In 1975 Porsche introduced the first Turbo. The engineers experienced this new engine and Chairman Ernst Fuhrman decided that they could use a turbo on a production car. The first prototype was displayed at several European shows in 1973. In 1974, ?11 Turbo?went on sale and at the time it had a 3.0 liter 260 bhp engine.
The new Porsche was full of luxury. The standard Turbo had air-conditioning, electric windows, tinted glass, headlamp washers, a leather interior and Bilstein shocks. Originally, it was supposed to be a limited edition, with only 500 models to be sold. However, the demand was so high that more than 1000 cars were sold. It was now clear that Turbo would have a secure future.
What attracted so many customers was its huge rear wing, widened wheel and big tires. This great look combined with the powerful engine made the Turbo look faster than any other 911.
In 1978, the model was improved by the increase of the engine capacity to 3.3 liter and some other modifications. Now the engine produced 40 bhp more. The rear wing was also revised: the two separate grilles were replaced by one larger smooth surface, placed a little higher in order to make room for an intercooler.
In 1979 though, the Turbo was withdrawn from US and Japan, as a response to the second energy crunch.
In 1986, Turbo became again available in the US. This was the first year Porsche used flares that were created in the stamping ?process of the fenders. In 1992 Porsche showed the Turbo S at Geneva's Motorshow. It's engine delivered 381 bhp. The car weighted 120 kg less then the standard Turbo and this helped making Turbo S really fast. There were built only 80 Turbo S.
In 1993, the engine capacity was increased again, now reaching 3.6 liter. It was easily recognized by the Turbo 3.6 badge. Also, there was a 93 Turbo 3.6 based 911 Turbo S built.
In 1996 Porsche launched yet another Turbo, based on the 993 series. Its engine produced 408 bhp, featuring a six-speed gearbox and four-wheel drive. It looked more elegant thanks to the less evocative rear-wing. The wheels are 18 inch in diameter. It saves 20% of the weight because the five spokes are hollow. The front wing has air-ducts that lead extra cooling air to the brakes, making them more powerful than before. They can stop the Turbo from 100 hm/h in 2.6 seconds and from 200km/h in just 5 seconds, increasing car's safety.
Porsche has recently introduced the 996 Turbo. The styling is different from the previous Turbo models. Its aerodynamics are improved, making it much faster than the 993 Turbo. It gets to 100 km/h in only 4.2 seconds and has a top speed of 305 km/h. The new Turbo has a few details that make it easy to recognize: bi-xenon headlights, air intakes behind the doors and a movable rear-spoiler.
Porsche turbo 1975 - now
Porsche the beginning
It`s hard to say exactly which is the beginning of Porsche story. It could be in 1950, when the famous Max Hoffman introduced the Porsche 356 to the United States. Or in 1948 when the first automobile to bear the name Porsche was introduced. But in order to understand Porsche heritage and its philosophy we need to go back to 1875, when, in September, at the home of a tinsmith in the Bohemian village of Haffersdorf, a son was born. His name was Ferdinand Porsche.
Since his adolescence, Ferdinand Porsche showed glimpses of technical genius: at the age of 18, he wired family's home for electricity in 1893. Still, he didn show many signs of disciplined engineering skills that will eventually become his trademark. Even if the octor?is usually appended to his name, it is in essence honorary, since his only formal technical training was as a part-time engineering student in Vienna.
By the age of 25, the young Ferdinand Porsche had entered the field of automotive design. His first car design was already accepted by Lohner & Co. of Vienna. Over the next 20 years, Ferdinand Porsche, the temperamental but brilliant engineer succeeded in associating with every major automobile manufacturer in Germany. At the same time, he designed a dozen of the most technically significant cars in history.
Working for Mercedes-Benz, he helped develop the most revered Mercedes-Benz cars of all time: the SSK series. For NSU, he designed Auto Union Wanderer and the Type 32, a precursor of the Volkswagen Beetle.
After being dismissed from Mercedes for disagreeing with the firm's staid engineering policies, Porsche decided to establish what later became Porsche A.G.: his own engineering consulting group. In a small office in Stuttgart, the senior Dr. Porsche gathered a select group of engineers to work under the dramatic name, "Doctor of Engineering Ferdinand Porsche, Inc., Construction Facility for Land, Air, and Sea Transportation." One of his employees was his youthful son, Ferry. His primary interest was one that any young man might select: sports and racing cars
The senior Dr. Porsche and his team were kept extremely busy. The consulting firm developed for Steyr (now the utility-vehicle wing of the Steyr- Daimler-Puch combine), the Austria luxury sedan, but it did not progress beyond the prototype stage. They worked a lot for Auto Union, now Audi: the company developed the Front, the world's first front-drive economy car. They astonished Auto Union with the mid-engine Grand Prix cars and their supercharged V-12 and V-16 engines which, together with Mercedes- Benz racers, dominated European auto racing for nearly a decade.
After that, the firm created its best-known designs for NSU and Zundapp. The pair of prototypes was characterized by Dr. Porsche's patented torsion-bar suspension and a rear-mounted engine. Since neither company moved rapidly enough to manufacture the designs, Porsche sold the concept to the German government. Then, he oversaw the construction of a plant on Wolfsburg to manufacture the design. His drawings called the car the Type 60. The world came to know it as the Volkswagen Beetle
After the second World War, the Porsche Company started to create vehicles that beard its name, and so became knows world wide. Now, nearly a century later, Porsche became the marque and the family that created outstanding, often unique and surely lasting contributions to automotive engineering and design.
Porsche Panamera
In 2009 is set to be launched a four-door, four-seat coupe, called Porsche Panamera. The car, powered by a modified version of the 4.5 L V8 found in the Cayenne, equipped with the FSI system will be front engined and rear wheel drive. Although it is extremely unlikely, rumors is that an option for the Panamera will be the V10 engine from Porsche's limited-run Carrera GT supercar.
Porsche Panamera will be produced in the new plant at Leipzig alongside the Cayenne. It is the first V8-engined sports car built by Porsche since 1995, when the 928 was discontinued and some consider it a suitable successor to the two-doored 928. The company built the new model as a direct competitor to the Mercedes-Benz CLS 55 AMG and Maserati Quattroporte and (to a lesser degree) a less expensive alternative to expensive vehicles such the, Ferrari 612 Scaglietti, Bentley Continental GT and Aston Martin Rapide.
Like Porsche Carrera`s name, the Panamera`s derives from the Carrera Panamerican race. Before it, there were other four-door sedans prototypes, such as the 1991 Porsche 989 prototype or the even earlier 4 door prototype based on the 911, but they never went into production.
