Turbo-charging made an unlikely supercar slayer out of the Porsche 911 - and driving it today confirms it as a true legend...
Forget tales of rampant oversteer - the dominant impression this well-shod 911 Turbo imprints on your senses is one of traction. Huge, imperturbable traction. Driving it hard on picturesque B-roads, the turbocharged flat-six wailing away behind, heightening the senses, and it impresses with dollops of four-square poise.
Should we be surprised? Well, yes. When the original production 911 Turbo 3.0 went on sale, the Class of '75 was hardly renowned for being a well-behaved lot. With 260bhp, and a 0-60mph time of 6.0 seconds, the 911 Turbo went head to head with the Lamborghini Countach LP400 and Ferrari 365GT4 BB for the title of the world's most accelerative car money could buy. From nowhere, Porsche was now at the top table.
By the time our 911 had rolled off the line in 1979, the Turbo had beomce a toqruier 3.3-litre animal with a whooshing 300bhp. The performance figures were even more impressive, with a -60mph time of 5.1sec, 0-100mph in 12.3sec, and a maximum speed of 161mph - and the upstart was fully established as an all-time legend.
As a driver, it's always difficult not to let a car's reputation precede it when you clamber in. But although the 911 Turbo's supposedly a wild thing at speed, it's a friendly place in which to sit. The dirving position is high, the instruments wasy to read, the visibility unfeasibly good for a sports car - and the floor-mounted pedals offer no suprises.
Our Martini-edition 911 Turbo comes with a matching interior, so there's red piping for the supportive seats, and a matching dashboard panel, where you'd normally expect dour black. This is a shocking splash of colour from a company that revelled in functionality in the 1970s.
Firing it up, and squeezing into first is a suitably physical effort, but the heavy clutch is progressive, and you're soon away smoothly. Initially, it feels as tractable as your neighbour's Beetle, but squeezing the floor-hinged accelerator a little harder, evokes a wonderful response.
From 3000rpm, boost from the oversized KKK turbo builds with a slight pause from the remote-feeling accelerator, then - bang - rapid becomes rabid, as the 911 Turbo rushes towards the horizon agreeably.
On today's mix of challenging B-roads, it's hard not to love the 911's meaty, yet talkative, steering and the way its nose bobs up and down as it tracks the contours of the road. It's alive with feel, and solidly anchored to the road, although the way it feels like it's swivelling from its ample hips takes some getting used to. Are we scared by it? Absolutely not - even though we never forget that its engine is in the wrong end.
The 911's planted feel breeds confidence, which is backed up by its wonderful brakes. They are strong and fade-free, and feels like they'd stop a charging Rhino. But you're soon reminded it's not a benign handler.
Those excellent brakes won't help you if you're too brutal with the throttle - mid-bend, we're caught by a wave of boost, which unsettles the rear, and intensifies the steering. Amusing in the dry, unthinkable in the wet.
Believe the hype - in the right hands, it's fast, fun, and incredibly rewarding. Get your head around how to get the best from the 911 Turbo, and you can enjoy probably the most devastatingly capable supercar of the '70s.
Motorsport creates the perfect sports car
Development of the roadgoing Porsche 911 Turbo began in earnest in 1972, following years of experimentation in motorsport. The idea of a blown 911 (which was given the type number 930) was borne through the necessity to produce a car to meet homologation regulations. The competition car in question was the 911 Turbo Group 4 Carrera RSR 2.1, and in order to legitimise its competition Porsche needed to build 400 examples in 24 months.
Ferdinand 'Ferry' Porsche gave the job of developing type 930 to Ernst Fuhrmann, who quickly ended up adapting the turbo-technology originally developed for the awesome 917/30 prototype racer, and allied it with the enlarged (from 2.7-litres) 3.0-litre flat-six from the Carrera RS3.0.
The first production prototype-ready example was shown at the Paris Motor Show in 1974, and certainly attracted attention, following hot on the heels of that other European forced induction pioneer, the BMW 2002 Turbo. Power output was 260bhp, and under the skin, it boasted uprated suspension, wide rear arches, larger brakes, and 50-series Pirelli P7 low profile tyres on Fuschs alloys.
The Paris car also featured full depth plastic bumpers and bodykit, that spookily previewed the look of the 1989 Type 964. Sadly, the smooth look would later be dropped for the production version - instead it came with the impact bumpers introduced across the range.
Porsche's five-speed Carrera gearbox couldn't cope with the torque, so a strengthened four-speeder was used instead.
The famous whale tail spoiler introduced for the 1975 production 911 Turbo might have been a useful aid to downforce (and drag), but it was also a very effective home for the oversized air-to-air intercooler. Throughout its production run from 1975 to 1991, the Type 930 in 1991, the 911 Turbo remained remarkably unchaged. The larger 3.3 was introduced in 1977, which was then offered in optional 330bhp form in 1983.
The swansong five-speeder was finally introduced in 1989 - better late than never.
Vital statistics:
Engine: 3299cc/flat-6/OHC
Power: 300bhp@550rpm
Torque: 304lb ft@4000rpm
Maximum speed: 161 mph
0-60mph: 5.1sec
Fuel consumption: 18-25mpg
Transmission: RWD, four-speed manual