In the early 1970s, Porsche first took its first step towards boosting performance with exhaust gas turbochargers in the realm of motorsport. It was a winning idea. In little more than two years, the technology would be transferred from exotic racing prototypes to the Porsche 911. Over the next three decades, the works team and motorsport customers scored numerous triumphs in racing and rally versions of the 911 Turbo – wherever GT sports cars based on production models competed. Turbo technology was also behind Porsche’s successes in prototype racing, Formula 1, and rallying. 17 of the 19 overall Porsche victories at Le Mans were won with turbocharged engines. Turbocharged engines from Porsche won the Formula 1 world championship and the Paris-Dakar rally marathon. Porsche also made use of turbo power in its recent successes in the World Endurance Championship (WEC) and the North American IMSA GTP Championship with state-of-the-art hybrid powertrains.

 

The beginnings: 1,000 PS for North America

Summer 1970. Porsche had won the 24 Hours of Le Mans for the first time and was already gunning for another challenge. Four weeks after winning the world’s biggest endurance race, the decision was made to test an engine with an exhaust gas turbocharger in addition to a large naturally aspirated engine as part of Porsche’s increased involvement in the North American Canadian American Challenge Cup (Can-Am).

Can-Am was one of the most popular racing series in North America. The benchmark power units were naturally aspirated engines with more than eight litres of displacement and around 588 kW (800 PS), powering lightweight, open-cockpit sports prototypes. Porsche already had a highly successful racing car in the world championship with the Type 917. However, the 426 kW (580 PS) delivered by its 4.5-litre flat-12 was hardly sufficient to contend for wins in the Can-Am. This was amply demonstrated by the results of the open-top Porsche 917/10 Spyder used by a private entrant in the series.

Hans Mezger, the leading engine designer, created an air-cooled 16-cylinder engine based on the original flat-12 he had designed for the 917. At the same time, on the initiative of Ferdinand Piëch, Head of Development and Racing, Porsche was conducting initial tests to increase performance using exhaust gas turbochargers. Mezger, Piëch and head of racing engine development Valentin Schäffer were making great strides towards implementing the ‘Turbo’ idea in a motorsport setting.

 

Pressed for time: rapid response required

Increasing performance through turbocharging had long proven its mettle in marine engines, commercial trucks and racing engines for oval tracks in the USA. A turbine wheel in the exhaust gas flow rotates at a very high speed and is connected to a compressor wheel in the engine’s air intake system via a shaft. The compressor wheel forces air into the combustion chambers. Better input means more power. The American oval racing teams chose the largest possible turbochargers for maximum pressure, and any excess charge air was simply blown off via an outlet valve. As there are hardly any load changes when racing on oval circuits, the greatly delayed spooling up of the large turbocharger – and therefore the slow build-up of power – after a reduction in engine speed is less of an issue.

It was a different matter on the twisty tracks of the Can-Am: Constant braking and acceleration required turbochargers that spooled up with as little delay as possible. Schäffer discovered the beginnings of a solution in the USA: an even simpler exhaust-side boost pressure control. During partial load and overrun operation, unwanted overpressure could be prevented by routing excess exhaust gases to the outside via a bypass line and a valve (known as a wastegate) rather than through the exhaust gas turbine. This arrangement made it possible to limit the boost pressure and keep it at a constant level without blowing off excess charge air. As a result, the turbocharger could be smaller. The rotating masses were reduced, and the response characteristics improved.

Based on this idea, Schäffer designed a smaller, lighter, automatically operating and more intensively cooled wastegate. This is because temperatures in the exhaust pipes of the  917 could reach up to 1,100 degrees Celsius, whereas the maximum temperatures in the American methanol-powered racing engines were only around 350 degrees Celsius. At the end of July 1971, a Porsche 917/10 Spyder with a turbo engine completed its first laps at Weissach. For a more responsive power build-up, Porsche installed a smaller turbo on each cylinder bank instead of one large turbocharger.

