Shawn Stanford

I'm considering setting up a 'track' car. It will be dual purpose, but weighted toward track use. On CL I have my choice of several cars, including early 944s for around $1k, and a couple of complete 924s - including a running 'S' - that I think I could take away for $500.

So, what are the thoughts of those who track, drive, maintain, and upgrade these cars?

I'm not interested in winning Le Mans, I just want a car that will be fun and reasonably cheap to put a couple thousand miles on every year, between weekend drives and the track.

I'm looking for input and pros/cons on:

• Performance.
• Parts availability.
• Ease of maintenance.
• Durability.
• Upgradability.

Thanks for any advice.

V2Rocket

924S.
Light body with the power of a 944 engine.

A standard 924 is very light but down 40+hp from a 944.
A 944 is heavier, a lot depending on the year.

FrenchToast

Being as how most track days now are dominated by insanely fast cars, a normal, stock 924 could be slow depending on the event you're attending. A slow car by itself is fine. I saw an MGB GT at an event once that was dominated by new M3s, Z06s, and Nissan GTRs. At that point you're less driving on the track and more just getting out of people's way.

Lightened and with some mild engine work a 924 is probably fine though, and close in performance to a 924.

Early 924's do have mild rust issues - more so than later cars - which is something to consider. Early 924s also have rear drum brakes.

If you get a 924, 924S or an early 944 you should really consider changing both front spindles with later units. The early ones have a hollow left spindle that can break under track conditions. You lose the stock speedometer however.

Also you should try sitting in the early cars. If you are tall their slightly lower steering column could be annoying.

And if you are really tall a car with a sunroof could be problematic. Non-sunroof cars are hard to come by though.

goatfarmerdave

944 way more common therefore easier to get parts. A set of koni yellows and some track tires and you will have a blast. I had an 84 and loved it. simple and fun.

Shawn Stanford

Aren't a lot of the parts interchangeable? Especially with the 'S'?

kevin12973

A car for the track needs to be in very good mechanical condition. I would suggest staying away from a cheap 944 unless you will be going through it thoroughly. Brakes, suspension, engine, electrical, interior upgrades and so on will run up $5,000 minimum. You could do yourself a huge favor and find a track duty 944 of any model year and save time and money. Just make sure its not worn out.

Van

I see the big advantage of the 944 is the fender flares. That lets you run a wider tire than a 924S - plus you'll have a larger selection of used rims to pick up a few sets.

I wouldn't consider a 924 - too slow. (Unless it's a 924 Carrera GTS... But that's probably out of your price range.)

grenadiers

[QUOTE=Van;13679744]I see the big advantage of the 944 is the fender flares. That lets you run a wider tire than a 924S - plus you'll have a larger selection of used rims to pick up a few sets.

I have both an early 944 and an '88 924S track car. Same car, same performance. I run 225s on all four corners on both cars. What larger size tire is necessary than that? These cars have fairly anemic engines, corner well, and look pretty good in my opinion. However, when a VW Passat four door can whip you on the straights, well, tire size isn't going to matter. I've also have had 924's and several 924 turbos. I've left that building.

Van

On my (track) car, I run 225 on 8" rims in the front and 245 on 9" rims in the rear. But that's not a necessity... I'm just saying the flares will give you a little more room for more choices. I've had friends at the track with 924Ss that have corded tires, or want to try a different tire, and early 944 offset rims don't fit - so I can't loan them my extras.

Shawn Stanford

Like I said: I'm not interested in winning Le Mans. I'm never - never - going to have the fastest car; I'm simply not interested in spending that kind of money. I just want something I can tinker with and bash around in without feeling like I'm damaging an heirloom, which is how I feel about tracking my 951.

Thanks for the input. There's an $800 924S near me with an overheating problem. What I'm reading says that could be a straightforward fix. I'm going to give it a couple weeks and take a look and, if it's solid, offer him $500.

Porvair

If all else fails - Miata.

morghen

•Performance. (924S as its a taco ligther than the 944)
•Parts availability. (924S/944 loads of them waiting to be parted)
•Ease of maintenance. (924 simplest of them all and probably cheapest , but slowest)
•Durability. (depends on your setup and how well you control your project..could be any of them)
•Upgradability. (deff 944)

So the 924 has 2 points, the 924S has 3 points and the 944 has 3 points as well. 924S or 944 is the same deal, unless you have to run really wide tires and you cant fit them without a wider body.

You could buy that 78 924 off Noah(he's just started parting it) and build on that...looks like good base. If you want you can keep the 2L, import some high compression pistons from europe, get a reworked head from europe, add a better cam and you're in the same range of the 944 power with less weight.

curtisr

Generally cheaper to buy outright, the 924s http://www.porschepassion.com/924.htm was three mph faster thanks to its lighter weight and narrower stance.

People (already) think this car is a Mazda.

To my mind if you prefer the look of the wheel-well arches that's the choice to make. I find these remind me too much of the shoulder-pad craze we suffered through in the '80s.

konakat

An '88 924S would be the best bet. 160HP higher compression engine instead of the 143hp you get from an early 944, plus it is slightly lighter. You are more limited in tire width, but unless you plan to add a lot of power that's not a big deal. You also have late offset on the 924S which opens up a lot more wheel options, though you do miss out on light and cheap cookie cutters.

Van

Well, since you already have a 951, I'd stick to late 944s. This way you can interchange parts - like wheels, struts, control arms, tie rods, sway bars, axles, etc. if you find yourself either needing something last minute to go to the track and/or something gets hand-me-downed to the 944.

Some of those parts will fit on a 924S or early 944 - but not all. And most of them will not fit on a 924.