GOING FULL CIRCLE

Absolutely not!’ That was the emphatic reaction from Jürgen Barth when asked if the factory had ever planned to take Porsche’s new 924 racing. Quoted in author Roy Smith’s tome on the 924 Carrera, Barth continued: ‘The management’s position was that the 924 was an important addition to our range to boost sales and bring a new car to the public at a good price. But we engineers did not want to challenge the 911, which was proving very successful.’ So how is it, then, that the car shown here not only raced in period but won a single-model race series backed by Porsche Cars Great Britain?

Launched in the UK in 1977, the 924 was seen by many as little more than an entry-level model, the purpose of which was to seduce new owners into the showroom. Once there, if they didn’t buy a 924, they might at least take a closer look at other models in the range (well, that’ll be the 911, then…) and possibly end up handing over their hard-earned cash for something more exotic. Or, if they bought a 924, who knows in a year or two