Porsche. Rear-engined. Air-cooled. A formula etched into Zuffenhausen’s concrete since the 356. And then 1976 happened. Out rolled the 924 with its motor up front and gearbox out back, and the Porsche faithful briefly considered the faint smell of betrayal in the air.
Nearly two decades later, the grand experiment had given us four distinct cars: the 924, its sharper 944 offspring, the well-tailored 968, and the big V8 grand tourer, the 928. Almost 400,000 of them left the factory before Porsche quietly pulled the plug in 1995. The 911 had kept its crown, but these “other” Porsches? They’ve aged into something much more interesting than anyone expected at the time.
Setting the Stage: Why Porsche Tried the Transaxle
Before the mid-’70s, Porsche’s identity was welded to the rear-mounted engine concept. It gave cars like the 911 a unique feel, exciting in the right hands, occasionally terrifying in the wrong ones. But it also boxed engineers in. As safety rules tightened and performance targets crept higher, the limitations of the classic layout became harder to ignore.
Enter Volkswagen. In the early ’70s, VW commissioned Porsche to develop a sporty coupe under the project name EA 425. It was meant to be affordable, practical, and still fun, a sort of people’s sports car. Then the 1973 oil crisis hit, VW got cold feet, and the project was canned. Porsche bought it back, gave it a bit of Stuttgart polish, and launched it as the 924 in 1976.
The headline feature was the “transaxle” setup: engine up front, gearbox and differential in a single housing at the rear, joined by a rigid torque tube. The result? Nearly perfect 50:50 weight distribution and far more predictable handling than the tail-heavy 911 of the day.
Porsche also pitched it as a more approachable car, something you could drive every day without needing the reflexes of a racing driver or the budget of a banker. It was a gamble, but it paid off, at least at first.
1976: The 924 Arrives
In terms of straight-line pace, the early 924 played things fairly modestly. The 2.0-liter inline-four, borrowed from VW/Audi, made about 125 horsepower and 122 lb-ft of torque. It would later gain more potent versions, culminating in the 210 hp, 207 lb-ft Carrera GT.
But the 924’s party trick wasn’t brute force. It was light, balanced, and easier to drive at the limit than its rear-engined siblings. Purists sniffed at the parts-bin engine (some still do), but buyers liked what they saw. Around 150,000 units left the factory, each with those delightful pop-up headlights.
1977: Enter the 928
If the 924 was a cautious step, the 928 was Porsche going full-tilt in a new direction. This was supposed to be the car that could replace the 911 entirely, a luxurious grand tourer with real pace. It came with a 4.5-liter V8 making 219 horsepower at launch, with displacement and power creeping up over the years to 5.4 liters and 345 horsepower in the GTS.
The 928 wasn’t just powerful. It was advanced: an all-aluminum engine, a clever Weissach rear axle to tame lift-off oversteer, and styling that still turns heads today. In 1978, it became the only sports car ever to win European Car of the Year. Not bad for a supposed 911 usurper that never actually managed to dethrone its sibling.
1982: The 944 Bridges the Gap
By the early ’80s, Porsche saw room between the entry-level 924 and the V8 928. Enter the 944, essentially a heavily reworked 924 with a wider stance, more aggressive styling, and, crucially, a Porsche-built engine.
The new 2.5-liter four-cylinder was effectively half a 928’s V8, producing 143 hp in the base car. Over the years, Porsche kept turning the wick up: the Turbo and Turbo S versions made as much as 250 hp, while the naturally aspirated S2 with its 3.0-liter, 208 hp engine offered strong performance without forced induction. Torque topped out at 207 lb-ft.
The 944 hit the sweet spot for many buyers: quick enough to be fun, practical enough for everyday use, and unmistakably Porsche in feel. More than 160,000 were sold, making it the most successful of the transaxle cars.
1991: The 968 Bows Out in Style
The 968 was a refined send-off for the transaxle line. Essentially an evolution of the 944 Turbo’s chassis, it came with a 3.0-liter four-cylinder, dual overhead cams, and Porsche’s VarioCam variable valve timing system. Output was a healthy 240 horsepower and 225 lb-ft, mated to a six-speed manual or a Tiptronic auto.
There were coupe and cabrio versions, plus the rare and raucous Turbo S. That one used a single turbo to push 305 hp and a massive 369 lb-ft of torque, enough for 0–60 mph in under 5 seconds and a top speed around 175 mph. Just 16 were built, which is why collectors get glassy-eyed when one comes up for sale.
Why the Transaxle Porsches Still Matter
Looking back, the transaxle era feels less like an odd diversion and more like a calculated expansion. The 924 brought new customers into the fold. The 944 gave the layout real Porsche performance chops. The 968 perfected the formula. And the 928 proved that a front-engined Porsche could be a long-legged GT without losing the brand’s handling magic.
Sure, they never knocked the 911 off its pedestal. But with air-cooled 911 values now well into six figures, these cars remain a far more attainable entry point into classic Porsche ownership, at least for now. Prices are rising as enthusiasts rediscover their balance, usability, and period charm.
Designer Harm Lagaay, who penned both the first (924) and last (968 GTS) transaxle models, once said the era bridged the gap between Porsche’s air-cooled past and its water-cooled future. Without them, the Boxster and 996 might have looked and driven very differently.
End of the Road
By 1995, Porsche was in transition. The 968 bowed out, the 928 lingered a little longer, and attention shifted to the mid-engined Boxster and the 996-generation 911. Simpler production lines, stronger brand alignment, and the enduring pull of the rear-engined layout won the day.
But the transaxle cars remain an important and increasingly appreciated chapter in Porsche history. They were the cars that dared to change the formula, and in doing so, they brought new ideas, new engineering solutions, and new fans into the Porsche world.
