1980 924GTP Even After the War, When the Company Was Operated by the British Military, It Still Didn't Need Any Advertising
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found role as historical analyst. At the end CHAPTER 27 of the first thread was another. Another rev elation. Another thread, far longer. "VW also didn't have any research department. The research was continually performed by Porsche. Porsche was the developer of the car, the Strength Through Joy car, the KDF-wagen, the Beetle. And 1980 924GTP even after the war, when the company was operated by the British Military, it still didn't need any advertising. Nor did they need research. Later-much later-it was decid 1981924GTS ed that Porsche would have a formal agreement. To do a set amount of research work. A set amount of time would be devot Porsche's Best-Kept Secrets ed to the research for VW.... " Out of the tapestry at this point, Tony Lapine pulled the thread that was the 914, Another thread, called Kurt Lotz, began in black and ended in red. It was a thread cut short. Still another thread, stronger and with a new direction, was called Rudolf Leiding. AI Holbert and Peter Gregg II VOlkSWagen'S history, because it was a It was knotted to the 914, and when it was were to drive the 1980 924 different type of company-inaugurat pulled, it came undone. GTP at Le Mans. But Gregg ed by dictatorial orders-never really Leiding was promoted to managing was injured in a road acci required an advertising department." director from within VW on October 1, 1971. dent and Derek Bell, Tony Lapine, his deep voice filled with His direction was to make Volkswagen's already with many testing mirth, delivered a history lesson. As all history cars front engined and water cooled. His miles in the car, was draff is complex, its many elements interwoven to thread veered sharply away from VW histo ed from the English GTP create a tapestry with many textures as well ry, In the interest of seeing less red ink, Leid team. Despite a top end of as colors, this history teller attempted to fol ing also put Porsche on notice: at the end "only" 288km/h (180mph), low one color, one pattern, one theme of the current contract, about two more the cars ran well until through to the end. years, VW would cease needing outside valves burned on two of "Think about it," he continued. "The Ger research and begin to do its own. the three entries. man labor union let its members buy '''We'll give you something to do,''' Lap stamps, keep a little book. And when they ine paraphrased Leiding. "'See if you can filled so many books, a Beetle belonged to come up with a sports car, something rea the worker. So, as such, you don't need any sonable in two years time. '" advertising. There were no 'gurus.' It was There was one parameter: use anything the only car there was and it was the only that is on the corporate shelf. one you could have even if there had been "It was fitting," Lapine frowned, inter others.... " cepting the anticipated protests. "The 356 Lapine sat back deeper in his armchair. was nothing more than that. It was a normal A thread was uncovered. approach, where it was possible. The cylin "Well, there was one 'guru.' And he der heads should be different, the brakes ordered the car and said it was good for should be somewhat healthier, but it was in you. The company had no advertising a typical style of creation for the time. And department, and this went on unnoticed for nobody doubted that the 356 was a gen a very long time.... " uine Porsche!" Lapine smiled widely. The former design During the summer before Rudolf Leid chief for Porsche enjoyed equally his new ing's promotion, Dr. Ernst Fuhrmann was _. _. __ ... __ """"', • ......" I, whiCh was the Golt. Mr. LOtz was succeed 111l::' VUIUl::' Fuhrmann explained. "There are two ed by Mr. Leiding who had developed the Suddenly s~ reasons to fire a manager: one reason is he competing car.... Leiding is not successful. The other reason is he is "So, he chose the Golf with the other later, repla, too successful.... engine, not the Porsche design," Fuhrmann 1975. "I was successful. The office manager recalled. "A new prototype was already in "SchmC thought that I did anything I wanted and development for VW as a successor to the recalled, "( that I didn't care about him. That was true." Golf. It was Mr. Piech's and Mr. Bott's pro car, but y< Fuhrmann laughed, both at the other man posal to build our 911 successor from this problems tt ager and about the streak of indepen new VW prototype.... not