They are not always started out as Porsches.
Porsche had little money in the beginning. Although Porsche sold its 911 sportscar, the German brand struggled to keep its finances in order. Porsche hired other consultants to make extra money and grow the brand. Volkswagen needed to develop a front-engine sportscar based on parts from the Volkswagen Parts Bin to reduce costs.
It was a front-engine, transaxle sports car with a VW Van engine, VW beetle suspension, and a VW sedan transmission. The economic climate forced VW to cancel the project after finally developing the car, which was available for sale.
Porsche decided to continue the project with production at the Audi plant. The Porsche 924 was born. Although the first Porsche 924 was not perfect, it showed promise. Porsche gradually developed the 924 platform, revising the suspension and brakes, and finally adding a turbocharger to the weak Audi engine. Porsche created a new engine and body, the Porsche 944. This model saw strong sales and was lauded by magazines.
Although the Porsche 924 wasn’t a Porsche when it debut, it was a Porsche that was a great deal of engineering work. Porsche kept the 924 in business, and it created many great front-engine cars.