Time for a decision: 16-cylinder naturally aspirated engine or 12-cylinder turbo? The naturally aspirated engine delivered 555 kW (755 PS), weighed 320 kg and was 25 centimetres longer than the 12-cylinder version. Right away, the more compact 4.5-litre turbo engine developed 625 kW (850 PS) and weighed just 270 kg. No doubt about it: time for turbo.

 

Lightning start in the USA: A Porsche turbo masterclass

At the first outing of the turbocharged Porsche 917/10 Spyder on the Mosport Park circuit in Canada on 11 June 1972, the displacement of the 12-cylinder engine was five litres and the power output an imperious 735 kW (1,000 PS). The 917/10 Spyder entered by the Porsche partner team Penske Enterprises won six of the nine races in 1972, with Penske driver George Follmer taking the title.

In 1973, Porsche upped the ante. The turbocharged engine of the 917/30 Spyder delivered 809 kW (1,100 PS) from a displacement of 5.4 litres. Eight race weekends were on the calendar; the Penske team scored six victories and another Can-Am Cup title, this time by Mark Donohue. In Europe, Finn Leo Kinnunen won the Interseries, the counterpart to the Can-Am, in a Porsche 917/10 Spyder.

When the organisers of Can-Am decided to end the dominance of the Porsche in 1974 by imposing a fuel consumption limit for turbo engines, Schäffer, Mezger and their teams developed appropriate technical solutions. Expecting further regulatory uncertainty, however, Porsche pulled out. The 917/30 bade farewell to America with a world record: At the Talladega Superspeedway in August 1975, Donohue completed three laps at an average speed of 355.848 km/h. The record-breaking engine delivered 904 kW (1,230 PS).

 

After the initial spark: triumph of the ‘Turbo’ idea in the Porsche 911

Even after the end of the Can-Am programme, Porsche continued to rely on turbo technology – in racing versions of the 911 and in specially developed prototypes that were not based on production road cars. On 24 March 1974, the Porsche 911 Carrera RSR Turbo 2.1, built exclusively for works team use, put in its first roaring laps in testing at Le Mans. The 2.1-litre flat-six engine in the rear of the first turbocharged racing car at Le Mans was equipped with an intercooler: cooling the air on its way from the turbocharger to the combustion chambers made it denser and, therefore, more rich in oxygen, which is crucial for performance. The flat-six engine delivered 368 kW (500 PS). The first turbocharged 911 finished the 24-hour race in a sensational second place overall. Porsche finished the year in third place in the title race. The insight from the racing track was channelled into the development of the 911 Turbo for the road. The standard 911 Turbo road car, launched in 1974, also featured intercooling from 1977 onwards.

 

Record-breaking world champion: Porsche 935

The history of the Porsche 934 and Porsche 935 – both racing cars based on the G-Series 911 generation – began in 1976, with new regulations for the World Championship for Makes. As per the regulations, the 934 was a racing car closely related to its roadgoing cousin and was powered by the 3.0-litre engine of the 911 Turbo, which produced roughly 357 kW (485 PS) thanks to increased boost pressure, among other features. The regulations also stipulated a minimum weight of 1,120 kg. This was just 20 kg less than the weight of the standard 911 Turbo. So, oddly enough, the 934 racing car used by customers around the world even featured electric windows. In 1976 and 1977, the racing department produced a total of around 50 cars for customer racing.

