930 3.3 TURBO: It's the car that established Porsche as a mainstream consumer brand. Here's everything you need to know about the iconic 930 Turbo 3.3.

• Author: Fennelly, Kieron

HISTORY AND TECH

Built to homologate the turbocharged racing 911, Ernst Fuhrmann had envisaged the production 911 Turbo as a halo model, albeit an Interim one until his 928 was established. But the 911 Turbo took off - both literally and metaphorically - with the car's explosive acceleration making It Instantly desirable.

When the average 1970s family saloon might have gone from 0-60mph In 14 seconds and barely made It to the ton, the jet thrust of the 911 Turbo when the blower got Into Its stride was utterly sensational. No other manufacturer could offer anything comparable until the late 1980s, and by that time the Porsche Turbo, with Its flared wings and huge spoiler, was already part of automotive folklore.

The challenge of turbocharglng the flat six turned out to be less daunting than Porsche's engineers had feared. Experience with the Can-Am 917 had shown that the basic engine structure took to boosting with little reinforcement, while failures with the subsequent 934 race programme - where the blown 3.0-litre was producing 550bhp - related more to the turbocharger's bearings than anything fundamental with the flat six itself.

The first 3.0 930 had a compression ratio of 6.5:1 and special, thicker crown pistons; Its power output was limited to 260bhp after Porsche had originally thought In terms of 300bhp. It was the first production 911 to use a solid-state ignition system provided by Bosch, and one plug per cylinder was deemed sufficient. Bosch also supplied the K Jetronic Injection system and the Installation of KKK's single turbine and related plumbing, and pipework was a minor masterpiece of packaging.

The 930 was lavishly equipped with every option from Porsche's catalogue, endowing a plushness to the cabin In keeping with the Turbo's premium pricing. Some 120kg heavier than the 911 Carrera, the Turbo's chassis was uprated, essentially with future racing variants In mind, stronger hubs, thicker anti-roll bars and suspension arms. In view of what the Turbo's torque might do to It, the 915 gearbox was replaced by a specific, heavy-duty, four-speed unit.

The success of this early model encouraged Porsche to upgrade the Turbo: for MY 1978, capacity was increased to 3.3 litres In 1977 and with an intercooler, and the compression ratio raised to 7.0:1, both power and torque increased substantially. These cars also benefitted from stronger 917-derived brakes, Identifiable from the front by their finned callipers.

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