The chapter that ran in parallel.
What this era was
While the 911 stayed air-cooled and rear-engine through the 1980s, Porsche built and sold three other model lines that were exactly the opposite: water-cooled, front-engine, transmission at the rear. The 924, the 944, and the 928 — collectively known as the transaxle Porsches because of their drivetrain layout — ran from 1976 through 1995. For roughly twenty years, more than half of the Porsches sold in the United States were not 911s.
Each one had a different origin story. Each one had a different ambition. None of them replaced the 911, which they were variously supposed to do, but all three deserve their own histories.
The 924 — the Volkswagen project
The 924 began as a Volkswagen project. In the early 1970s, Volkswagen wanted a sporty coupe to fill the gap above the Beetle and the Golf, and contracted Porsche to design it. The car was nearly complete when Volkswagen — facing financial pressure — cancelled the project. Porsche bought the design back and built it in their own facility in Neckarsulm, Germany, starting in 1976.
The 924 used a 2.0 liter inline-four engine borrowed from Audi (technically a Volkswagen product line) — initially making 95 horsepower. The transmission was mounted at the rear axle, connected to the engine by a long driveshaft running through a central tube. This gave the car nearly 50-50 weight distribution and excellent balance.
The 924 sold well — approximately 121,000 examples through 1988. The car was significantly cheaper than the 911 and brought new buyers into the Porsche brand. But it was always considered the entry-level chassis, often dismissed by 911 enthusiasts.
The 944 — the proper Porsche
By 1982, Porsche wanted to evolve the 924 into something more substantial. The result was the 944 — a wider, more aggressively-styled coupe with a 2.5 liter inline-four engine that Porsche designed in-house. The 944 inherited the transaxle layout, but every other part of the car was upgraded.
Power started at 143 horsepower in the base 944. The 944 Turbo (1985) added a KKK turbocharger and made 220 horsepower — competitive with the contemporary 911 Carrera 3.2. The 944 Turbo S (1988) made 250 horsepower. The 944 S2 (1989) used a 3.0 liter naturally-aspirated engine producing 208 horsepower — the largest production four-cylinder in the world at the time.
Production ran from 1982 to 1991. Approximately 163,000 944s were built across all variants. The 944 Turbo specifically is now an emerging collector car — clean examples have moved from $15,000 to $40,000-plus in less than a decade.
The 928 — the would-be 911 replacement
The 928 was designed to be Porsche's flagship grand tourer and was originally intended to replace the 911 entirely. The 911 was, in the early 1970s, considered an aging design — air-cooled, rear-engine, raw. The 928 was the opposite: a water-cooled, front-engine, V8-powered grand tourer with sophisticated suspension and a luxurious interior.
Launched in 1977 with a 4.5 liter V8 producing 240 horsepower, the 928 was named European Car of the Year in 1978 — the only sports car ever to win that award. The car was technically advanced: a hatchback body, fully galvanized chassis, four-wheel disc brakes, four-wheel independent suspension with the famous Weissach axle (which used compliance bushings to induce slight toe-in during deceleration, improving stability).
Over its eighteen-year production run, the 928 was offered in escalating displacement and power. The 928 S (4.7 liter, 1979-1986), 928 S4 (5.0 liter, 1987-1991), 928 GT (1989-1991), and 928 GTS (5.4 liter, 1992-1995) marked the progression. Final 928 GTS examples produced 345 horsepower.
But the 911 refused to die. Customers preferred it. The 928 sold well — approximately 61,000 examples — but never displaced the 911. By the early 1990s, Porsche was clearly committed to the 911 as the flagship. The 928 was retired in 1995.
The 968 — the final transaxle Porsche
The 968 (1991-1995) was the last of the front-engine transaxle Porsches. It used a heavily-revised 944 platform with the 3.0 liter four-cylinder making 240 horsepower. Approximately 12,800 examples were built. The 968 Turbo S (1993-1994) is one of the rarest production Porsches ever made — fewer than 20 are believed to exist.
Why these cars matter
The 944, 924, and 928 have spent decades being dismissed by 911 purists. Increasingly, the values disagree. A clean 944 Turbo S now brings $50,000-plus. A 928 GTS — the final-spec V8 — brings $80,000 to $150,000. A 968 Turbo S, when one comes to market, brings $500,000-plus.
What these cars represent is the parallel history of Porsche during the air-cooled era. They are not the 911. They were never meant to be. But for the buyers who chose them — and there were many — they were the right Porsche.