| In the auto racing world, the early 1960's were | | | | changing 'political' situation between the companies |
| very significant from the Porsche point of view in | | | | kept the price too high. |
| that racing sports cars started to develop further | | | | However, the Porsche company was not |
| away from anything that could be driven on the | | | | deterred in its attempts to keep a cheaper sports |
| road. To remain competitive in international | | | | car in the range. It was decided that a break with |
| events, Porsche had to follow this trend. | | | | tradition was needed and the front-engined |
| The results were a string of rear-engined | | | | water-cooled 924 was brought out in 1975, |
| ultra-lightweight air-cooled cars with bigger and | | | | utilizing many Volkswagen components. Porsche |
| bigger engines that culminated in the | | | | also produced a more ambitious car, the |
| Targa-winning 3-litre 908/3 and the awesome 370 | | | | V8-engined 928, to complete the range, before |
| km/h (230 mph) turbocharged Can-Am car, the | | | | extending it yet further by introducing the 944. |
| 917/30. The 917s were extremely successful and | | | | This car was part of a new policy for the 1980s |
| it was only when the racing regulations had been | | | | of producing cars to individual specifications to suit |
| changed that other marques had much chance of | | | | each major market. In this case, it was what the |
| winning; nevertheless the expenditure on | | | | Americans wanted, an all-steel version of the 924 |
| development was not wasted by Porsche. | | | | Turbo competition car, with all the bottom-end |
| The fruits were seen in the 930, a 258 km/h | | | | pulling power that could be endowed by a big new |
| (160 mph) turbocharged version of the 911. In | | | | 2,5-litre four-cylinder engine based on one half of |
| company with the 930, other 911s have received | | | | the 928's V8. |
| more power and become more expensive in the | | | | Meanwhile, Porsche re-entered grand prix racing |
| quest to retain their high performance and still | | | | with a new 1.5-litre turbocharged V6 engine |
| meet speed-sapping American exhaust-emission | | | | financed by the French TAG concern for a |
| regulations. | | | | McLaren chassis, and continued in world |
| The Porsche hierarchy was frightened by this | | | | championship long-distance racing with a 2.65-liter |
| price spiral and collaborated with the company's | | | | turbocharged full monocoque car, the type 956. |
| old allies, Volkswagen, to produce a cheaper car in | | | | The old professor Porsche would have been |
| the late 1960s; the 914. This mid-engined machine | | | | proud to have seen his name on the world's |
| was not really successful because of the | | | | leading high-performance cars. |
| excellence of the 911 series and the fact that a | | | | |