The Porsche 935 is still regarded as the most successful and versatile racing version of the 911 Turbo. Like all generations of this production racing car, it had a flat-six engine based on the 911 power unit. The most important successes of this more heavily modified 911: From 1976 to 1979, Porsche won the World Championship for Makes with the 935 four times in a row, while in the US, customer teams won the titles in the IMSA GT series from 1978 to 1982. From 1978 to 1983, the 935 was unbeatable at the 24 Hours of Daytona. In 1979, a customer team achieved an overall victory at Le Mans. While the 935 was launched in 1976 with a 2.85-litre single-turbo engine and 434 kW (590 PS), a twin-turbo engine, producing 463 kW (630 PS), arrived just a year later. In 1977, Porsche demonstrated its engineering prowess in the small displacement classes with the 935 ‘Baby’. Its 1.4-litre turbo engine, developed in just three months, generated 279 kW (380 PS). The pinnacle of performance for the 935, meanwhile, was the 935/78 ‘Moby Dick’ from 1978, whose 3.2-litre twin-turbo engine with water-cooled – a first – multi-valve cylinder heads delivered up to 621 kW (845 PS). Around 30 examples of the 935 were built in Weissach for factory and customer use, with customer teams also designing their own versions based on the successful racing car.

 

Porsche 959: Success in the desert and at Le Mans

Even before the Porsche 959 set new standards on the road as a super sports car in 1986, Porsche sent the high-tech all-wheel-drive vehicle into the desert for extreme testing. In January 1986, three heavily modified 959s reached the finish line of the Paris-Dakar Rally in first, second and sixth place after some 14,000 kilometres trekking through Africa. It was powered by a 294 kW (400 PS) 2.85-litre twin-turbo engine with water-cooled cylinder heads in the rear. Sequential turbocharging was one new feature. One turbocharger received the entire exhaust gas flow at low revs, while the second charger switched on – a bit like an afterburner – in the higher engine speed range. That same year, a Porsche 961 – a racing version of the 959 with around 500 kW (680 PS) at its disposal – proved its durability under constant load in Le Mans, finishing seventh overall. This one-off was the first all-wheel-drive vehicle to reach the finish line of the 24-hour race.

 

From the 911 Turbo 3.3 to the 911 GT2 RS: one-off exotics and recreational racing

In the US, Hurley Haywood won the 1991 IMSA Supercar Championship with an almost standard 911 Turbo 3.3 IMSA Supercar based on the 911 Turbo S. In 1993, Hans-Joachim Stuck took that same championship title. The Bavarian’s 911 Turbo was powered by a single-turbo engine that had by now been enlarged to 3.6 litres in the series-production model, producing 272 kW (370 PS).

While the 911 for IMSA had to weigh 1,430 kg as per the regulations, the 911 Turbo S Le Mans GT, which was initially created exclusively for factory use, was free to roll onto the grid in GT racing series weighing just 1,000 kg. Its 3.16-litre twin-turbo flat-six delivered 353 kW (480 PS) with the restrictors prescribed by category regulations. Porsche immediately won the GT class with the Turbo S Le Mans GT at the 12 Hours of Sebring in March 1993.

In 1995, Porsche produced a small run of a particularly powerful and lightweight 911 of the 993 generation. The road-approved 911 GT2 was specially developed as a base model for GT sports car racing and, unlike the 911 Turbo, only had rear-wheel drive. In the racing version, its twin-turbo flat-six produced 331 kW (450 PS) from an initial 3.6 litres of displacement, while the final developments resulted in an output of up to 515 kW (700 PS) from a 3.8-litre engine in the 911 GT2 Evo. The 911 GT2 weighed roughly 1,100 kg, in line with the regulations. Customer teams successfully deployed the 80 or so racing cars around the world. The development of the racing versions of the 911 GT2 drew to a close with the end of the 993 generation. It wasn’t until the 991 generation in 2018 that the GT2 name returned, with 200 units of the 911 GT2 RS Clubsport being produced. As the name suggests, the 1,390 kg, 515 kW (700 PS) car was designed for recreational racing.

 

The evolution continues: water cooling, engine in front of the rear axle

In 1996, Porsche raced in an international GT championship and at Le Mans with the 911 GT1. Its proven, fully water-cooled 3.2-litre twin-turbo engine delivered 441 kW (600 PS). The flat-six engine was positioned in front of the rear axle – a new approach for the Porsche 911. The works team’s two 911 GT1s won their class at the most important race of the year at Le Mans and finished second and third overall. The following year, both of the works team’s 911 GT1 ‘97s were forced to retire due to technical problems. In 1998, Porsche entered the race with a completely revised version of the 911 GT1. For the chassis and body of the 911 GT1 ‘98, Porsche used carbon fibre composite materials for the first time. The aerodynamics had been fundamentally revised. The 3.2-litre twin-turbo engine once again plied its trade in front of the rear axle. The works team’s two 911 GT1 ‘98s posted a 1-2 victory.

