1988 Porsche 930 Turbo Cabriolet

Description

Porsche’s original supercar burst onto on the motoring scene in 1975, the 930 Turbo’s pumped-up bodywork hiding a multitude of engineering changes based on experience hard won on the racetrack.  Indeed Porsche pioneered forced induction technology, beginning with a turbocharged version of the 911 RSR campaigned in the 1974 World Sports Car Championship.  Under the signature whale-tail, the familiar flat-six was boosted by an exhaust-driven KKK turbocharger with an oil cooler, Bosch K-Jetronic fuel injection and 6.5:1 compression ratio to give 260 bhp, making the 930 Porsche’s most powerful road car yet.  With revised suspension and four-speed gearbox designed specifically for the new model (the existing five-speed from the 911 wasn’t capable of handling the 406 lb/ft of torque generated by the engine), the Turbo had electrifying performance.  Flared guards housed wider Fuchs alloy wheels shod with massive Pirelli P7 tyres, while front and rear spoilers helped generate sufficient downforce to keep the Porsche glued to the road.  The 930 was very much Porsche’s flagship, competing with supercars like the Ferrari Boxer and Lamborghini Countach but with the added benefits of Teutonic reliability and a modicum of practicality.  As the years went by, small but significant changes were progressively made to the 930’s specification, including 16-inch wheels in 1977 and an increased engine capacity of 3.3-litres for 1978, accompanied by a new air-to-air intercooler. With power boosted to 300 bhp and even greater performance, Porsche answered one major criticism levelled at the Turbo by improving the brakes, using the same cross-drilled four caliper items originally found on the legendary 917 sports racers. For the last two years of production, Porsche expanded the Turbo range to include both the Cabriolet and Targa variants.  The 930 has enjoyed something of a renaissance in the classic car marketplace over the past couple of years, with collectors at long last recognising the significance of the model to the heritage of the Zuffenhausen marque, not to mention the rarity compared with lesser 911s.