Earliest RHD 924?

[white944]

Have seen a basket case 924. It's a very early VIN number.... 9246102352. Must be one of the first RHD examples built in 1976, no.2352 off the line.
Anyone seen an earlier one?

 

[vitesse]

No but I have been working on a friends 1976/7 924 which has a VIN starting 7 & is claimed to be an early car with points/condenser ignition-presume the car you're looking at also has points.
I don't know numbers but I seem to recollect that not many were produced in 1976 with increasing nos into 1977

 

[scm924s]

That car is a complete fraud!
DVLA says it is a 1976 924 2 litre registered in 1983, looking at it it is more 944 than anything else including the engine, plus it is RHD, possible but unlikely that early.

There are several 1976 LHD 924's in use or being restored in the UK.

 

[white944]

It is an odd one. I must say that even in the state it's in, it has all the characteristics of a 944. Obviously, it has been chopped and given a (probably) Bieber convertible kit, and, possibly later, a 968 lookalike body kit, now removed leaving the poor thing in it's current sad state. It has the 2.5 engine, 5 stud hubs, the interior looks more 1983, and the sills are smooth 944 shaped without the ridge along them. Whether it's an innocent bitza, or something more sinister remains to be seen.

 

[Martin924]

As I understand it all 1976MY cars (i.e. up to July 1976) were LHD and RHD cars were not produced until early 1977 when they were rolled out in the UK.

If it is a genuine 76 shell, conversion to RHD (my 76 was part converted when I bought it) and 5 stud hubs is entirely feasible but its provenance does look a bit iffy.

 

[white944]

Would a '76 have a VIN stamped on the strut mounting?

 

[pse_SC]

Given it’s present state, I would imagine that any originality has been largely obliterated, having been chopped about so much [&:]
What a shame.

 

[white944]

I suspect it's an early 944 to be honest. Have asked the owner to have a look for a stamped Vin in the usual places, but they could have been ground off. Methinks it may have passed through Arthur Daley's hands in the 1980s and given a moody ID.

 

[pse_SC]

... it may have passed through Arthur Daley's hands in the 1980s...

Terry should have given him a slap for doing that []

 

[white944]

Well, the owner reckons as far as he can tell the rear wings are steel, so that's almost certainly a 944 shell. He can't see any VIN stamped in the usual places, but that could easily have been ground out.

 

[alanjones]

Mine VIN is 9247100009, it's on a 78 S plate as a previous owner brought it back from Ireland but couldn't prove to the dvla the date of first registration, it should have been on a R plate but hey how lol

 

[callumelliott93]

I've got a 924 registered in January in 1980, but date of manufacture must have been 1979.. anyone know how to get this changed via DVLA? Tax and MOT exempt from January you see..

 

[CarreraRSR]

I've got a 924 registered in January in 1980, but date of manufacture must have been 1979.. anyone know how to get this changed via DVLA? Tax and MOT exempt from January you see..

MoT and tax exempt from April following registration..... not January

 

[scm924s]

If your car is registered between 1st and 7th of January, it is considered as the year previous for taxation purposes, registered after that it will be considered the current year of registration.

 

[vitesse]

More information about my friends 924 mentioned above-VIN No-9247107220---1st registered 10 .06.1977-stated as manufactured 1977 but according to wiring diagrams ,PET, used by us whilst getting it back on the road after 15 + years-seems classified as a 1976/77 model with points/capacitor ignition ,braided fuel lines to injectors & 4 stud hubs.

 

[scm924s]

RHD cars were introduced into the UK in March 1977, there may(possibly) have been the odd press car before that, but most press cars prior to that date were LHD. Unless your car is LHD I think it is most unlikely to be any earlier than the UK launch date. The VIN number indicates it is a 1977 model year car.

I believe that points ignition continued through 1978, but it's difficult to identify the changeover date/vin.

 

[vitesse]

I think you are correct-it's RHD-I honestly don't know precisely when specs were changed on the early 924 except that it seems to have been frequently ,ie.every few months when you examine the wiring / fuel diagrams.
For instance when did points ignition change to electronic module & certainly ,Bosch were continually improving the CIS fuel injection system with so many other car makers ,Mercedes,BMW,VOLVO,AUDI adopting it.
However,despite spending hours getting Mike's 924 running again& acquiring much knowledge along the way,much help from you all here,I have no wish to turn into a 924 expert-it's bad enough keeping up with 2 924S's????

 

[vitesse]

Wires crossed Stan! -my wiring diagrams don't seem to agree with 1978 but then I've discovered.
many anomalies in practice

 

[scm924s]

I've found nothing that details the changeover from points to electronic, the PET shows different distributors for both types, but unusually, don't give a vin or date change.

Not sure where you are obtaining wiring details from, but be aware that Haynes, for example, is all based upon the US LHD cars, with numerous differences to Euro spec including the use of electronic ignition from very early I believe. The very last Haynes, covering the post 1982 models which weren't available in the US, is more helpful for the latter period.

 

[vincematthews]

Re the changeover date, my VIN is 924910xxxx and was registered in August 1979, it a 2.0 litre Lux and it has points/capacitor ignition, steel braided fuel lines to injectors & 4 stud hubs.