HISTORY & TECH
The 964 Turbo is famously almost the 911 Turbo that never was. Development of the new 911, the Typ 964 and its Turbo sister, the 965, were signed off in April 1984. The intention was that the 965 would be a lower-specification version of the 959.
However, difficulties with that model, not the least of which was provision of much of the new technology that Porsche was planning to incorporate, also caused delays and ultimately a de-specifying of the 965. This meant that its 4x4 transmission, air suspension and PDK transmission option would be abandoned. Yet problems with engine development remained and the absence of a new Turbo at the launch of the 964 in 1988 was noticeable and downright embarrassing when a year later and the 964 C2 appeared, there was still no 911 Turbo – the car that had become the emblem of Porsche.
Ulrich Bez took over as technical director in late 1988 and one of his first moves was to bin the unfinished 965 project. Without a Turbo, however, Porsche lost its flagship and most profitable model. 911 programme manager Fritz Bezner then went back to first principles and devised a 964 Turbo using the 930’s 3.3 Turbo S engine that sported an impressive 330hp thanks to a larger turbocharger, higher profile
