In 1974, Porsche introduced the first production version of a turbocharged 911. Although it was referred to as the Porsche 911 Turbo in Europe, the car was marketed as the Porsche 930 in North America. Porsche had injected all of its sportscar experience with exhaust-gas turbochargers into its series production models. At the onset only a small number of Turbos were planned. However, in the light of its amazing impact, production figures were boosted. Compared to other 911 trims, the Turbo was visually unique with wider wheel-arches, larger wheels and tires, and a large and soon-to-be-iconic “Whale Tail” rear spoiler. Early models were equipped with a 3.0L 260 hp engine. which was eventually upgraded to a 3.3L unit producing 300 hp, for the 1978 refresh.
The Porsche 930 Turbo is widely considered to be the original “widowmaker”, as it was the first car to really become synonymous with the term. This reputation was earned due to the car’s difficulty to be controlled at the limit, and was one of the scariest road-going Porsches ever built. A less foreboding distinction the 930 had is that it is the very first turbocharged 911, making it the forefather of the long and successive line of series production 911 Turbo models that followed it.
