911 Turbo

The first Turbo was introduced in 1975. The Porsche engineers had experience with turbo chargers on the competion Porsches and chairman Ernst Fuhrman thought is was possible to use a turbo on a production car. Therefore in 1973 a prototype '911 Turbo' was displayed at several European shows, and in 1974 another prototype 911 Turbo was shown at the Paris Motorshow. When the Turbo went on sale in 1975 it had a 3.0 litre 260 bhp engine and was full of luxury.

Air conditioning, electric windows, a leather interior, tinted glass, headlamp washers and Bilstein shocks were all standard on the Turbo. The modifications were so extensive the car bore it's own type number: the 930.
The Turbo was originaly introduced as a limited edition model. Only 500 were to be sold. The demand for the Turbo was however so strong that more then 1000 were sold. The future of the Turbo was secure.

With it's huge rear wing, widened wheel arches and big tyres, the Turbo looked faster then any other 911. The great look of the Turbo in combination with the powerfull engine made the Turbo a desirable car.

The widened wheel arches of the Turbo were protected against stone- chips by 'shark-fins' that would become charasteristic for the Turbo. The front and rear wings were derived from the 3.0 RSR and were made suitable for road-use. They increased down force at high speeds. The 'Whale-tail' with it's two grilles fed extra cooling air to the engine. In 1976 the second grille in the wing was enlarged.

3.3 litre

In 1978 the engine capacity was increased to 3.3 litre and an intercooler was mounted. Together with some other modifications the 3.3 litre engine now produced 40 bhp more The same year the rear wing was again revised. The two separate grilles were replaced by one larger smooth surface, and was placed a little higher, to make room for the intercooler. The new wing can be recognised by the 'curled' sides, and the flat top.

Brakes were also upgraded, making the Turbo an even better driving machine.
For 1979 however the Turbo was no longer available in the US and Japan, because it was withdrawn as a public-relations response to a second energy crisis.
In 1986 the Turbo became available again in the US. Previously the flares were incorporated in the bumpers by welding. 1986 was the first year Porsche used flares that were created in the stamping-proces of the bumpers, indicating that Porsche had plans for the Turbo.

The Turbo was now also available in Targa, or Cabriolet versions. For 1990 there was no Turbo available, but in 1991 a new Turbo, based on the Carrera 2, was introduced. This car featured a upgraded 3.3 litre engine, and a widened version of the Carrera 2's bodywork. This body was also the basis for the highstrung Turbo S2, only 25 of which were produced.

The Turbo S

In 1992 Porsche showed the Turbo S at Geneva's Motorshow. This prototype was built to honour the Turbo's third IMSA Supercar crown. On the side it reads 'Supercar Chapion' and an IMSA logo was placed beside it. The production S didn't get this script. The engine was tuned to deliver 381 bhp. and had a lot of light weight features. The car weighed a healthy 120 kg's less then a standard Turbo, making the Turbo S seriously fast. The doors, engine lid and the hood were made from carbon fibre, while the wheel arches had extra air inlets to cool the engine. Three piece 18 inch wheels were standard. Only 80 Turbo S's were built.

Turbo 3.6

In 1993 the engine capacity was again increased, now to 3.6 litres. The 3.6 featured the same 18-inch modular wheels that were used on the Turbo S. And can easily be recognised by the Turbo 3.6 badge. There was also a Turbo 3.6 based 911 Turbo S, of which only 93 were built.

In 1996 a Turbo based on the 993 series was launched. This Turbo is powered by a twin-turbocharged powerplant, producing 408 bhp, and featured a six-speed gearbox and four-wheel drive. The bodywork had a less evocative rear-wing and flares that are more integrated with the bumpers. The new styling of the twin turbo, make it look elegant yet powerful. The wheels are 18 inch in diameter. The five spokes are hollow, for a weight saving of about 20%. The front wing has air-ducts that lead extra cooling air to the brakes. Those brakes are even more powerful then the brakes on the previous Turbo's. The can stop the Turbo from 100 km/h in 2.6 seconds, from 160 km/h in 3.8 or from 200 km/h in just 5 seconds!

Flat Nose

Since 1981 the 'Flat Noses' had been built by the Zuffenhausen repair departement. But only in 1987 the Flat Nose was officialy listed as an option for the Turbo. Only very few were built by the factory. About 80% of the Flat Noses are 'fake'. Early Flat Noses had the headlights mounted in the front wing, while later models were equiped with folding headlights. Behind the bumper and additional oil-cooler was placed. A total 236 were built between 1982 and 1987.

Interior

The Turbo has always been a luxurious car. The first Turbo's had a leather interior as standard. On later models all sorts of fancy fabric were used for the interior. The one in the picture was offered on the 1978 Turbo.
The Turbo's dashboard was almost identical to that of the 'normal' 911's except for a smaller steering wheel, and a 8000 rpm limit on the rev counter instead of the normal 7000 rpm. From 1977 a small boost- gauge was placed inside the rev counter.

911 GT2

The 911 GT2 is not a subtle car. This car was built for one thing: pure speed. It was launched in 1996 to comply with the international GT standards. The GT2 is powered by a tuned 911 Turbo engine, with modified bodywork, and the Carrera 2's two-wheel drive system. Porsche also put the GT2 on a diet. It is 200 kg's lighter then a standard Turbo, wich makes a big difference in performance. To achieve this several body parts are made of aluminium, and the widened wheel arches are made from plastic.
A 911 GT1 also exists. This is a pure racing car, that was adapted for the road. It can be seen as a McLaren F1 by Porsche. There is actually very little 911 in the '911 GT1'.

Porsche recently has introduced the 996 Turbo. The styling is quite different from the previous Turbo's and from the 'normal' Carrera. The 3.6 litre engine is based on the GT3/GT1 engine. It is watercooled and has twin KKK turbo's. It produdes 420 bhp, about 16 bhp more than the the 993 Turbo.
Because of the improved aerodynamics of the new bodystyle it is much faster than the 993 Turbo. It does 0-100 km/h in only 4.2 seconds and has a topspeed of 305 km/h (993 Turbo: 4,5 sec and 290 km/h).

The new Turbo can be easily recognised by the new bi-xenon headlights, the air-intakes behind the doors and the movable rear-spoiler. The Turbo is also 6,5 cm wider then the 996.
The air-intakes feed air onto the intercoolers, while the spoiler folds out at 120 km/h to provide extra stability.