The Front-Engine Gamble: Porsche’s Transaxle Revolution from 1976 to 1995

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.