'm being realistic, it is a 33 year old turbocharged Porsche which has been modified by a man in a shed somewhere, so it's not all going to be plain sailing.
Although a replica, I think it has enough DNA from the real thing to be worthy in its own right and the quality of work is very high. Likewise, if I was to use a real CGT daily, would I enjoy it so much? Fears of piling on miles, little scratches and having to wait a long time for parts or compromise originality would be at the forefront of my mind. With this car I can enjoy it for what it is.
I look forward to collecting it on Tuesday evening!
A few weeks ago, I was browsing the 924OC forum and saw something for sale that caught my eye and things began to fall into place.
Through my 924 I was introduced to the owners club, which has always been a fantastic help, although I am less active online these days. I met lots of great people and got into the wider transaxle Porsche thing as a whole and this is when the seeds were sown. Back at the start of 2013 I photographed Gav's 944 Turbo for Retro Cars/GT Porsche and he kindly took me out for a drive afterwards. A month later I was in Sweden, driving a 924 Turbo on a frozen lake. That was it, I knew I was going to have a turbo at some point.
Landing my first proper job since University, I found myself with the funds to (hopefully) run a turbo. Initally I started buying parts for my NA; coilovers, engines, brakes and so on. However when this car came up for sale, I realised it was just what I wanted, complete, in front of me. Surprised to find the insurance was a mere £20 more, I put a deposit down...
For sometime I felt sad about selling my NA and wondered if I should rent a council garage to keep it in. However, realistically, it would just sit there and decay and so selling it for someone else to enjoy was the best option. I put it up for sale at a low price and a deposit was placed after a few hours. I simply couldn't keep it at my address since my girlfriend has a car and we've got a T25 camper, so there wasn't the space for another one!
Moving onto the car itself, it's based on a 1981 924 Turbo S2. It is now a convincing Carrera GT replica. The respray is thorough, with only a few traces of the original green colour on the chassis legs by the engine. Mechanically, it is very similar to a real Carrera GT.
The specification includes:
Staggered 16” Fuchs wheels
Carbon fibre front arches
Genuine Carrera GT rear bumper (Much deeper than others)
Genuine Carrera GT spec Langerer & Reich intercooler
Adjustable Koni shocks
Aside from a set of forged pistons, there's really very little between my replica and a genuine version. The S2 runs about .65 bar boost, but with the intercooler, I should be able to turn up the wick if I so desire. Previous rolling roads suggest a poorly fitted intercooler is good for around 25bhp and so the car should be putting out about 200bhp. Coming from a 125bhp NA this is a fair whack more! 0-60 is around 6 seconds and top speed 150ish. Not bad for a car from 1981! Consider a 944 Turbo weighs more, has .5 litre more capacity and pushes out only another 20bhp.
As anyone who has driven a 924 knows, steering feel and handling are the true joys of the cars, but they cannot be quantified so easily. The extra power should be fun though, especially in that 80's turbo style. To me, the Carrera GT line is the holy grail of the transaxle cars, you can keep your 968 club sports, I'll take the undiluted beginnings.
I will be using the car as a daily driver, although I'm a keen cyclist and so will probably cycle to work mostly! Still, expect to see it at the top end of a supermarket car park soon.
This year I plan to iron out any issues that rear their head and if it behaves then perhaps a trip to Spa 6 hour historic is on the cards. I'm being realistic, it is a 33 year old turbocharged Porsche which has been modified by a man in a shed somewhere, so it's not all going to be plain sailing.
Although a replica, I think it has enough DNA from the real thing to be worthy in its own right and the quality of work is very high. Likewise, if I was to use a real CGT daily, would I enjoy it so much? Fears of piling on miles, little scratches and having to wait a long time for parts or compromise originality would be at the forefront of my mind. With this car I can enjoy it for what it is.
I look forward to collecting it on Tuesday evening!
...wanna swap? 