At the end of the 1990s, the focus in international GT racing shifted to racing cars with naturally aspirated engines. The history of the 911 Turbo in top-level motorsport therefore came to an end for the time being with this triumph at Le Mans.

 

Racing car, prototype, open-wheel car: turbo power for exotics

Specially developed racing cars, prototypes and open-wheel cars in the top categories of motorsport – most of which were built in single-digit numbers – represented the limits of what was technically feasible with pioneering technologies that were still in the experimental stage. Porsche also used turbo engines to power these extreme vehicles. For Formula 1 and open-wheel racing in the USA, special turbo engines were developed in the mid- to late-1980s – and in some cases these were extraordinarily successful.

Until the 1990s, the engines in racing cars and prototypes were based on developments of the classic 911 engine. After the works team returned to top-level racing with prototypes in 2014, the racing cars were powered by hybrid systems with turbocharged V-configuration engines.

 

Turbo start in a racing car: the Porsche 936 Spyder

Two years after Porsche ushered in the turbo era at Le Mans with the 911 Carrera RSR Turbo 2.1, the same six-cylinder boxer engine achieved the first overall victory for a turbo engine at the world’s most famous 24-hour race in 1976. The air-cooled 2.1-litre engine featured a turbocharger with intercooling and produced 382 kW (520 PS) in the 936/76 Spyder developed for the World Sportscar Championship. The open-top racing car weighed 700 kg and reached a top speed of 360 km/h. The same year, Porsche won the World Sportscar Championship with the lightweight two-seater.  One year later, the works team returned to Le Mans with the 936 Spyder. Thanks to twin-turbo technology, power output was increased by 14.7 kW (20 PS) to 397 kW (540 PS), and the engine’s drivability was significantly improved. The works team took overall victory once again. In 1978, a four-valve version of the 2.1-litre engine with water-cooled cylinder heads made its debut in the 936. Drivers now had the 426 kW (580 PS) of an even more responsive twin-turbo engine at their disposal. As in the following year, however, technical problems thwarted the quest for overall victory. In 1981, the 936 Spyder was back at Le Mans with the works team for the last time. In front of the rear axle was a 2.65-litre, 456 kW (620 PS) turbocharged engine originally developed by Porsche for use in the US IndyCar series. Although the engine never actually raced in the US, the twin-turbo six-cylinder was good for overall victory number three for the 936 Spyder, which bade farewell to Le Mans with one final win.

 

Record winners: the 956, 962 IMSA and 962 C prototypes

A revolution in aerodynamic design, continuous development on the engine side and an extraordinary record of success: this, in broad strokes, sums up the history of the Porsche 956, 962 IMSA and 962 C – the various forms of the racing prototype that won the 24 Hours of Le Mans six times between 1982 and 1987 and won five drivers’, four manufacturers’ and one team world championship title, as well as several national championships.

The specially shaped underbody of the 956, which weighed in at just over 800 kg, sucked the racing car to the track surface as it drove. This ground effect enabled very high cornering speeds, increased straight-line stability and shortened braking distances. For the engine, Porsche initially relied on the 456 kW (620 PS) 2.65-litre twin-turbo that had been so successful in the 936. The new positioning of the turbochargers close to the cylinder banks shortened the paths of the charge air and thus improved the engine’s responsiveness. In view of the fuel consumption limit that applied for the first time in the World Championship, Porsche focused primarily on the fuel economy of the engine. Great strides were made in this regard thanks to the innovative, fully electronic Motronic engine control system from Bosch, which Porsche had already experimented with in 1979 for the planned IndyCar project. Another new feature was data telemetry recording, which captured parameters such as engine speed, boost pressure and accelerator pedal position for adjusting the injection and ignition maps. From autumn 1984 onwards, the racing department experimented with the Porsche Doppelkupplungsgetriebe (PDK), which enabled very fast gear changes without interrupting the flow of power and thus also kept the turbochargers spooling at high speed. The system worked reliably from 1987 onwards. The 956 set the standard in endurance racing: three championship titles for Porsche and Porsche drivers, four overall victories at Le Mans, and titles in Europe and Japan.

