Porsche 911 Turbo - Buyers Guide: The Turbos

In 1974, when the automotive industry was trying to redeem itself by cobbling together economic people-movers for its customers, Porsche took a drastically different road and unveiled the 911 Turbo at the Paris Auto Show.

The 930, as it was known internally, was a curvaceous, mono-winged chariot that immediately changed the perception of what a sports car should be. In the categories of luxury, sophistication and breathtaking performance, the 930 defined the term "supercar."

Yet, as revolutionary as the car seemed, there were several factors that made introducing a road-going, high-pressured 911 not only conceivable but inevitable. In the early 1970s, the unstoppable 917-10s and 917-30s had been banished from Can-Am racing, leaving Weissach's engineers with a wealth of turbo know-how and nowhere to employ it. There was a sense in the company that a production-based 911 competing against prototype racers would enhance the company's sales numbers, although the normally aspirated 911 RSRs continued to dominate their respective classes. More simply, Porsche's management wanted it.

Arriving in the U.S. in 1976, the Porsche 911 Turbo was not the first turbocharged automobile for the masses. That distinction belongs to the Chevrolet Corvair Corsa of the mid-'60s and the 1974 BMW 2002 Turbo. But where Chevrolet and BMW built a small number of force-fed cars, Porsche went on to produce an icon.

Like the Carrera RS, the Turbo's production numbers were initially limited to 500, the minimum necessary for the FIA's approval for Group 4 and Group 5 competition. And like the famed RS, the overwhelming response for the 930 proved Porsche had another winner in its stable.

Borrowing the race-proven silhouette of the 3.0 RSR, the profile of the 911 Turbo was dramatic testimony of the car's potential. Huge front and rear wheel arches signified the need for a wide stance as the car was catapulted down the highway by its 245-bhp, turbo-incited 3.0-liter flat-six engine, while the broad "whale tail" spoiler sprouting from the rear deck betrayed what it took to hold the 930 to the ground.

The interior of the Turbo was identical to the 911, although, as Porsche's flagship model, premium luxury was the rule. Such standards included leather upholstery, special deep pile carpeting, electrically operated windows, heated mirrors and headlight washers. There was a four-speaker stereo/cassette system and air conditioning with automatic climate control. In 1977, a small boost gauge was added to the tachometer to relay to the driver the turbo's increasing pressure.

From the outset, the 911 Turbo was a car both feared and lusted after. Zero to 60 mph was run in a click over 6 sec., and it had a top speed touching the century and a half mark. And for those lucky few who had actually taken the reins of Porsche's terrestrial rocketship, the term "turbo lag" had a special and often terrifying meaning.

Because its horsepower and 253 lb-ft of torque were spread over a broad power curve, Porsche deduced a four-speed transmission was all the 911 Turbo required. And while the prestige of a five-speed might have looked nice in the sales brochures, such a gearbox wasn't offered until 1989.

The first Turbos rode on 7x15- and 8x15-in. Fuchs alloy wheels with centers painted completely black. To fill the fenders, the rims were pushed outward with wheel spacers. The next year, low-profile Pirelli P7 tires became standard and 16-in. Fuchs were added to the options list.

One not-so-minor oversight of the first model was the braking system. Porsche assumed its standard 911 fare, aluminum S-type calipers up front and cast iron M-type in the rear, could subdue the car's velocity. This was hardly the case, and in 1978, when the 930 was equipped with an even more powerful motor, it also received four-puck aluminum calipers over cross-drilled rotors. These were derived from the infamous 917 racer.