Equipped with savage performance and an unmistakable
presence, the 930 captured hearts upon its inception in 1974. 40 years on, its
evolution has proved spectacular. Total 911 examines every generation of
Porsche’s most glamorous supercar
Porsche wasn’t the first manufacturer to release a
turbocharged, petrol - engined road car. That accolade falls to the Chevrolet
Monza, released in 1963. In fact, Porsche wasn’t even the first German
manufacturer to achieve that feat, with BMW’s 2002 Turbo beating the 911 Turbo
to market by a single year. However, while other car makers rushed to implement
a technology used in the aeronautical and maritime industries since the start
of the 20th Century in their production vehicles, the board at Porsche AG
turned to Weissach’s racing department to prove the forced-induction philosophy
in the most unrelenting of arenas: the race track.
Turbo 930
3.0-litre (1974-1977)
After the 917 was ruled out of international competition for
1972, Porsche turned its attention to a turbocharged version of the prototype
designed to rule the US-based Can Am series – and rule it did. The 917/10 and
its Penske-developed successor, the 917/30, were untouchable in 1972-73.
Porsche was convinced of the concept, producing the 911 RSR Turbo 2.1 before,
in 1974, an icon was born with the release of the Porsche 911 Turbo road car,
popularly known as the 930 3.0.
Turbo 930
3.0-litre (1974-1977) engine
This was a definite case of motorsport improving the breed,
as the lessons learnt in the 1,000bhp CanAm monsters translated into the 930
3.0, earning its place as the fastest-accelerating road car ever produced upon
its release to the public in 1975. Only six years before, man had set foot on
the Moon for the first time, and now here was a sports car truly worthy of the
space age.
Thanks to its 2,994cc capacity and a single Kühnle, Kopp
& Kausch turbocharger, the first 911 Turbo was capable of sprinting from
standstill to 100kph (62mph) in 5.5 seconds. Its 260bhp output may sound meagre
today, but this was a car that enjoyed nearly 25 per cent more power than the
previous range-topping 911 Carrera 2.7 (its engine taken from the fabled 1973
RS)
Despite its accelerative capacities, the 930 3.0 was a car
at the start of turbocharging’s development curve, and as such there was a lot
left to be desired. With just a single turbine to spin up, turbo lag could be
measured in seconds rather than tenths, making for a fearsome driving
experience. Combined with a rev ceiling set at 6,200rpm, the Type 930/50 motor
delivered its brutal burst of power at a relatively peaky 5,500rpm. The stories
of cars going backwards through hedges are firmly routed in reality as owners
struggled to tame the original 911 Turbo. The problem was exacerbated by the
four-speed 915 gearbox. With its long ratios, it was a challenge to keep the
engine ‘on boost’. The fives peed version just wasn’t mechanically ready for
the task of transmitting 343Nm of torque to the tarmac.
Turbo 930 3.3 Year
1978-89
Once spooled up, the 930 3.0 was quick to reach the horizon,
yet as owners found out, it wasn’t quick to slow down thanks to its
unventilated brake discs and calipers. Despite these foibles, the first Turbo
proves an attractive proposition, now more than ever given its increasing
rarity.
“We used to think only 32 came into the country,” explains
John Ward, 930 Register Secretary for the Porsche Club Great Britain owner of
the 3.0-litre in our pictures. “In a good year you may see five other 930 3.0s
on the road in the UK,” he says. Rarity is a driving force behind the soaring
values of these early cars, yet John is besotted by the 930. Five of his
previous ten 911s have included a forced-induction engine under the decklid.
“It’s just the ultimate do-it-all car,” he enthuses. It’s hard to disagree,
especially as – with its iconic whaletail spoiler and wider-than-standard rear
arches – the 930 3.0 is as arresting visually as it is technologically.
But what of the brakes? Not a problem in John’s mind: “All
the idiosyncrasies are what gives the car its character,” he says, rounding off
a solitary tale of the cold brakes forsaking him at slow speed. Yet, in
reality, Porsche knew improvements needed to be made if the Turbo concept was
to go down in history for the right reasons.
