HISTORY AND TECH
Built to homologate the turbocharged racing 911, Ernst Fuhrmann had envisaged the production 911 Turbo as a halo model, albeit an interim one until his 928 was established. But the 911 Turbo took off – both literally and metaphorically – with the car’s explosive acceleration making it instantly desirable.
When the average 1970s family saloon might have gone from 0-60mph in 14 seconds and barely made it to the ton, the jet thrust of the 911 Turbo when the blower got into its stride was utterly sensational. No other manufacturer could offer anything comparable until the late 1980s, and by that time the Porsche Turbo, with its flared wings and huge spoiler, was already part of automotive folklore.
The challenge of turbocharging the flat six turned out to be less daunting than Porsche’s engineers had feared. Experience with the Can-Am 917 had shown that the basic engine structure took to boosting with little reinforcement, while failures with the subsequent 934 race programme – where the blown 3.0-litre was producing 550bhp – related more to the turbocharger’s bearings than anything fundamental with the flat six itself.
The first 3.0 930 had a compression ratio of 6.5:1 and special, thicker crown pistons; its power output was limited to 260bhp after Porsche
