Tests automobiles
A stone's throw from Orléans, a pretty little road, already giving us the feeling of being in the countryside, offers us an ideal setting to start this new test, the complete video of which you can also discover below.
Except that we are in the heart of winter and the weather decided otherwise.
An icy wind sweeps the surrounding fields and a persistent rain waters us with insistence, transforming the best of the surfaces into a potential skating rink.
It is therefore with a certain caution, tinged with circumspection, that we get behind the wheel of our car of the day, renowned for its facetious temperament.
Welcome aboard a 1989 Porsche 911 Turbo 3.3L with 5-speed gearbox, the ideal frame to go frolic in this weather not to put a goldfish outside...
However, let's look at it from a positive angle: it doesn't freeze!
La Porsche 911 is the archetype of the sports car and its 60-year history is a novel.
Because of the difficulties encountered in developing handling and fuel, the beginnings were certainly a bit difficult, but it was able to adapt constantly to the evolution of techniques and demand.
Since then, the success has continued.
Many books of considerable thickness have been written by scholars, if only to relate the succession of air-cooled engine versions, derived from the original since the 2 liters (type 901) presented in 1963 until the last 911 of the type 993 in 1998.
A summary will be useful to re-locate the Turbo version within this saga.
The first 911 of series leaves the assembly line in Stuttgart-Zuffenhausen on September 14, 1964. It is an entirely new car, powered by a new 6 cylinder air-cooled flatbed, with dry sump lubrication, of 2 liters and 130 hp allowing 210 km/h at peak speed. It does not use any elements from its big sister, the 356.
From then on, power, cubic capacity, wheel and tire dimensions, among others, will continue to grow, to the benefit of increased performance.
In 1966, the 2.0 S offered 160 hp, then 170 with injection in 1968.
The engine capacity is increased to 2.2 at the end of 1969 (180 hp and 230 km/h for the S), then at 2.4l in the fall of 1971 offering 190 hp, again for the S, crowning the range at that time.
In parallel, and throughout the history of 911, specific models are made to a few units for competition, such as the R or 2.5 ST.
porsche having the wish to engage the 911 in group 4 for 1973, a production of at least 500 copies is required for the approval of this new version. The result will be 911 Carrera RS 2.7 l 210 hph, radical and very efficient, the first 911 special offered in (small) series for the 73 vintage.
The following year, the 911 range is simplified and the 2.7 l engine is generalized, while the new bumpers with bellows appeared in response to American standards.
At that time, Porsche had already been studying the turbocharger supercharging, applied to its competition models. The 917 proved to be invincible in Can-Am and the 911 Turbo Carrera 2.4 l placed 2nd at the 1974 Le Mans 24 Hours in the prototype category.
Following the same logic that led to the marketing of a civilian version of the 2.7RS, the study of a 911 Turbo The road is launched in order to obtain the certification of the turbocharged racing versions in groups 4 and 5.
The heritage of the competition will once again be used to develop production models and to improve performance and behavior.
En September 73, visitors to the Frankfurt Motor Show are thus surprised to discover, in the form of a concept, a 911 Turbo with huge widened wings and a huge rear wing. Surprisingly, it seems intended for road use and not for competition!
It was not a simple announcement because the 911 Turbo series, type 930, was presented the following year at the Paris Motor Show 1974.
Its body-built look and its hypertrophied wings combined with this wing that is not discreet make it look like a race car that would have escaped on an open road.
Reading the data sheet doesn't disappoint either: 260 hp at 5500 rpm, more than 250 km/h at top speed and the km from a standing start in just over 24 seconds. It is the fastest production Porsche ever produced. Curiously, the new gearbox only has 4 gears, a solution considered sufficient by Porsche.
The interior has been treated with a luxury hitherto unknown on the previous 911s, offering, among other things, a new heating system with automatic thermostatic regulation.
The Turbo propels the 911 into the supercar category and competes with the major Italian sports cars both in terms of the level of its services and in terms of its price set at double that of the 911 2.7 l!
Success will be there and the marketing of the 911 Turbo will continue well beyond the 500 units initially envisaged.
La 911 Turbo receives numerous changes for the 78 vintage. The motor is rebored at 3.3 l and now delivers 300 hp always at 5500 rpm. For the first time on a production car, it is equipped with a air/air exchanger intake air cooling system. The brakes are derived from those of the 917 with 4 ventilated and perforated discs pinched by 4-piston winged calipers. Top speed reaches 260 km/h.
The 3.3 l version was thus produced without major changes until 1988, except for the introduction of the Targa and Cabriolet variants in autumn 86.
The ultimate evolution of the Type 930 corresponds to the last year of manufacture, the vintage 89 finally receiving the 5-speed gearbox requested for a long time by customers, and it is precisely this version that we are going to try.
La 911 has been such a part of the automotive landscape for 60 years, that it must be admitted that the discovery of our Turbo was not a surprise on the same level as the appearance of a Countach or a Testarossa.
