1974 PORSCHE 911 Turbo (930) 3.0 4MT (260 HP)

Vehicle Overview

It was the fastest production car in the world at the time of its launch and it was the flagship of the Porsche carmaker. But it required muscles and experience to drive it fast.

Even though by 2020s standards don’t look scary, in 1974 it was a lot, especially on an 1195 kg (2635 lbs) car with no power steering, no ABS, and no traction control. And, even by 2020’s standards, a 0 to 100 kph (0-62 mph) in 5.5 seconds is still respectable. Another problem of the car, nicknamed Widowmaker, was that if the driver kept the gas pedal down on a corner and the turbocharger kicked in right on the Apex, the wheels spun and the car oversteered.

The outside looked similar to the Carrera, but the rear fenders were wider by 6 cm (2.36”). A big, fixed, wing in the back over the engine compartment was needed to cool the oil and the engine. The entire engine lid was made out of glass-fiber reinforced plastic. It was used to feed the turbocharger as well. The Turbo was also given an exhaust system with twin tailpipe. Exhaust gases only escaped through the left pipe when the boost-pressure control valve of the turbocharger was open.

Inside, the Turbo was fitted with all the bells and whistles available in the Porsche store, with leather interior and bucket seats in the front and leather seats in the back. The instrument cluster was the same as in the Carrera and there was no turbo-gauge. It didn’t feature air-conditioning though, just a ventilation system.

The engine was a 3.0-liter flat-six with one big turbocharger that offered 260 hp. It was mated to a 4-speed manual. The regular 5-speed manual from the Carrera couldn’t stand the 345 Nm (255 lb-ft) of torque.