First introduced in 1975, the production 911 Turbo was directly derived from the cars used in endurance racing and used a three litre engine with a four speed gearbox. These early examples were quite crude, although very powerful, and were superseded in 1977 by the more familiar 3.3 litre version produced until 1989. With a larger intercooler and better brakes this Turbo was far more refined; however it had not lost the performance edge and with a healthy 300bhp on tap the car still had that legendary turbo' kick. The result, including a top speed of 168mph and acceleration from rest to 60mph in just 5.0 seconds, was nothing more than staggering and the car sold in the thousands, an instant classic that defined sports cars of its age.

The 911 Turbo was dropped in July 1989, prior to the end of the 911 3.2 Carrera production. It was reintroduced for September 1990 in the 'new' 964 body as the Turbo II to help boost 964 car sales. There was not enough time to develop the new 3.6 litre engine, so the decision was made to use the older, but tried and tested 3.3 litre unit albeit extensively improved. In standard form the 911 Turbo II produced 320bhp which was enough to propel this luxury equipped 911 to 60mph in 4.7 seconds. The 964 3.3 Turbo II was built for only two years, 1991 and 1992 (3660 made) and then replaced with the 3.6 Turbo for the 1993 model year, and as the 993 was on its way for 1994, it meant that less than a 1000 cars were built. The motor was a development of the 3.6 Carrera 2/4 engine producing 360bhp.

In April 1995 Porsche launched the iconic 911 Turbo in 993 guise, powered by a 408bhp version of the 3.6-litre lump, mated to the Carrera 4’s all-wheel drive running gear. The 993 Turbo represented the first Porsche Turbo with a six-speed box, two turbochargers and four-wheel drive, production continued up until October 1998.

With the advent of the all new water cooled 996 in 1998 it was not until 2000 that saw the introduction of the 996 Turbo, again with all-wheel drive and a choice between a manual six speed gearbox or Tiptronic. The 996 represented a completely new design for the 911 although staying close to the original 911 outline still with the engine overhanging the rear wheels. The engine was derived from the GT1 and, like its predecessor, featured twin turbos which developed 420 bhp to produce a 0 – 60 mph time of 4.2 seconds, and featured a completely new interior with many luxury features as standard.

The 911 Turbo does things other cars can’t do, with huge amounts of grip, poise and steering ability. There’s real consistency in the way it loads up and informs the driver of changes in surface or grip. Not that they really matter in a car with such otherworldly amounts of grip. On a dry road it is near-impossible to reach the Turbo’s limits. Autocar road test 2001