Porsche Celebrates 50 Years of Its Famous Turbo Moniker

Historic Moment

The word "turbo" has been around in the automotive world for a very long time now - long before Porsche adopted it for a rather special version of its iconic 911. However, Turbo has since become synonymous with the German automaker and its array of special, range-topping, high-performance offerings, and now, the brand is celebrating 50 years since that pivotal moment in history. 

Photos: Porsche

Showing Off

The Porsche 911 Turbo made its public debut at the 1974 Paris Motor Show, and amazingly enough, the very first example sold to the public is still around and kicking. That model will be on display at the upcoming event “Beyond Performance – 50 Years of Porsche Turbo," at the trade fair known as Retro Classics in Stuttgart on April 25-28, 2024. 

Photos: Porsche

Guest Speakers

Thomas Krickelberg, who serves as Porsche's Project Manager for the 911/718 line, will be joined by Frank Jung, Head of the Porsche Archive, and racing driver/Le Mans winner Stéphane Ortelli about the history of the Turbo as well. Ortelli will be signing autographs for interested fans, and guests will also be able to participate in guided tours of the 50 years of Turbo exhibit. 

Photos: Porsche

Special Cars

As one would expect from Porsche, the brand will have a slew of special vehicles on display for the public to check out up close and personal, too. That list includes the likes of a 1975 911 Turbo that's one of the first 30 to be built, a 911 GT2, the 911 GT1, and one of 435 911 Turbo S models built by Porsche Exclusive.

Photos: Porsche

911 Duet

Those cars will be joined by the famous 911 Turbo S “Duet” that debuted in 2020 as part of a partnership between Porsche and the aircraft manufacturer Embraer. At that time, customers who purchased a Phenom 300E business jet could also pair it with a matching 911 Turbo S in one of the cooler mashups in recent history. 

Photos: Porsche

Unique Example

In spite of all this impressive machinery, the very first 911 Turbo ever built will be the main attraction at this upcoming exhibit. Now known simply as "No. 1," this car was Louise Piëch's 70th birthday gift in the summer of 1974. However, this unique example reserved for the daughter of Ferdinand Porsche features the narrow body of a Carrera rather than typical wider Turbo bodywork, as well as Carrera a badging, to boot - making it a bit of a sleeper. 

Photos: Porsche

>>Join the conversation about this 911 Turbo celebration right here at Rennlist.com.

>>For help with your do-it-yourself maintenance and repair projects, please visit our how-to section.