Last week Porsche celebrated a big party. The Porsche 911 Turbo is celebrating its birthday. It has become 50 years old, hence the Turbo 50 Years of the faster Porsche 911. Of course, when we think of the 911 Turbo, we have to think of a fast, competent and expensive 911. But the name Turbo is not only reserved for the New Elf. The Turbo recipe is also applicable to other models in the Porsche range. In all cases, performance increased. For your learning and entertainment, we will discuss seven of them:
924 Turbo
The Porsche 924 was not taken very seriously at first. The car was the result of a collaboration between Volkswagen on the one hand and Porsche on the other, just like the 914. The 924 was a sporty four-seater coupe with a great chassis, which made the lack of power of the VW Transporter engine noticeable (only 125 hp)
The so-called EA831 engine was heavily modified by means of a large turbo, which suddenly gave the car 924 170 hp and 245 Nm at its disposal. Nice detail: you can recognize the 924 Turbo by the NACA duct (that is a type of air intake) in the hood. Another fun fact: the model code is ‘931’, just as ‘930’ is the model code for the Porsche 911 Turbo models from 1974 to 1989.
944 Turbo
The 924 evolved into the Porsche 944. In fact, the 924 Carrera GT is almost identical to the 944 in terms of looks, with its thick screens front and back. Again, it was possible to opt for a Turbo version. This time, the standard 944 was already a bit more agile and the 944 Turbo added a nice scoop on top. The 944 Turbo also has its own model code: 951.
The 2.5-liter four-cylinder (in fact half the V8 of the 928) was good for 220 hp thanks to the turbo. You could recognize the 944 Turbo by the larger wheels (for the larger Brembo brakes) and thicker front bumper. Oh, those five-hole rims of the model above look very nice, as does the rubber spoiler. Man, the ’80s were fun.
968 Turbo S
In principle, the 968 is an evolution of the 944, but with 90s styling. Almost all 968s have the same 3.0 four-cylinder sixteen-valve with 239 hp. We say almost, because the 968 Turbo S has exactly that engine, but with a whopper of a KKK K41 turbo on it. This gives the four-cylinder no less than 305 hp and 500 Nm. Just like the 924 Turbo, you can recognize the Porsche 968 Turbo S by the NACA duct (2 even!) in the hood.
The name is special, because there is no 968 Turbo without an S. What is even more special is the number of copies produced: only 14 were built. One of the reasons that this is rare, was that Porsche did not want to give it too much attention, because the 968 Turbo S would be faster than the 911. So do you really want shine at the Porsche meeting, bring this one. You are more unique than the millionaires with a 959, Carrera GT or 918 Spyder.
Cayenne Turbo
Perhaps the most important in the history of Porsche turbo models is the Cayenne Turbo (955). Together with the BMW X5, the Porsche Cayenne was the first truly dynamic SUV. Compared to the aforementioned X5, the Cayenne Turbo went a long way. The performance was of a different order. The 4.5-liter V8 was fitted with no less than two turbos, good for 450 hp and 560 Nm. You could sprint to 100 km/h in 4.5 seconds and reach 266 km/h.
That was unprecedented in that period. In addition, it was also the performance on the asphalt in the corners that was impressive. Thanks in part to the first Porsche Cayenne Turbo, we have all those high performance-SUVs from exotic sports car brands. Now you can think what you want about that (we have an opinion too), but it handled better than you would expect based on its size and weight.
Panamera Turbo
Now that the purists were already used to the Cayenne SUV, the arrival of a limousine like the Porsche Panamera was no problem. Once again, the Panamera Turbo set new standards. We were already familiar with fast limousines, but not of this level. The Panamera Turbo is namely maniacally overdeveloped. Not only is the V8 quite powerful (500 hp), but it could also get rid of the power. Yet the car was not received that way.
Firstly, because there were more fun sports sedans, like the BMW M5. The Panamera Turbo didn’t drift. It also wasn’t really a pretty sight, while competitors like the Aston Martin Rapide and Maserati Quattroporte were. Those cars have long since been out of production, while you can still order a Panamera Turbo. So they did something in Zuffenhausen after all.
Porsche Macan Turbo
After the success of the Cayenne, Porsche sought a lower level with the Macan. Logically, because the Cayenne flew off the shelves. The Macan (model code ’95B’) shares its base with the Audi Q5, but is still quite different. In order to feel like a Porsche, they made it a completely different car. For example, the Macan has a different transmission and a completely different AWD system. The Macan is basically rear-wheel drive.
The suspension was also quite different. The engine was also different, especially in Macan Turbo form. The 3.6-liter boxer engine has a much larger bore than stroke (a so-called oversquare engine). This makes the Macan Turbo climb even more nicely in the revs. It is the kind of car that your girlfriend loves (because it is a compact premium crossover), but that you also enjoy.
Panamera Sport Turismo Turbo S E-Hybrid
With the 918 Spyder, Porsche wanted to show that a plug-in hybrid setup could also be used for top performance. The Panamera and Cayenne were initially available as regular e-hybrids, but the second generation Panamera (the ‘971’) was also available as a Turbo S E-Hybrid. Then you actually got everything they could think of in Zuffenhausen. The Sport Turismo was really nice.
Don’t confuse hyper-competent with extremely funny: this car doesn’t have the joker on, then you’d just buy a Mercedes-AMG. In the Netherlands, this version was extra interesting, because thanks to the hybrid drive, the CO2 emissions were very low. The performance is from another world: in 3.5 seconds you’re already driving 100 km/h and thanks to the top speed of 305 km/h you got a standard subscription to the left side of the Autobahn. One of the fastest Porsche Turbo models on this list.
Taycan Turbo
The most polarizing on this list of Porsche Turbo models, because the Taycan Turbo does not have a turbocharger on board. There is not even a combustion engine present, the Taycan is always purely electric. It mainly shows how strong the Turbo badge of Porsche actually is. The point is that it is the fastest non-plus ultra model. The Taycan Turbo absolutely is that, by the way.
Thanks to two electric motors (one on the front axle and one on the rear axle), the Taycan Turbo delivers exactly 500 kW, which is equivalent to 680 hp. The torque of 680 Nm is even more impressive if possible. The performance figures of 0-100 km/h in 3.2 seconds should be taken with a grain of salt: you can always achieve that. So yes, there is no turbo, but the Turbo performance is definitely there.
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