The normally stoic Germans weren't immune from this trend. As far as I can tell there were at least 8 different 924 "limited edition" appearance packages. This car started out life as one of them.
This is a 1979 Porsche 924 "Sebring". It was produced to celebrate Porsche's success at Sebring. The Sebring Edition had a special Sebring stripe on it and a BIG 924 decal on the front. It also had a "tartan" interior. "Tartan" would be "plaid" to most of us. (A sunroof was also standard on the Sebring Edition)
This car must have been repainted. The stripes are gone as is the giant 924 sticker on the nose. Esthetically neither are much of a loss, but since those (along with the wheels) were part of the Sebring's exterior package, part of the car's uniqueness is gone.
Ahhh, but the interior remains. Holy sh*t! What were they thinking? Yeah, I know. It was the seventies and it was a different time. I also know that the Triumph TR7 came with a plaid interior, but it never jumped out at you like this one does. I don't know if I could drive any car, no matter how nice, with an interior like this one. (Jon, who sent me this link, called it the "Bay City Rollers Interior". A good comparison if you're old enough to know who they were.)
If you can get past that interior, this car has a lot going for it. The car has been well maintained and recently had some minor, but needed, work done to it. (Thermostat and cooling fan switch, transmission linkage bushings, things like that) It has a fairly rare Porsche 5 speed "dogleg" transmission. (First is below reverse). This transmission was only available in 1979 on the 924. (Although I believe it was also found in the 1978 924 Turbo - Porsche experts chime in here). Included with the car is a spare transmission.
It needs some minor work, the worst of which is a new muffler and a few tiny rust spots. It also has a crack in the dash and a tear in the seat (Easily repaired with material from an old kilt, I suppose)What's really impressive about this car is the asking price of $1100.00. If you can get past the plaid, this could be a cheap, fun car you could drive right away for less than $2000.00. Throw on the muffler, give it a tune up and drive around all summer in it. Deal with the dash, the seats and the rust spots in the winter.
Located in Hampden, MA, click here to see the Craigslist ad.A big thanks to Jon for sending me the link to this car.
** 6/4/10 update. Wow, that didn't take long to sell. The posting was deleted by the seller this morning. If you have your heart set on a Sebring, this one is available in Whitefish, MT, for considerably more money.
