Original-Owner Euro 1985 Porsche 911 Turbo
Original Porsche 911/930 Turbos are extremely rare to begin with. But an original-owner European "grey market" car is a unicorn.
One Owner 80's 911 Turbo
Prices for air-cooled Porsches have skyrocketed in recent years. Some of that is due to the collector car market in general, and some of that is due to the rarity of air-cooled Porsches. But this air-cooled Porsche is a unicorn among those rare cars. Not only is it an air-cooled 911, but a 911 Turbo at that! And a one-owner car to boot! This amazing Porsche was bid up to $118,000 on BaT.
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Original "Grey Market" Car
In the 1980s Porsche 911 Turbos were hot cars... and expensive. A "base" 911 started at $32,000 and a fully loaded 911 Turbo topped out at almost $50,000. And that's in 1985 money! One way to get around the steep price was to buy a car in Europe and have it delivered to the US. These "grey market" cars were thousands of dollars cheaper because of the exchange rates between the US Dollar and German Mark. The grey market proved so popular Porsche even started a European Delivery Package. Using this option, you could pick up the car in Germany, drive it around Europe, and have it shipped to the U.S. This car was one of those grey market cars.
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Unique & Iconic Interior
The interior of the original 911 is like nothing else. Five large gauges fill the driver's view on the instrument panel. The windshield is close to your face and the view is panoramic thanks to the slender pillars and curved windshield. The pedals are mounted to the floor and offset slightly to the right in the narrow footwell. All of these things remained unchanged from 1965 to 1989 when the 964 was introduced. Driving an original 911 requires some adjustments, but it is a unique and rewarding experience.
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Whale Tails and Porsche Turbo Wail
Most spoilers are designed to disrupt airflow, smoothing it out to reduce drag, and provide downforce. The spoiler on the 911 Turbo also had a more important purpose. Since the 911s were air-cooled, they required a significant amount of ventilation to prevent overheating. Turbos, which run off exhaust gasses, are extremely hot. To compensate for the extra heat, Porsche designed this "whale tail" spoiler. The whale tail not only increased cooling capacity but gave the 911 a more aggressive look. The whale tail was so popular, it became an option on regular 911s, even if they weren't turbos.
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No Room for More Displacement
The original Porsche 911 started out with a 2.0-liter flat-six engine. The engine grew incrementally to 3.3 liters by the late 1970s, while the overall size of the 911 stayed roughly the same. Add in air-conditioning and the plumbing for the turbocharger, and there was no room for a larger engine. The old adage, "there's no replacement for displacement" wouldn't work for Porsche. They had to get creative if they wanted to add more power.
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It's Pronounced "Por-SHA Nine-Thirty"
When Porsche decided the 911 needed more power, they turned to turbocharging. Porsche had experience racing turbo-charged cars and decided it was the ideal solution for the 911. The turbocharged 911s received a new internal model designation - the 930. That's why some people refer to the car as a "911 Turbo" or the "930". Even today, some people refer to all of the 911s and their descendants as 911s and others call them by the internal model number, like 964, 993, etc.
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There is No Substitute for the Original 911
Porsche. There is no substitute. More than just a slogan, it applies to the original 911. A small, rear-engine car that lasted 25 years. Yet it was continuously improved, getting better every year. The engine and exterior bulked up, undergoing a Body by Jake transformation into the 930 Turbo. Performance rivaled cars like the Ferrari Testarossa and Lamborghini Countach. Yet there was nothing else like it. Perhaps Car and Driver said it best in their 1986 road test when they wrote, "The Porsche 930 Turbo transcended the realm of everyday cars."
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