1982 Porsche 911

The Porsche 911 (930 series) is a turbo-charged sports coupe built between 1975 and 1988. Using technology developed from the racing Porsche 917, the car (often referred to as the ‘930 Turbo’ and marketed as the ‘930 Turbo Carrera’ outside of Europe) retained the earlier Porsche 911 2.7’s overall body shape but with radically re-designed styling. With rear-engine, rear wheel drive layout and 2+2 seating remained.

Unveiled at the 1974 Paris Auto Show, the Porsche 911 930 stunned press and public alike. With flared wheel arches, whale-tale spoiler and 225/50/VR15 low-profile rear tires, it looked modern and threatening. European production started in March 1975 with a 2,994 cc flat six offering 260 bhp, 0-60 mph in 4.9 seconds and a top speed of 156 mph. A four-speed transmission was fitted until 1988.

BMW had lit the Turbo match in 1973 with its 170 bhp 2002 Turbo, and that electrified Ernst Fuhrmann, who insisted on a Porsche Turbo, using the Bosch K-tronic injection. The task was immensely complicated, with a KKK turbocharger below the engine on the left, pressure relief valves and interconnected fuel feed switches. Porsche designed air passages to direct air around cylinder head bolts to minimize expansion changes.

Heat was an issue with the Turbo, not helped by the change from an 11-bladed fan to a five-bladed one. That meant that the alternator could run faster to cope with the increased electrical load, but the fan did not cool the engine sufficiently, and most cars now run with an11-bladed fan. The 930 also suffered from extreme turbo-lag. The 911 930s were well equipped with leather, air-conditioning, stereo and foglights, and all for £23,200.

Only 284 930 Turbos were built in 1975, all for Europe, while 2,596 were sold in 1976-77, and 1,176 went to the U.S. Enough 930s were sold that 31 RSR competition versions were built for homologation, with even more alarming performance.

The 930 was unchanged until 1978, when engine size was increased to 3.3 litres and an air-to-air intercooler added. That boosted power to 300 bhp and the model was renamed the Porsche Turbo. The 930’s Turbo technology led to the 934 and 935 race cars and the 935’s “slant-nose” bonnet was offered on the street car from 1981. The Slant Nose (or ‘Flachbau’) models originally cost about 60 percent more than the normal cars, and additional tweaks added 330 bhp to the engine. Porsche also marketed the Turbo as a Targa and a Cabriolet from 1987 and offered a fully customised slant nose 930S model for about £20,000 over the base price. In all an estimated 20,581 Turbo 911s were built.

In recent years, the Porsche 911 (930) has seen a significant increase in popularity. One of the most iconic 1980s cars, the 930 is now attracting a new generation of buyers. The rarest cars are the original 1975 model, but the 1987-89 Targa was also built in relatively small numbers (a total of 657).

Alternative cars from Porsche at the time were the Porsche 912 or the earlier Porsche 911 2.7. Buyers may also like to consider other sports coupes of the era including the Aston Martin DBS V8, the Jaguar XJS, the Ferrari 308 GTB and the Maserati Merak SS.