In a racing programme that is still unequalled today, Porsche also produced large numbers of the 956 for customers, who used the vehicle with great success. Teams from the American IMSA championship soon signalled their interest in the racing prototype, and Porsche developed the 962 IMSA for 1984. The regulations required technical changes. Whereas in the 956 the pedals were in front of the front axle, they were now positioned behind the front axle for safety reasons. The engine was air-cooled and had only one turbocharger. In collaboration with Valentin Schäffer, the American specialist and Porsche partner Andial adapted the engine for the winding US circuits on which the car would race: increased in capacity from 2.8 to 3.2 litres and equipped with a special turbocharger and modified electronics, the turbo engine delivered 500 kW (680 PS) and high torque at low engine speeds. The 962 IMSA for America proved to be a good choice: from 1985 to 1988 Porsche won consecutive manufacturers’ titles; in 1985, 1986 and 1987 the drivers’ title went to Porsche drivers; and at the 24-hour classic in Daytona, the 962 IMSA achieved a total of five overall victories.

For the sports car World Championship, the Porsche 962 C was created using the 962 IMSA as its basis, examples of which were now being raced with a fully water-cooled 3.0-litre twin-turbo engine in addition to those fitted with the proven 2.65-litre engine. While the top-level international motorsport governing bodies reduced the permissible fuel consumption of turbo engines by a further 15 per cent in 1985, the output of the new twin-turbo unit rose to 515 kW (700 PS). Porsche, Porsche drivers and teams won all world championship titles and the 24 Hours of Le Mans again in 1986. In 1987, the success story of the 962 C came to an end with a victory at Le Mans. Though that wasn’t quite the end of the 962 story. In 1994, Porsche deployed one of the prototypes, based on a single roadgoing version, at Le Mans as a ‘GT’. Despite the mandatory air intake restrictors, the successful 3,0-litre twin-turbo still delivered 500 kW (680 PS). It was enough for the two 962 Dauer Le Mans GTs to take first and third place.

 

TWR-Porsche WSC Spyder and LMP1-98: with proven turbo power

In 1996, the works team would focus on the Porsche 911 GT1, while the customer team led by former Porsche racing driver Reinhold Joest would enter two open-top TWR-Porsche WSC Spyders at Le Mans – prepared with factory support. The Spyder was powered by an old friend. It was the 3.0-litre twin-turbo from the 962 C, which now generated 397 kW (540 PS) with the prescribed restrictors in the air intake. The WSC Spyder won the race and was able to repeat the feat again in 1997. Technically modified for a new set of rules, the Spyder was powered by the largest capacity version of the classic twin-turbo six-cylinder boxer engine in 1998 as the LMP1-98 at Le Mans. However, intake restrictors limited the power of the 3.2-litre engine to 390 kW (530 PS). The race ended prematurely for the two LMP1-98s due to technical problems and an accident.

