Majorette Porsche 924 and Matchbox Porsche 944 Turbo

When it comes to Porsche you can only hold out for so long with a sports car only lineup and that has put pressure on the company, but now thanks to surging sales and with help from the Cayenne Porsche has been brought back into positive numbers and success for years to come.  This is nothing new as Porsche has toyed with several models hoping to increase the bottom line from a company whose 911 is the sole model.  One of those early pioneers was the Porsche 924/944 Turbo.

Introduced in 1976 the 924 was a collaboration between Porsche and Volkswagen, two who had a long history with each other, to create a front-engine, rear-wheel drive car to replace the mid-engine 914.  The result was a fastback coupe model that has a more practical interior with seating for four, a fuel efficient engine supplied by Audi, and sleeker styling that bears no relation to the 911.  The car was praised for its excellent handling, but sneered by the lack of horsepower thanks to emission regulations.  This was solved in the 1980's when the Porsche 944 Turbo arrived with more power and a body that was more bolder with flared fenders, revised front bumper with larger foglights and a rear spoiler wrapped around the rear window.  This would bring in more success with the car and in effect the entire line was a sales success for Porsche and helped bring the company through the dark times of the 1970's.  The 924 is powered by a 2.0L SOHC I-4 that produced 110 horsepower through a 4-speed manual transmission.  By the time the 944 Turbo arrived it is now a 2.5L DOHC turbocharged I-4 that produced 217 horsepower through a 5-speed manual transmission.  The interior has a simple layout with a clean dashboard and controls well placed within driver's reach compared to the crude 911 setup.

Majorette was first on the 924 bandwagon with this impressive model shown here in red with white PORSCHE along the lower sides.  The front has hidden headlights, black bumper that is part of the interior trim and features signal and foglights and a central Euro plate.  The lower chin spoiler is part of the metal base and that metal base features a working suspension.  In the handling tests the car showed great reflexes but too much body roll.  On the sides the windows dip down a bit into the doors and the gas cap is visible on the right rear fender.  The rear has a wraparound hatch glass, a gridded taillight setup, and a metal bumper.  The nice feature is the opening rear hatch that opens at a 90 degree angle to a vast cargo area complete with luggage and a spare tire.  The interior has a red color with seating for four and a black dashboard setup.  This is a great example of a clean, early 924 that looks great, but for more fun the Matchbox version offers more.

I remember a teacher who had one of these when I was a kid, though unlikely it was a Turbo it was black with tan interior and it was a cool looking car.  For Matchbox they offered several versions of this car and I have the best ones here to show.  The front-end has a more smoother nose with signal lights and foglights now integrated into the larger grille, while most of these models have the large Porsche logo on the hood and 944 turbo on the sides.  The 8-dot wheels look great on this car, but sitting to close to the fender limits suspension travel and causes wheel rub against the fenders.  On the sides the flared fenders are there, if barely pronounced, window trim does not dip into the doors anymore, the gas cap is now concealed behind a cover, and out back the rear spoiler wraps around the window and the gridded taillights remain with the license plate area also the base support tab.  Note how Matchbox lifted the rear-end so that you can see the exhaust muffler and tip exiting on the left side of the rear.  The metal base shows off the engine, drivetrain, and suspension components including the exhaust system and the lower arch of the spare tire recess.

The doors open on the 944 Turbo's and show off the tan interior with front bucket seats, barely visible rear seats, and a dashboard that shows off the 2-spoke steering wheel and shift knob.  The most common versions that I remember is the red and metallic green colors that look like a great Christmas match.  Adding to that is the harder-to-find black and then there's the Collector's Choice 1993 model in yellow.  Note on the yellow one that it has a black interior, only 944 turbo on the sides, and the front and rear lights are detailed from the factor (those are not my details).  It's a very sharp looking car that looks great in any color and goes along well with the earlier Majorette version.