Tracing Porsche's Turbocharged Past to Today's 992 Version

Looking Back

Turbo was a hot word back in the '80s when it symbolized some magical "new" method of creating power. But over the years, turbocharged engines have evolved into efficient, albeit still rather powerful things. With the recent introduction of the latest Porsche 911 Turbo, the 992, the automaker thought it would be prudent to look back at how we got here. And it's a fascinating journey, that's for sure.

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Porsche 911 Turbo (930)

It all started way back in 1974 with the debut of the 930. It came with an exhaust-gas overpressure valve (wastegate), something that was previously only utilized on racing cars. With a maximum boost pressure of 11.6 psi, it developed 260 hp, but the meat of the power kicked in somewhat abruptly at 3,500 rpm. In 1977, a 300 hp successor appeared with a larger compressor wheel and (at the time another novelty for passenger cars) an intercooler.

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Porsche 959

It was the 959, however, that truly demonstrated what turbo technology was capable of. This futuristic Porsche debuted at the IAA in 1983 as a Group B study and was launched three years later as a road-going version. The all-wheel-drive super sports car has a complex sequential boosting system with two different-sized turbochargers. The smaller one responds at lower engine speeds. The 959 also features an electronic boost control system and water-cooled cylinder heads.

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Porsche 911 Turbo 3.3 (964)

The 964 gen 911 Turbo produced 320 hp and initially adopted the 3.3-liter engine of its predecessor in 1991. Thanks to complex exhaust-gas after treatment with three-way metal catalytic converters and an additional catalytic converter for the bypass outlet, it met increasingly stringent emission standards. Pressure-controlled characteristic map injection and a fifty percent larger charge-air cooler were added as well. A 3.6-liter version in 1993 upped the ante with 360 hp, but also better fuel economy.

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Porsche 911 Turbo (993)

In 1995, Porsche built the last air-cooled 911 Turbo - the 993. It was the first time Porsche relied on the power of two turbochargers in a series-production model. Unlike the 959, however, they were not sequential but worked in parallel. They each supplied one cylinder bank of the 3.6-liter six-cylinder engine with charge air. The wastegate integrated with the turbo was also new. This 911 Turbo was the lowest-emission vehicle of its time, and from 1997 the same applied to the Turbo S. In its most radical, motorsport-inspired version, the 911 GT2, output can reach up to 450 hp.

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Porsche 911 Turbo S (996)

The 996 generation, introduced in 1997, and its turbo version, introduced in 2001, marked a new beginning. All engines, including the new 3.6-liter turbo, were now liquid-cooled. The Turbo and Turbo S (as of 2004) had VarioCam Plus, an adjustment of the intake camshaft including valve lift switching of the intake valves. The turbo engine was based on the powertrain of the 1998 Le Mans winner, the 911 GT1. Standard on the Turbo S model: Porsche Ceramic Composite Brakes (PCCB). Tiptronic S was available on request. The S owes its 450 hp output to larger turbochargers, more efficient charge-air coolers, and modified catalytic converters.

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Porsche 911 Turbo (997)

The 997 generation 911 Turbo surprised everyone in 2006 with a world first: Porsche had combined a gasoline vehicle with so-called VTG - variable turbine geometry. This means different angles of attack for the guide vanes. At low engine speeds, the vanes stand more upright in the exhaust stream and therefore respond sooner. Although already established in diesel engines, the VTG principle for the gasoline engine of the 911 Turbo had to be developed practically from scratch. The much higher temperatures compared to a diesel engine required materials from the aerospace industry.

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Porsche 911 Turbo S (992)

Turbo development has reached new heights in the 992 generation. The new engine of the 911 Turbo S combines wastegates with VTGs - except now they’re mirror images of each other and even larger. The advantage of this innovation is that, after a cold start, the catalytic converters heat up more quickly because they’re warmed up directly via the electronically controlled bypasses. There are benefits to efficiency as well. The exhaust backpressure is automatically reduced when operating at full load, which reduces the residual gas in the cylinder that interferes with combustion.

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>>Join the conversation about the Turbo 911 lineage right here in Rennlist.com.

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