Table of contents for No. 247 in Total 911

The term ‘icon’ is used a little too much these days, but when it comes to Porsche’s 911 Turbo, such a description is about as apt as it gets. When introduced in 1975, the Turbo shifted the dial for the 911, changing its reputation as a plucky, agile sports car capable of toppling mightier machinery on the race track, to a bona fide supercar, with huge power and performance. That first 930 (to use its internal code) was a feat of engineering, and ever since, the 911 Turbo has been at the forefront of motoring innovation. This approach has helped the 911 fend off in-house competition over the years, exemplified by the above photograph, taken at the 1978 Earls Court Motor Show. The 928, proudly emblazoned as ‘Car Of The…

Total 911: Ben, Cheryl, when did you start at Porsche? Cheryl Dimson: I was there from the start of 1982 to 1992. Ben Dimson: I started in 1981 to 1988. Ben, what was your career path to Porsche? BD: After graduating from the Art Center College of Design, I had three job offers. Volkswagen and Ford were first and then Porsche came afterwards. That, for me, was an incredible moment – how could I turn Porsche down? It had to be my first choice. So I packed a couple of bags, a year after receiving that invitation to join Porsche, and flew to Germany. I was picked up by a member of the Porsche team and we went on the Autobahn. That was the fastest I’d ever been driven in…

Behind Kazuki Ohashi’s desk are numerous model cars, and the Porsche 935s among them are eagerly pointed out over the course of our online interview. However, the 29-year-old founder of specialist engineering outfit Madlane wasn’t always interested in Porsche 935s: his first love as a child was radio-controlled cars. Only when he became a teenager did the real thing catch his attention. Ohashi grew up with a father who had a passion for Ferraris and Lamborghinis, and he would modify these cars. It’s here where a large part of Ohashi’s passion for not just all things automotive, but the customising of them, stems from. It’s inspiring to witness a youngster who sets himself a goal and then, years later, achieves it with resounding success. Back in January this year at…

Wehrlein crowned Formula E champion Porsche’s Pascal Wehrlein drove to Formula E World Championship glory at a glitzy finale in London Porsche arrived at the Formula E season finale in London with three titles firmly in its sights. The Stuttgart squad led the championship for Manufacturers, and sat second in the Teams table, while TAG Heuer Porsche Formula E Team racer Pascal Wehrlein was gunning for the driver’s title from third in the standings. The double-header at the ExCel circuit saw Wehrlein drive his Porsche 99X Electric to victory in the weekend’s first race, taking the championship lead and establishing a cliffhanger for Sunday. Everything would go down to the wire. In the final race of the season, Wehrlein finished 2nd, earning enough points to be crowned champion. Porsche finished…

50 years of Turbo: 930 v 993 v 996 v 992 The Porsche 911 Turbo is 50, but the only thing here today that’s 50 years old is the driver. Actually, that’s not entirely accurate, but as near as damn it, with Porsche celebrating the Turbo’s milestone year by bringing its Turbo generations to Goodwood Festival of Speed in July 2024, just two short weeks before this writer’s odometer hits that big number. And the 930 that he’s sat in? It’s positively youthful in comparison, at just 36 years old. Like all the Porsche Museum production cars it’s as good as perfect, and is about as close as you’ll ever get to experiencing what it might have been like to pick one of these up when new. That would have…

HISTORY & TECH The 993’s predecessor, the 964, was the first significant departure from the 1963 original. In replacing the torsion bar suspension with conventional struts and dampers, the 911 was at last able to benefit from the kind of technology expected from a premium sports car, such as power steering, automatic transmission, ABS and all-wheel drive. Although the 993 looked more contemporary thanks to its fared headlights and smoothed coachwork around the bumpers and rear wings, it was technically less radical, essentially improving on what can now be seen as the unfinished work of the 964. The 993 used the 964’s chassis and engine, but the top end was reworked to lighten reciprocating parts. The car ran smoother, thus enabling the torsion damper to be dispensed with. Other minor…

