This Porsche 924 Was The UAE's First Performance Police Car

Fully restored, this 924 once escorted Queen Elizabeth II during her historic 1979 visit to the UAE.

Photo by: Porsche

By: Adrian Padeanu

Nov 10, at 3:40am ET

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The UAE is famous for its police cars, with everything from supercars to high-performance EVs wearing the distinctive livery. However, the country's relationship with exotic performance vehicles goes back much further than most people might realize. In fact, it all started with a 924 nearly half a century ago.

Porsche has now brought that historic sports car back to life through a comprehensive restoration carried out by Porsche Centre Abu Dhabi and Al Ain. Built in 1979, it was the first performance car to join the UAE Federal Police fleet and had a special assignment: escorting Queen Elizabeth II during her first royal visit to the newly formed country that year.

As you'd expect from a proper restoration, the team focused on bringing the sports car as close as possible to its original condition. Rather than taking the easy route by simply slapping on decals and calling it a day, the specialists used paint to recreate the original police lettering.

Restored 1979 Porsche 924 for UAE police

Photo by: Porsche

This Porsche 924 Will Reside In Abu Dhabi

The restored Porsche will make its first public appearance at the Icons of Porsche festival in Dubai on November 21-22. Afterward, it will find a permanent home at the Al Maqta Museum in Abu Dhabi.

Today's UAE police fleets are considerably more extravagant, with the 911 and even the electric Taycan among the models that have worn police colors. Still, it's worth remembering that the tradition began with a relatively modest 924. Not every police department needs a Lamborghini or Ferrari to make an impression, although even a Porsche 924 is hardly mundane.

The 924's return to the spotlight is particularly fitting, as Porsche celebrates 50 years of its transaxle sports cars. Introduced in 1976, the 924 pioneered a layout that placed the engine at the front and the gearbox and differential at the rear, helping achieve more balanced weight distribution. The 928, 944, and 968 followed, marking an interesting chapter in Porsche history.

Restored 1979 Porsche 924 for UAE police

Photo by: Porsche

The Porsche 924's Humble Beginnings

The 924 has a rather unusual backstory. In the early 1970s, Volkswagen commissioned Porsche to develop a successor to the VW-Porsche 914. Known internally as the EA 425, the project called for a practical 2+2 sports car with a front-mounted engine and a transaxle layout.

However, Volkswagen ran into financial difficulties and eventually pulled the plug in 1974. With development already well advanced, Porsche stepped in, bought the project back, and turned it into its own entry-level sports car. The decision proved particularly timely following the 1973 oil crisis, as Porsche needed a more affordable model to attract buyers.

The production 924 arrived in 1976, introducing several firsts for the Stuttgart-based automaker. It was its first series-production car with a front-mounted, water-cooled engine, while its gearbox sat at the rear to improve weight distribution. Power came from a 2.0-liter four-cylinder sourced from Audi, producing 123 hp. That combination didn't immediately win over traditional Porsche enthusiasts, who weren't particularly thrilled about the Audi engine, the car's proportions, or its unconventional transaxle configuration. Some even dismissed it as a lesser Porsche.

The transaxle configuration wasn't just an unusual engineering experiment. By connecting the front-mounted engine to a rear-mounted transmission through a rigid torque tube, Porsche aimed to distribute weight more evenly between the two axles. This improved balance, high-speed stability, and predictable handling, giving the cars solid road manners.

Restored 1979 Porsche 924 police car for Abu Dhabi

Source: Porsche

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The Porsche 924 Eventually Became A Smash Hit

But the 924 gradually silenced its critics by becoming a commercial success. Porsche expanded the lineup with the 924 Turbo in 1978, initially producing 168 hp, followed by the more focused Carrera GT and Carrera GTS versions. The model also laid the groundwork for the 944, which arrived in 1981 with a 2.5-liter four-cylinder derived from half of the V8 developed for the 928. Porsche eventually gave the 924 that engine, too, creating the 924 S.

Production continued until 1988, by which time Porsche had built about 325,000 924s and its derivatives.