However, as it is a 930, the spectacular and somewhat exaggerated side of the huge spoiler and the large wings that cheerfully extend from the body continue to impress while leaving a little perplexing. What a lack of discretion! The whole car seems to be saying: “Get out of the way, I'm coming! ”. Is she pretty? Probably less than a more refined and balanced classic 911, but how aggressive! What a bestiality indeed. She does not hide her game and, at a time when speed was a selling point that was not only authorized but highly appreciated, this unequivocal statement undoubtedly contributed greatly to the success of the Porsche Turbo.
Opening the door sends us back a few lines. No doubt, it is a 911 that looks like a... 911! In this case, from the 80s, with its small center console, its thick, slightly strange carpet, its unsuspended pedalboard and a steering wheel that we ended up getting used to, although we did not, one day, find it really pretty. La 930 offered in series what was optional on 911 and the slightly rustic but solid finish is here enhanced by theThe leather extended to the dashboard and the storm doors, the electric sports seats, the airconditioning And a 6 HP sound system.
Note that, unlike some of its competitors, access to board is easy and that the 2 small rear seats will occasionally provide some very useful services.
Once installed, you are well settled in a seat offering quality comfort (one of the best for my taste) but still very cramped! And yes: remember that the bodywork dates mostly from 1963...
Another consequence inherited from the time the initial 911 was designed, from which the 930 derives directly: ergonomics. It is particularly fanciful on this late model equipped with numerous equipment and the switches and other controls are scattered all over the place in a rather random manner. Without consulting the instructions, you will be looking for the sunroof or mirror reversal controls for a long time, and adjusting the heating is anything but intuitive!
On the other hand, if you have already practiced the 911 with air, 930 or not, you are at home. You will only notice that the counter is graduated up to 300 km/h instead of 260 and that a small pressure gauge was housed in the tachometer to monitor the triggering of the turbocharger and the increase in supercharger pressure. As we will see, this can be useful!
Getting started is not difficult. The clutch and the gearbox are soft and everything seems even simpler than with a contemporary 3.2 l. And that's as true as it is misleading.
In fact, under 3500 revs, nothing happens... nothing! But, if at this speed, you crush the right pedal, you will have time to count to, say, between 1 and 2 before you are literally catapulted with improbable violence and absolutely unrelated to the smooth, almost soft ride that preceded. It's the turbo effect or rather the consequence of the famous response time inherent in this type of overeating.
The principle of a turbocharger is to use the energy of the exhaust gas to make a small turbine turn. On the same axis as this turbine, there is a second turbine that squeezes the intake air. By increasing the quantity of air admitted by the engine (at the same time as the quantity of gasoline) we obtain more power than with a naturally aspirated engine at a given speed. The problem comes from the fact that the turbo has to run very fast for it to work (80,000 to 100,000 rpm!) and that the quantity of exhaust gas required is not obtained before a certain engine speed, in this case around 3500 rpm with the 911 Turbo.
Before you have mastered the beast, it is best to be in a straight line before accelerating, as the torque and power landing is so brutal. And on wet roads, it's a wise recommendation!
This Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde temperament is fun because you have two cars in one. Flexible and smooth in the city and when driving quietly, you could entrust this 911 to your great aunt if you took care to place a hold under the accelerator. Remove this hold and crush the gas in 3rd at 110 km/h and the next moment, if it rains, the rear wheels may slip despite the excellent traction specific to any 911 because of its cantilever rear engine architecture.
Fortunately, you can slow this cannonball by relying on the brakes, which are both excellent and tireless (but without ABS) and steer the missile thanks to its steering (without assistance) and its firmer, but perfectly calibrated running gear. However, it will be prudent to keep in mind that you have no guardrails or electronic driver assistance and that, like any good old 911 of the first generations, getting up in a curve approached with too much optimism risks ending in a good dose of oversteer due to the sudden transfer of mass accentuated by the engine placed at the rear.
Curiously enough, the 911 Turbo does not leave the feeling of a very reasonable car, which may seem surprising on the part of Porsche at that time. Moreover, the factory must have been aware of this since a “Turbo training” program had been set up for the brand's sales representatives in order to familiarize them with how to drive the machine...
However, it is easy to imagine that more than one driver of 930 caused a scare by being surprised by the surge of power if he did not anticipate it, which probably earned him his nickname “widow maker”.
On the other hand, more seasoned owners have certainly enjoyed using this two-faced car, which is relatively practical and easy on a daily basis, while offering thunderous accelerations that are among the best in the competition on demand, for those who have fully understood the instructions for use.
The body of the 144, extended by ten centimeters with a redesigned front and a new in-line 6-cylinder engine: this is how, in 1968, Volvo created its first post-war grand tourer.
So beautiful, to the point of being considered a milestone in automotive design, and to have integrated the collections of one of the largest museums of contemporary art in the world. So daring, that Enzo Ferrari himself, although usually so quiet, would have made a rave comment about it when it was released. So desirable, that those who did not have the chance to drive it invent faults. So rare, and yet 77,000 copies were produced in its various versions.
Investing in classic or luxury cars can be an interesting financial investment, as long as this investment is made on the right models.
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