FAST COMPANY: This 930 Turbo shows why Porsche was so dominant in the 1970s and ’80s
June 2, 2017
Posted by Barrett-Jackson
Written by independent automotive journalist Steve Statham
This 1979 Porsche 930 Turbo (Lot #690) will be crossing the Barrett-Jackson block at the Northeast Auction at No Reserve.
Some cars just grab the popular imagination and refuse to let go. They’re the cars that land on magazine covers and posters, end up scribbled in notebooks and get slobbered on at new car shows. Often, these cars aren’t even high-volume sellers; rather, they’re the cars that capture something the public didn’t even know it was looking for.
The Porsche 930 Turbo was that kind of car, and if you want to know why, take a look at a 1979 example being offered for No Reserve at Barrett-Jackson’s Northeast Auction.
To really understand the impact a Porsche 930 Turbo had when it was introduced, you have to put yourself in that time frame. By the middle of the 1970s, true performance cars were a rapidly disappearing species in the United States. Most manufacturers had not yet solved the dual puzzles of increased emission control regulations and new Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFE) requirements. Effective computer controls were still in the future, fuel injection was a rarity and anything with more than two valves per cylinder was probably a racing prototype.
With a fuel-injected, turbocharged 3.0-liter flat-6 producing 234 horsepower, the 930 Turbo was capable of mid-13-second quarter-mile runs and had a top speed of over 150 mph.
The American muscle car had been semi-officially retired, leaving the low-compression Trans Am as the standard bearer. The Corvette was in a performance lull, and the biggest engine available in a Mustang was a 302 with a 2-barrel carburetor. It seemed as if every year, horsepower dropped across the board. Speculation about the direction of the automobile was gloomy, with endless talk about the end of V8 engines and a future spent driving soulless, 4-cylinder, FWD boxes.
And there was Porsche, heading in the opposite direction.
The 930 Turbo (commonly known as the 911 Turbo) debuted in Europe in 1975. It arrived in the U.S. in 1976, immediately bucking all the downward trends. With a fuel-injected, turbocharged 3.0-liter flat-6 producing 234 horsepower, it was capable of mid-13-second quarter-mile runs and had a top speed of over 150 mph. For a time it was the fastest production car available in Germany, and there was nothing else quite like it in the North America market.
The 930 Turbo’s rear spoiler was not just for style – it created downforce and fed air to the engine.
Key components, like the 4-speed gearbox, were reinforced to handle the extra power. The suspension was upgraded, and the fenders were flared to accommodate the larger brakes, wheels and tires.
The “whale tale” rear spoiler definitely made a styling statement, but it wasn’t just for show ‒ it created downforce and fed air to the engine. At a time when once-raw sports cars were turning into boulevard cruisers, the 930 Turbo required genuine skill to drive fast, giving it an aura of danger that other pretenders lacked.
A P.O.E (Port of Entry) price of $25,850 in 1976 in the U.S. ‒ roughly twice the price of a base 911 ‒ put it in elite company. By 1979 that price had ballooned to $42,520, but you did get more for your money. In 1978, Porsche increased the engine size to 3.3 liters, raised the compression ratio and added an air-to-air intercooler, boosting horsepower to 253 in U.S. models; 300 in the European version. Car and Driver magazine tested a U.S.-spec 1978 930 Turbo in their April 1978 issue and recorded a top speed of 165 mph.
Interior of the Porsche 930 Turbo (Lot #690) headed to Mohegan Sun.
Not surprisingly, these sophisticated sports cars have passed into the realm of collectibles. The black 1979 Porsche 930 Turbo (Lot #690) offered at Mohegan Sun is a well-documented, three-owner example that was sold new in Highland, California. It has 53,560 original miles on it.
In 2015, the car underwent a complete restoration, during which the engine was rebuilt to factory 3.3-liter specs. It received new brakes and lines, suspension, front end, oil lines, fuel system, control arms and German glass. The Fuchs wheels were freshly polished.
The car comes with a catalog of photos and receipts from the restoration, along with impeccable records from new. It’s a great running and driving machine, so if you want to experience what the top of the automotive mountain in 1979 was like, you’ll be able to live it first-hand.
For up-to-date information on this vehicle, click HERE.