PORSCHE MODEL GUIDE

The 911 Turbo

With the introduction of the 911 Turbo to the US in model year 1976, Porsche created its second icon. They may not have been the first to put a turbocharger in an automobile but they were certainly the first to create a legend with it. Thanks to Porsche and the 911 Turbo, the word “turbo” became part of our lexicon. Porsche is also credited with having the fortitude to introduce the high horsepower Turbo in the mid ‘70s, the time of a gas crisis and when most manufacturers were scrambling for smaller engines and smaller cars. Given Porsche's normally conservative culture, one wonders if it was insight or oversight that led to the Turbo's introduction.

At the time, Porsche had intended to build only 400 Turbos, just enough to meet racing homologation requirements. Priced at nearly twice the cost of a standard 911, they wondered how they would sell all 400 units. Well, their worries were completely unfounded as the turbo was a huge hit worldwide and the rest was history in the making. The 911 Turbo immediately captured the imaginations of car buyers as the ultimate in horsepower.

In terms of US availability, the Turbo has come and gone over the years. It was imported into the US in model years '76 thru '79 but then was available only in Europe from '80 to '85. The Turbo fortunately reappeared in the US in 1986. From then until now it has come and gone in various years but largely due to new model introductions and not so much a case of Porsche choosing not to bring the model to the US.

As with the normally aspirated 911, the Turbo has gone through an enormous amount of development and refinement over the years from its somewhat crude power delivery beginnings. Although today's Turbo has nearly twice the power of the 1976 version, it's a far more manageable car to drive thanks to the many enhancements such as reduction in turbo lag (the delay from pushing on the accelerator and the onset of power), stability management systems and four wheel drive.

By all accounts, the legend of the 911 Turbo looks alive and well.






1976-1977 911 Turbo: The 930, 1st Generation
The early 911 Turbo was internally designated the 930, a name commonly associated with the Turbo up through 1989 or so. The first turbos took the world by storm with a 3.0 liter turbocharged engine producing 245hp (US). Although this was a healthy power rating at the time, the turbo legend was probably more due to the famous onrush of power in a turbo as well as the masculine Turbo body style with big wide wheel flares and a huge spoiler in the back. It just looked like it was meant for business. Turbo lag in these early models was quite prominent, and a skillful driver was needed to keep these cars out of the body shops. But of course, that's the stuff that legends are made of.

The 1st generation of Turbos was considered to be under-braked given the high horsepower, something Porsche remedied in the 2nd gen. All Turbos came with a four speed transmission (since no other transmission could handle the power), wide wheel flares and a “tea tray” spoiler (so called because of its flat appearance, versus the deeply lipped spoilers introduced in 1978). Because the turbo was the top-of-the-line 911 it came standard with a host of luxuries including leather seats, air conditioning and a sunroof.

Approximate prices of these cars when new:
'76 Turbo - $26,000
'77 Turbo - $28,000


1978-1979 911 Turbo: The 930, 2nd Generation
The 930 of 1978 saw two nice improvements that made this 2nd generation desirable to many Turbo owners: the introduction of substantially better brakes and a bump in engine displacement to 3.3 liters and horsepower to 265 hp. The 3.3 liter would stay in use in the turbo up until 1994's Turbo replacement. To improve braking, Porsche added four piston calipers and larger cross-drilled rotors. Braking was now considered commensurate with a car of this power rating. Porsche also added an intercooler to the turbo to reduce temperatures as the power went up. The spoiler was also modified to have a deeper lip and a larger grill area to feed more air to the intercooler. These first two generations of Porsche Turbos are classics, with old school Turbo performance with a great body style.

Approximate prices of these cars when new:
'78 Turbo - $37,000
'79 Turbo - $42,500


1980-1985 911 Turbo: Euro Gray Market 930
The Turbo was not brought into the US after the 1979 model year and until 1986. During this period, it continued to be sold in Europe and other markets and some of those models found their way into the US through private programs. These turbos are all considered to be gray market cars today and are typically of lower value in the US due to the unknown circumstances of each car's federalization.


1986-1989 911 Turbo: The 930 Re-appears
Fortunately, once it was obvious that the 911 and the 911 Turbo were not going away as production cars, Porsche decided to reintroduce the Turbo to the US market in 1986. It was largely the same as the 1979 model but with improvements to the emissions systems and engine management, leading to an increase in horsepower to 282hp. 1986 was also the first year Porsche used Turbo fender flares stamped at the factory; up until this time, Porsche would take a standard 911 body, cut off the existing fenders and weld on the turbo flares. Clearly this was an indication that Porsche now recognized that the Turbo was here to stay.

1987 saw bigger changes as Porsche offered the Turbo in either a cabriolet or a Targa in addition to the coupe. This was the first time the turbo was offered in anything but a coupe anywhere. In addition, Porsche introduced the slant nose (or flat nose) turbo in a coupe, cab or Targa. The slant nose cars are easily identified by the sloping front fenders with top-mounted brake cooling slots and pop up headlights. The slant nose was created in the theme of the 935 Turbo racer of the day. The look was so popular that many aftermarket shops began to offer slant nose conversions to existing Turbos. The quality of the conversions vary such that factory slant nose turbos are of the highest value.

