The duel - Porsche versus Volkswagen
11/29/2018
Almost 40 years ago, Porsche and Volkswagen were fighting for the same customers, just as is the case today with SUVs, for example. Back then, however, it was all about coupé buyers and Porsche had the 924 and VWthe Scirocco (2nd edition) to offer them.
Because the two cars were quite differently priced, the question naturally arose as to whether the Scirocco could keep up with the 924. This was answered by a comparative test in issue 16/1981 of Auto Motor und Sport.
The VW offered more space, the Porsche more sportiness at first glance. 110 horsepower from Wolfsburg compared to 125 from Zuffenhausen. However, with a kerb weight of 1125 kg, the Stuttgart horsepower had considerably more to do than the VW's 917 kg; in fact, the Scirocco offered a power-to-weight ratio of 8.3 kg/PR, while the 924 only achieved 9.0 kg/HP.
And the VW actually sprinted from 0 to 100 km/h faster, namely in 9.2 seconds, while the Porsche needed 9.5 seconds. However, the 924 reached 180 km/h seven seconds earlier, and with a top speed of 204 km/h it had the edge anyway (Scirocco 191.5 km/h).
The VW converted its lower weight into lower fuel consumption and also showed better elasticity values.
All in all, the Scirocco GTI for DM 22,545 was actually quite convincing compared to the Porsche 924 costing DM 29,980, especially as the Porsche was not even better equipped.
So the conclusion was that the Scirocco was the better buy. But of course this result was qualified a little with the final sentence: "So a good car was beaten by a better one.".
No wonder the Porsche sales director said: "Our prices are a real problem for us", pointing in particular to the difference between the Porsche 924 and the Mazda RX-7. However, Auto Motor und Sport speculated that a similar difference in Germany between the Scirocco and 924 could lead to similar sales problems. But then again, that was 37 years ago and things would probably be judged a little differently today.
