Each year at the Rolex 24, the Porsche Club of America has an area called the Porsche Paddock located in the infield just before the “kink” between the two horseshoes. A $200 ticket gets you into the Paddock with your Porsche. While 924S944.com didn’t make this year’s event, Nort Northam of Winter Park was sure to be there, even with the COVID restrictions, spacing, etc. He brought his 1989 911 Speedster and his 1988 924S Special Edition.
We normally team up with Nort and his wonderful Speedster for various events. And this rare Speedster is a driver, not relegated to a corner in some museum, but driven in PCA events – as well as to and from these events. Silver with a blue interior, it is a fair-weather car since the top does very little to keep out the rain. In fact, Porsche didn’t call it a “convertible top;” they called it a “cover.”
When we go to these events, including car shows around Central Florida, 924S944.com brings one or two 924S’s from the inventory. Invariably, our lowly 924S gets more attention than his one-of-823 Speedster with comments like “I had a 944 – best Porsche I ever owned!” and “I wish I had never sold my 924S.” At one show last year at the end of the day, Nort commented, “I’m not parking near you any more. No one looks at my Speedster!” We still park next to one another, though.
Even though we didn’t attend with one of our cars, Nort represented the 924S-944 group with his black 924S Special Edition, and it got a lot more attention than his Speedster parked next to it.
Bottom line – the 944/924S line are real Porsches, and they are appreciated by real Porsche people – and respected. Really. So join PCA and go to events to show off your cars!
It’s a shame that Porsche, who built their brand on the race track in the 60’s, 70’s and 80’s, have seemed to abandon sports car racing in the last decade or two. Privateers still race the 911 RSR, and the most popular Porsche Club Racing is the 944 Cup series with SP1, SP2 and SP3 classes.
No fear – we will keep racing our 944’s and 924S’s to keep Porsche Racing alive!
Will it take another 10 years for 924S prices to go the way of 914/4?
Value/pricing is a function of generations advancing in age and wealth. The folks who loved the 914 but couldn’t get one “back in the day” or had one and wanted to recapture something drove up demand about five years ago, which caused an increase in value/price. This renaissance is a real thing, and it is starting now with the 924/944 series. The demand for good, stock Series 1 924’s in going up, and we know that the 924S/944 prices are climbing, all for the same reason. Some of my customers are really excited about recapturing their youth with a 30+-year-old STOCK 944, and these are folks who also have much newer 911’s. It’s all emotional. The 914/4 is not a great car by today’s standards, and neither is the Series I 924, but demand is there. Who knew?