Pick of the Day: 1977 Porsche 924 Martini Edition

I will admit it, there was a time many years ago when I would not have considered a Porsche 924 a collectible car. Yes, I was one of those air cooled Porsche snobs who considered the 356 and 911 the pinnacle of collector Porsches and would not have given a 924 even a passing glance. When I say many years ago I am speaking of the 1980s when I was still in high school.

Over the years I have changed my tune, partially due to the fact that I have owned a few water-cooled and transaxle Porsches, and also due to the fact that if Porsche chose to call a model a Porsche, who was I to disagree with them. The company is called Porsche and not Reid, so I defer to the founders and owners of Porsche to decide which of their cars bear the Porsche name.

An additional data point is that having now owned a few front engine water-cooled Porsche and scores of 911 cars, the transaxle cars are in a lot of ways superior to the 911. I know that statement is no less than heresy to many Porsche fans, but that is my experience. The transaxle cars are more comfortable, handle better, and are just as fun to drive as a comparable period 911. True, most of them are not as fast as almost any 911 but any classic 911 is slow by modern standards, and going fast is not what most classic cars are all about anyway.

My Pick of the Day is one of these formerly unloved Porsche cars, a 1977 Porsche 924 Martini Edition for sale on ClassicCars.com.

The Martini edition was a marketing idea dreamed up by Porsche to celebrate the Martini and Rossi liveried Porsche race cars that won the 1976 championship, and it was the first special edition 924 model. The Martini edition 924 had factory option #426 and this option included:
Red/white/blue Martini Rossi stripes along the sides
Front and rear sway bars
Leather covered steering wheel
White painted alloy rims
Scarlet red carpet with matching fabric inlays on black vinyl seats along with
Martini Rossi stripes on the headrest

These cars look very cool in person and speak to the era better than any other production model Porsche of the time.

I have seen scruffy driver level Martini edition 924s sell for as little as $5,000 to $6,000, but this example looks to be extra special.

The seller describes the car is in spectacular condition and was just released from a world class car collection. The car has covered a total of only 24,771 miles from new. They state that it is so good that it looks like a brand new car. They add that it is one of a total of only 2,960 produced.

The seller adds that this car just had extensive service including timing belt and it also drives and performs perfectly. The car also includes all books, tools, a complete service history file, and a Porsche factory Certificate of authenticity. It is completely original and has never been restored.

Now I am a big fan of these cars and have seen a number on concours fields in the last few years, but from the pictures provided this 924 Martini edition looks to be the finest example I have ever seen.

The asking price for this 1977 Porsche 924 Martini Edition might seem a bit high at $39,900 but consider that any model classic 911 in this condition would cost a minimum of $100,000 more. If I had the spare money and wanted a Porsche car that was in the running to be the best example of the model n the world, this is the car I would buy.

To view this listing on ClassicCars.com, see Pick of the Day.