Porsche has restored the 924 Carrera GTS rally car that Walter Röhrl raced during the 1981 German Rally Championship.
Röhrl’s car is based on the 924 Carrera GTS homologation special, 50 of which were built for Group 4 racing. In addition, Porsche made nine prototypes, of which Röhrl’s car was the fifth. It had a handful of unique features, including skid plates beneath the oil pan and gearbox, a fiberglass coating across the axle links and rear transaxle, and the fuel distributor from a 928.
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In restoring the car to its former glory, the automaker’s racing department in Weissach returned it to its original black and gold livery reflective of its Monnet cognac sponsorship, as it had been repainted blue after Röhrl raced the car. In addition, Porsche’s experts replaced the fuel supply system while rebuilding the original brake calipers, intercooler housing, and KKK 26 turbochargers. The car also features an original racing clutch and sits on a set of 255/55 R15 Pirelli tires with the original tread pattern.
It also retained the heavily revised Volkswagen EA831 engine, a 2.0-liter turbocharged four-cylinder mill that was used for the entirety of the 1981 rally season, as well as the original racing harnesses.
Porsche presented the restored car to Röhrl as a surprise for his 74th birthday. During the 1981 season, he secured four race wins in the car and came second in the championship, so seeing the car returned to its original form was clearly quite special for him.
“It was a huge surprise for me,” Röhrl said in a statement. “I stepped out of the car 40 years ago and haven’t sat in it again since. For me, it’s a journey back in time. I immediately feel 40 years younger.”
