performance, especially with the US spec cars. With only 95–110 hp, rapid acceleration was simply not an option, but the Porsche name carried with it higher expectations. When the 924 Turbo models came out, Car and Driver magazine proclaimed the car "Fast...at Last!" The later 924S had performance on par with the Turbo, but with much improved reliability, and at less cost. The 1981 and 1982 Turbos and the associated special variants are garnering interest in collector circles, and while many still exist, excellent examples of the cars are quite scarce as of today. The 924 was discontinued in 1988, with Porsche concentrating on producing the faster 944 as its entry-level model. 924 Turbo Porsche executives soon recognised the need for a higher-performance version of the 924 that could take advantage of the models excellent balance and bridge the gap between the standard 924 and the 911. Having already found the benefits of turbochargers on several race cars and the 1975 911 Turbo (930), Porsche chose to use this technology for the 924, eventually introducing the 924 Turbo in 1978. On release the 924 Turbo was met with high praise from the automotive community and journalists alike. It was celebrated for its supercar-like performance and impeccable handling, with build quality, general attention to proportion and more purposeful aesthetics garnering universal approval. Some criticised the turbocharged I4 for its coarseness, but critics forgave it in exchange for its economy and remarkable power increase over the naturally-aspirated car. In their comparison against the Aston Martin V8, Porsche 928, Porsche 911 3.0SC, BMW 635 CSI and Lotus Eclat 523, Motor Magazine found the 924 Turbo to be joint second in top-speed (achieving an average of 142 mph) and second in 0-60 mph acceleration (achieving a time of 6,9 seconds) being topped only by the Aston V8 at 145 mph and Porsche 911 at 6.5 seconds respectively, a remarkable feat considering the difference in displacement and price between the models. To power the 924 Turbo, Porsche heavily revised the VW EA831 2.0 L I4 motor already used in the n/a 924, opting to hand assemble the engine at the Porsche factory in Zuffenhausen, Stuttgart. Porsche engineers designed and equipped it with a revised crankcase, connecting rods, cylinder-head gasket, crankshaft and an all new aluminium-silicon alloy cylinder head. With the use of dished combustion chambers and specially shaped pistons the compression ratio was reduced to