Porsche 911 (930) Turbo 3.3 Coupe

Click Here for Full Screen Image - Click Here to Download Image

“I never thought the day would come when Ferraris, Maseratis, Lamborghinis and similar exotica would pale into insignificance in my book of motoring, but that day came with the Porsche Turbo… When the boost comes in it is electrifying and the straight-line performance is almost more than one is prepared to unleash on the open road. I used all its acceleration in 1st, 2nd and 3rd and felt that the continuing acceleration in 4th gear was almost more than I wanted to cope with, the first car that has given me that feeling on the road” - Denis Jenkinson, Motor Sport, 1977.

In the early 1980s, no red-blooded schoolboy\\\'s bedroom was complete without at least two posters on the wall – one of a rather shapely tennis player scratching her pert behind, the other of a 160mph Porsche 911 Turbo. Both provided sufficient fantasy material to keep a boy pleasantly amused for hours...

Launched in 1975 and internally known as the 930, the 911 Turbo was a beast of a car that took the motoring world by storm. Not only did it have just about the biggest spoiler ever seen on a production car, but it had the kind of explosive power normally only found in the barrel of a gun. Powered by a strengthened version of the 3-litre engine found in the RS, it used a de-tuned version of the turbo technology originally developed for the terrifying 917 Can-Am race car that, in qualifying tune, developed over 1,500bhp!

For road use 260bhp was deemed quite sufficient (with 253lb/ft torque) and a number of mods were employed to keep all this power under control. Apart from the whale-tail spoiler there were huge rear tyres, stiffer suspension, larger brakes and a bullet-proof 4-speed gearbox. With shattering in-gear acceleration (0 - 60 in 5.2 secs) and brutally abrupt power delivery, the car was still a handful to master and was strictly for brave and skilful pilots only.

Initially only 500 3.0 Turbos were going to be made for homologation purposes but it proved such an intoxicating machine that over five times this number were sold up to 1978 when it was replaced by an even more effective 3.3-litre version, now with 300bhp and 303lb/ft torque. Not only did the extra torque make the new car much more usable, the notorious 930 turbo lag also moved into the realms of thrilling rather than intimidating, while vastly improved brakes (derived from the immortal 917 race car) addressed the only other weakness of the car which meant that deceleration was at last on a par with the ferocious acceleration (Motor declaring it the quickest production car it had ever tested in 1978).

This particular 3.3 Turbo was first registered in March 1979 and had just one owner from 1984 until 2014 (although for personal reasons it was twice put into another person’s name so the V5 records three keepers during this period). When acquired in 1984 it was adorned with Martini stripes but we have been unable to ascertain whether these were fitted at the factory (option code M42) or were a later addition. About 15 years ago the car was treated to a bare metal repaint in the original white during which the stripes were sadly removed, although photos on file show the car before and during the repaint.

Between 1976 and 1979 Porsche did produce around 200 Martini Edition 930 Turbos (of which it is thought that only around 20 were in right-hand drive) to celebrate the era when Martini sponsored the Porsche race teams in what proved an enormously successful partnership. The Martini cars were fitted with Fuhrmann orthopaedic seats, as seen here (an £800 option on a £20k car), but usually orange or red and blue. This car also has an ‘M’ on the chassis plate which we have not seen on any 930 we have sold before and may designate ‘Martini Edition’ or perhaps just \\\'M Series\\\', this being the 911 range that ran from August 1978 to July 1979 - again, we have been unable to clarify this and bidders are advised to form their own opinion as to whether it is a factory Martini Edition or not.

When the vendor acquired the car last year it had mainly been in storage for the previous 25 years, although it had been regularly started and moved and had also been MOTd at least four times between 1990 and 2003, although it was always trailered to the testing station (old MOTs on file). An old tax disc shows that it was last on the road in 1989. The indicated mileage of 50,679 is believed, but not warranted, to be genuine.

The vendor has since thoroughly recommissioned the car with all new brakes (including calipers, discs and pads), new wheel bearings all round and a full service. The engine (which is the original unit) is said to be in excellent condition following a £4,694 rebuild in 2003 (bills on file) since when it has only covered five miles. It certainly fired up instantly and ran beautifully on the occasion of our visit.

Costing over £20,000 when new, the 930 Turbo was always an exclusive car and its high price, combined with its fearsome reputation, meant that relatively few were sold. Today though, these factors make the car highly prized by collectors and this iconic model has surged in value of late.

This low mileage, matching numbers example, with a fresh engine and a potentially interesting specification which may merit further investigation, looks mighty tempting at the sensible guide price suggested. The personalised number plate is also included.