be buil( dence that ironically brought him back to "Well then, VW-werk decided not to right now.'" Porsche. build the Porsche-designed car. And also to But nothi For 7987, Porsche returned "Well, the position offered at Porsche cancel the research contract. (In that time, Schmucl to Le Mans again with the was very simple and easy to handle. It was the whole costs of our development center concludeo 924, but this time, it was no complicated thing.... were supported by VW. Weissach was its capacity c< the GTP prototype for the "But four weeks later.... " Fuhrmann's development center. It meant Weissach the sites ch 944, using the 2.5 liter, already soft voice went even quieter. cost nothing to us!) mer NSU ~ 420hp four-cylinder block "In 1966, Ferdinand Piech had gone to "And within two months of returning to Stuttgart, in \ derived from half the 928 Volkswagenwerk with a new car, the mid Porsche, I had no successor to the 911, and I "Well, thl engine. Jurgen Barth and dle-engine car, the car to replace the Bee was reserve. Walter Rohr/ finished 7th had no work after the next year for Weis tle, the 914. Porsche's success was with that sach. For the time remaining in the contract, it was planr overall in an event-free Mr. Leiding gave me the order. Wurttembe race. Porsche Werke. popped up. Right, strictly racing. The "See if you can come up with something reasonable.... this factory, last vestiges of Tony Lap does not bui ine's styling department "And I said, 'That's what we're here for!'" Fuhrmann explained. "We sudc were removed. Only the ed, curious, fresh air vent remained Five hundred kilometers away, at his home in Baden-Baden, Tony Lapine picked sion to not t unmodified. Red line for Baden-Wur1 the 375hp race engine up the story: "So this time, Porsche had a freer run of the shelves, and there were labor and u was 7000rpm, both on the lems. Secone more shelves to pick from! Look at the tach and on dymo tape on the car on tl engines available, the transmissions! There the steering column. a damned ~ was Audi, VW. That was the beginning of third, VW we the 924.... " up, becau But within a year, it was the end of VW through thei project EA425, the code by which Rudolf Porsche." Leiding and his associates referred 'to Lapine Sl "something reasonable." Leiding had anx had becom iously awaited its delivery. Tony Lapine's styl parties got < ists had done an outstanding job on the was that POI car's interior and exterior and Leiding was "But this plainly excited. He anticipated that it would with everytt improve VW's image in the world. There was we could w even a supposition that he could use it to things were compete with Porsche as an affordable and a diffen sports car. The 92.£1 Leiding's ambitions began to trip them November selves up however, as internal problems and tion was up expansion began to cost too much. This was series for thE complicated in late 1973 by the creation in 172 Ie was the the Middle East of the Organization of many at 23,240DM (about $8,900), the US orsche on Petroleum Exporting Countries, OPEC, version sold for $9,395. program, whose first order of business was to increase In order to bring its performance up to match its looks, the 924 was turbocharged succeed the value of its own primary product, oil. for the 1979 model year. While the produc loped the Suddenly sports cars were less appealing. Leiding was relieved of his job a year tion turbo version produced 170hp, up from 125hp from the first cars, it was the 1979 the other later, replaced by Toni Schmucker, in early Fuhrmann 1975, Frankfurt Auto show that introduced already in "Schmucker saw the car," Lapine Porsche's best kept secret, the 924 Carrera iSor to the recalled, "and said, 'Well, it's a very lovely GT. 30ft'S pro car, but you know we have some other Much of Tony Lapine staff's interior was . from this problems that we have to solve and we will removed, replaced with spare, black-paint not be building this automobile, at least not ed metal and simple cloth racing bucket right now,'" seats. Overall the 924 Carrera weighed The interior was gutted in ~d not to But nothing is so simple. 150kg (330Ib) less than the stock turbo. the Carrera GTS, fitted .nd also to instead with simply uphol that time, Schmucker's evaluation of Volkswagen Under the hood, the 2.0 liter Audi-based engine, turbocharged and intercooled, stered racing bucket ~nt center concluded that the firm had too much produced 21 Ohp at 6000rpm. Under the seats. In all, 170kg (375Ib) ~h was its capacity compared to production.