 

Turbo in hybrid systems: the track as a test lab

In the early 2000s, Porsche initially focused on motorsport with production-based derivatives of the 911, before successfully returning to the smaller classes of prototype racing in 2004. In 2014, a Porsche would return to the top class of the World Endurance Championship. This was the realm of prototypes with hybrid drive systems. For the 919 Hybrid, Porsche relied on a 2.0-litre V4 driving the rear axle. The compact engine represented the technological cutting edge, with direct fuel injection and Variable Turbine Geometry (VTG) developed by Porsche, which was by then tried-and-tested technology. Using moving guide blades, the VTG could adjust the cross-section of the exhaust gas flow depending on the engine speed and, therefore, provide the best effective turbocharger size for each driving condition. The combustion engine provided roughly 368 kW (500 PS). An electric motor producing around 294 kW (400 PS) powered the front axle in phases. The associated lithium-ion battery drew its energy from brake recuperation combined with a technology used only by Porsche in the World Endurance Championship: a second ‘turbocharger’ in the exhaust gas stream droving a generator. With the 919 Hybrid, Porsche won the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 2015, 2016 and 2017 and swept all titles awarded in the World Endurance Championship.

Development of the Porsche 963 for the top classes of the WEC World Endurance Championship and the US IMSA GTP Championship began in 2020. In the interests of high power density and cost efficiency, the regulations stipulated numerous standardised components such as the hybrid system and the transmission.  The aerodynamic downforce and energy consumption also had to be within prescribed limits.

By contrast, there was relative freedom with regard to the powertrain system. The combustion engine had to weigh at least 180 kg. Together with the electric boost system, total output could not exceed 520 kW (707 PS). Porsche used the powerful, efficient 4.6-litre V8 from the 918 Spyder super sports car, combined the power unit with the standard hybrid system and added two small turbochargers to the naturally aspirated engine. With comparatively low boost pressure, an output of more than 515 kW (700 PS) was achieved. After its debut in 2023 and a first year under its belt, the Porsche 963 made a promising start to the current season with a victory at the 24 Hours of Daytona.

 

Porsche Turbo in open-wheel racing: up to 1,000 PS for Formula 1

Traditionally, Porsche Motorsport has focused on production racing cars and racing prototypes. Yet with its own cars and turbo engines and as an engine supplier for partner teams, Porsche has also occasionally competed in the highest classes of formula racing.

 

911-based engine: almost a contender for the Indy 500

In 1978, Porsche laid the groundwork for participation in the Indianapolis 500 in May 1980. Based on the water-cooled flat-six engine from the Porsche 935, the racing department developed a 2.65-litre engine with a large turbocharger. On the dyno, the methanol-fuelled engine easily generated 665 kW (904 PS). With the maximum boost pressure of 1.8 bar prescribed by the organising body, it was still good for 463 kW (630 PS). Initial tests in the chassis specially designed for the Indy project in 1979 were very promising. However, four weeks before the start of the 1980 racing season, the organisers lowered the permissible boost pressure by 0.2 bar. This pulverised the project’s chances of winning. Porsche left the US stage, but the petrol-powered version of the boxer lived on in the victorious Porsche 936.

 

TAG-Turbo ‘made by Porsche’: 1.5 litres, 1,040 PS and three world championship titles

In October 1982, an extremely compact, 150kg V6 twin-turbo engine was running on a dyno in Weissach. Hans Mezger designed the 1.5-litre engine for the British McLaren Formula 1 team. Mezger employed previously unused cooling processes, innovative materials, extremely low internal friction and pioneering engine electronics. Used on Grand Prix circuits from August 1983, the TAG-Turbo ‘made by Porsche’ initially produced around 529 kW (720 PS) in racing form, rising to 698 kW (950 PS) in its final year in 1987. The engine delivered up to 765 kW (1,040 PS) in qualifying configuration. By the time the collaboration between McLaren and Porsche ended in 1987, they had racked up 25 Grand Prix victories and three drivers’ world championship titles.

 

Indy, take two: little luck in North America

While the TAG-Turbo ‘made by Porsche’ was still running successfully in Formula 1, in-house design work began in 1986 on an open-wheel car with a single-turbo methanol-fuelled V8 engine, also developed and built in Weissach. Porsche was planning to take part in the US CART series with the 500-mile race in Indianapolis the highlight of the season. The 2.65-litre engine delivered 493 kW (670 PS) on the dyno at the end of 1986, and in October 1987 the Indy-Porsche Type 2708 competed in the CART series for the first time. The expected success did not materialise – even after the change to a British chassis and a power increase to 551 kW (750 PS). Porsche withdrew from the CART series in 1990, by which time the racing department was already working on a new naturally aspirated engine for Formula 1.