CP Morey Atlanta, USA @gtsence Model 997.2 CARRERA GTS Year 2011 Acquired 2013 Model 992 GT3 Year 2022 Acquired 2022 Model 991.1 CARRERA GTS Year 2016 Acquired 2020 Model 3.2 CARRERA Year 1985 Acquired 2024 Back in issue 242, I shared my interest in the 3.2 Carreras with the M491 package. As a fan of the 911 GTS, I can’t help but notice the similarities: a wide-body design, upgraded running gear and extra power. Essentially, the 911 GTS, with its blend of performance and cosmetic enhancements, serves as a modern counterpart to the M491. With a 991.1 GTS Coupe and a 997 GTS Cabriolet already in the garage, I’ve long thought that an M491 Targa would make a great addition. With just three cars, I’d have each major body style offered by Porsche in…

In the early 1980s Porsche identified an interesting trend. More and more customers were using companies such as Gemballa, Strosek and Rinspeed to give their 911 a custom job. What many owners were after was the wide-body look exemplified by the 911 Turbo. And there were even glass-fibre kits available at a fraction of the price. Unsurprisingly, this came to the attention of Peter Schutz, who since 1981 was the extremely marketing-minded Porsche boss. Although his predecessor, Ernst Fuhrmann, wanted to phase out the 911, the data-driven Schutz was eager to retain the model. His reasoning was that while the sales of Porsche 924 and 928 were slipping, the 911 continued to enjoy steady financial success. Indeed, during the 1980s the classic Porsche 911 would become a symbol of the…

STAR CORRESPONDENCE Buying my first Porsche 911 Dear Sir, I picked up Total 911 for the first time ever a couple of weeks ago and thought I would start to take seriously the idea of buying my first Porsche. I’ve done a lot of looking on the internet and browsing for-sale ads (mainly Auto Trader) since then to get a better idea of models, specs, pricing and so on. I was lucky enough to be invited to the Porsche Experience Center in Atlanta in 2015 on a corporate event and had two great sessions in a Carrera 4S 991.2. I was smitten. I had done amateur endurance racing in previous years, but never driven a Porsche before. I was amazed by the handling and grip levels. So now, if I…

In one of his classic throwaway remarks, in March 1988 Tony Lapine was quoted in Panorama, a popular political magazine that was similar to the Radio Times, saying that it was Ernst Fuhrmann rather than Butzi Porsche who “made” the 911. This caused outrage in the Porsche family and following his second heart attack some weeks later, Lapine was pensioned off by Zuffenhausen. Yet he had a point. Butzi’s styling had established the image of Porsche on the automotive map, but after 10 years, with no successor in sight the 911 was starting to look dated and other sports cars were catching up. Then Porsche launched the Turbo, known internally as the Typ 930. Within a short time the almost mythical reputation it acquired endowed the 911 with a profile…

The pro manual viewpoint Despite my relative youth, when it comes to driving I like to think I’m in the ‘traditionalist’ category; a recent car purchase sees me driving around in something bereft of power steering, anti-locking brakes or any form of electronic driver control. Therefore, as our day gets underway at Porsche GB’s headquarters in Reading, I’m happy for Lee to take the manual 991 Carrera C2S first, confident that I won’t need any further convincing of the analogue sports car’s charms. The dual-carriageway journey towards the Porsche Experience Centre at Silverstone vindicates my decision, as the Racing yellow PDK variant proves unremarkable and I remain indifferent towards the concept, although the largely uneventful stretches of tarmac wouldn’t show the manual off to its best, either. On arrival, I…

Data file Full specs, ratings and market values of every Porsche 911 model from 1963 to 2024 can be found starting on page 82 Plus Showroom Looking for a new 911? The classifieds from our independent specialist partners are the first place where you should start your search Servicing & tuning Get the very best from your Porsche 911 with the help of our selected performance and maintenance specialists Porsche lifestyle Helping you make the right lifestyle choices to complement you and your 911. Don’t just drive Porsche – live the brand Insurance & finance Get your Porsche covered with the best insurance deals for road and track to ensure happy, safe motoring…

In the 1980s, the 911’s rally career waned. Jean-Luc Thérier’s victory in Corsica in October 1980 was the last win at international level, although the Belgian cigarette-sponsored teams Belga and Bastos regularly won regional events such as the Ypres 24 Hours. At that time Porsche was putting its motorsport budget into Group C as well as planning a rally version of its 4x4 959 supercar to compete in the new Group B, where Ferdinand Piëch’s Audi Quattro was making a name for itself. However, progress on the 959 was slow, and frustrated by the absence of top-level 911 participation, Roland Kussmaul and Jürgen Barth obtained permission to build an SC RS. Because the 911 SC was shortly to be replaced by the Carrera 3.2, the homologation requirement was only 20,…