C694 FWT - 1985 924 Lux Automatic
A crushed, rusted, windscreen-less 924 with no V5 and a tree growing through it. I bought it anyway. Here’s why — and what happens next.
Turn back to April 2022: lockdowns had lifted, life was returning to normal—and I was inexplicably bored. I shouldn’t have been—I’d bought both a Boxster S and a Cayenne in the previous two years—but I was craving a new project. With the classic-car market at a peak, I longed for a vintage Porsche. Problem was, I couldn’t afford one. My only spare cash was tied up in my house deposit, and even a 944 was out of reach, let alone a 911.
Then one evening on Facebook Marketplace, I stumbled across this 924. I’d tackled most mechanical repairs before, but my welding experience was minimal—and I knew this car had been exposed to the elements for a decade: no windscreen, no rear hatch, leaking sunroof. It also didn’t come with a V5 registration document. I’d applied to the DVLA back then and heard nothing—another clue as to why it had been left to rot.
Here’s the backstory: the car went in for minor restoration at a local garage, and while work was being finished, an adjacent stone building collapsed on top of it. Bonnet and wings crushed, windscreen shattered. With insurance either nonexistent or declined, and a dispute over an unpaid invoice, the garage ended up owning the car and parked it outside indefinitely. When I met the current owner—himself a transaxle-era Porsche collector—he threw in a new bonnet, steering wheel, boxed 924 Martini wheels, and fresh suspension arms. I was thrilled but aware of the welding ahead. Posting photos to the 924 Owners Club only highlighted the challenge.
Someone replied, “You’re brave,” alongside an image showing a tree literally growing through the front end.
Yet when I turned the key, the engine turned over, even firing on starter fluid without touching the distributor cap or leads. I replaced the driver’s sill, fitted a new windscreen, and spent hundreds on parts. Then my new house was ready, work hours crept up, and the project stalled—until this year, when a fresh application to the DVLA finally yielded a V5. With paperwork in hand and a renewed sense of purpose, I’m ready to finish what I started.
Is it worth fixing? Probably not. Will it return to the road? Absolutely—and hopefully very soon. Join me as I see this wilderness-reclaimed 924 through to completion.