 

The transaxle models: Turbo comes to in-line four-cylinders

The newly developed Porsche 924 was launched in early 1976. The transaxle layout of the sports car with the four-cylinder in-line engine in the front and the gearbox positioned on the rear axle ensured favourable weight distribution for handling. In 1979, Porsche presented the 924 Turbo, which made its successful debut at Le Mans a year later under the name 924 Carrera GT. Thanks to the turbocharger and intercooler, the four-cylinder in-line engine delivered 276 kW (375 PS) from a displacement of 2.0 litres. The best 924 Carrera GT finished the race in an outstanding sixth place overall. In the North American SCCA series, the turbo sports car posted 25 wins.

Further transaxle premieres followed in 1981: various racing versions of the 924, up to the 276 kW (375 PS) 924 GTR, were produced for club racing. In the German Rally Championship, the newly crowned world champion Walter Röhrl would compete in a one-off car made especially for him, the 924 Carrera GTS Rallye. The 184 kW (250 PS) 2.0-litre turbo engine was enough for Röhrl to take four overall victories. Under the code name 924 GTP Le Mans, a prototype of the new Porsche 944 finished seventh overall in the 24-hour race at the Circuit de la Sarthe. Its 2.5-litre four-cylinder turbo engine delivered 301 kW (410 PS). For the first time, fully electronic fuel injection was used in an in-line engine for racing.

The success story of the Porsche one-make series began in 1986 with the 944 Turbo Cup. Technically identical 944 Turbo Cup Coupé cars closely related to their road-car cousins contended for the title. The 2.5-litre turbo engines delivered 162 kW (220 PS) with a vehicle weight of 1,280 kg. Huge entry lists and exciting sprint races proved to be a recipe for success. The 944 Turbo Cup soon came to be regarded as a brilliant school for young talent. The concept of the Porsche one-make series – which has been held since 1990 with production-based racing versions of the Porsche 911 – is still one of the most successful in club motorsport today.

From 1993, the Porsche 968 Turbo RS enriched starting grids around the world as a representative of the last generation of four-cylinder transaxle sports cars. Depending on the regulations, its 3.0-litre turbo engine produced between 248 and 257 kW (337 to 350 PS).

Related Content

A pattern with a history
History

A pattern with a history

Tartan fabrics symbolise tradition and craftsmanship, belonging and confidence. Exactly 50 years ago, three tartans could be found on the options list exclusively for the Porsche 911 Turbo.

Consumption data

911 Turbo

WLTP*
  • 12.3 – 12.0 l/100 km
  • 279 – 271 g/km
  • G Class
  • G Class

911 Turbo

Fuel consumption* / Emissions*
Fuel consumption* combined (WLTP) 12.3 – 12.0 l/100 km
CO₂ emissions* combined (WLTP) 279 – 271 g/km
CO₂ class G
CO₂ class weighted combined G

911 Turbo S

WLTP*
  • 12.3 – 12.0 l/100 km
  • 278 – 271 g/km
  • G Class
  • G Class

911 Turbo S

Fuel consumption* / Emissions*
Fuel consumption* combined (WLTP) 12.3 – 12.0 l/100 km
CO₂ emissions* combined (WLTP) 278 – 271 g/km
CO₂ class G
CO₂ class weighted combined G

Taycan Turbo S (2023)

WLTP*
  • 23.4 – 22.0 kWh/100 km
  • 0 g/km
  • A Class

Taycan Turbo S (2023)

Fuel consumption* / Emissions*
Electric power consumption* combined (WLTP) 23.4 – 22.0 kWh/100 km
CO₂ emissions* combined (WLTP) 0 g/km
CO₂ class A