Finally, in 1989, Porsche introduced a five-speed transmission for the Turbo, one based on the new G50 transmission used on the 911. To this point, all turbos had come with a 4 speed transmission only.

The Turbo once again disappeared for the 1990 model year as the 964 carrera replaced the 3.2 911.

Approximate prices of these cars when new:
'86-'87 Turbo coupe - $48,000
'88 Turbo coupe - $68,000
'88 Turbo Slant Nose coupe - $92,500
'89 Turbo coupe - $71,000


1991-1993 Turbo
Porsche once again reintroduced the Turbo in 1991, this time based on the 964 911 Carrera 2 of the day. Like the 911 itself, the Turbo body was quite similar to the Turbo body of 1989 and earlier but now had the body style changes of the 964, namely the revised front and rear bumpers. The rear spoiler was modified slightly and the front spoiler was deleted completely, deemed unnecessary. The chassis and suspension were based on the 964 with coil springs instead of torsion bars for the first time in a Turbo. The engine was the same 3.3 liter used in the past but now produced 315hp. The transmission was the five speed G50 while the only drive available was two wheel. Starting in 1991, the turbo also now had two exhaust pipes exiting the back at left and right.

During this period (and up until 2003) the only body style available for the Turbo was the coupe - no cabriolets or Targas offered. In 1992, a special limited edition (less than 100 cars produced) Turbo S was introduced only in Europe with a 3.3 liter engine producing 381hp. It was made in the style of an RS with lightweight materials, Recaro seats, wind-up windows and fabric door pulls.

Approximate price of these cars when new:
Turbo - $99,000


1994 Turbo
1994 was a special year for the Turbo. It was the one and only year for the so-called “Turbo 3.6,” named for its new 3.6 liter engine. It produced a healthy 355hp and sported red caliper brakes, three-piece Speedline wheels (showing the bolts around the perimeter of the wheel) and a chrome “Turbo 3.6” on the decklid. This was a very nice looking turbo and tends to demand a higher price than the '91 to '93 cars.

Approximate prices of this car when new:
Turbo- $95,000


1996-1997 Turbo
The Turbo was once again absent for the 1995 model year but reappeared late in '95 as a 1996. This can be considered an all new Turbo since it now had the body style of the 993 911 with the classic Turbo widened wheel arches and fixed rear spoiler. The engine was the 3.6 liter but now used twin turbos with dual intercoolers, reducing turbo lag and creating substantially more power at 408 hp. This Turbo was only available in four wheel drive, helping put this enormous power to the ground. The transmission was upgraded to a six speed G64.

For the model year 1997 Porsche added the Turbo S with 424hp in addition to the standard Turbo model.

As with the introduction of the 993 911, Turbos from '96 on had greatly improved air conditioning and heating systems and greater levels of comfort. The down side to all this additional comfort was the additional weight: the 1996 Turbo now tipped the scales at 3300 lbs, up from 2630 lbs in 1976.

Approximate prices of these cars when new:
Turbo - $105,000
Turbo S - $150,000


2001-2004 Turbo
There was no Turbo available for model years 1998 thru 2000 as Porsche concentrated on introducing the new 996 911. It returned in 2001 based on the 996 with a water cooled, 3.6 liter engine with four valves per cylinder and Variocam valve timing. Power output was 415hp, up slightly from the 1997 Turbo but with a far flatter torque curve, making the power more usable. As with the 996, this Turbo introduced a new body style and a much modernized comfort system. It was available in four wheel drive only but could be equipped with the Tiptronic automatic transmission in addition to the six speed manual. The new rear spoiler, no longer the large fixed “whaletail” used in various versions from '76 to '97, was a smaller, two-stage unit that raised at higher speeds for greater stability. The body sported air ducts located just behind the doors to feed additional air and cooling to the engine area. The Turbo was also offered with ceramic brakes for the first time. Expensive and controversial in this first generation, they certainly offered superior performance on the street.

While the coupe was the only body style offered between 2001 and 2003, a cabriolet was offered in 2004, the first turbo cab since 1989.

Approximate price of these cars when new:
'01 Turbo coupe - $111,000

2005-Today Turbo
The Turbo was absent for model year 2006 as Porsche concentrated on the introduction of the 2005 997 normally aspirated 911. For model year 2007, Porsche introduced the 997- based Turbo in coupe body style. It shared exterior and interior styling with the 997 911. Power took a healthy leap over the 996 Turbo with 480hp and 457ft-lbs of torque. The big news for the 997 turbo was the introduction of its VTG (Variable Turbo Geometry) Turbos. This technology allows for flow characteristics that spin the blades optimally by changing the angle of the multiple vanes of the turbo. The result is a turbo that will spin up more quickly at one end and produce higher power at the other. Turbo lag, which has diminished over the years, is said to be non-existent in this Turbo.

Left to the eyes of the beholder, the looks of this latest Turbo might be considered a bit “fussy” in appearance with odd fog lights, LED turn signals and a rather busy wheel design.

To summarize the Turbo’s evolution, if you value classic styling, driving and simplicity then the early Turbos are best; if you desire more comfort and more power go with a later Turbo.

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