Berlin, Germany — Porsche began one of the most important chapters in its history fifty years ago when it introduced the 911 Turbo. Even in 2024, Porsche’s range is still influenced by the first Turbo, which was truly race-inspired.
In the pursuit of increased power, the turbo proved to be a useful tool, and Porsche’s marketing team soon crowned the Turbo moniker as one of their most potent weapons. Other automakers also added turbochargers to their vehicles: Saab was instrumental in bringing the 99 and, subsequently, the original 900, to the public, and BMW debuted the 2002 Turbo at the 1973 Frankfurt auto show, only one month before the oil crisis. Hot hatches emblazoned with “TURBO” stickers and insignia swept over Europe in the 1980s. However, the Turbo name is most frequently linked to Porsche.
According to Thomas Krickelberg, who worked under Hans Mezger at Porsche after joining the company in 1990, Porsche decided to experiment with turbocharging since the method uses waste energy—exhaust gasses spin the turbine of the turbocharger. On the other hand, because a supercharger runs on a belt that is driven by the crankshaft, it needs horsepower to produce horsepower. According to Krickelberg, Porsche never gave supercharging a real thought for the 911. In addition, the company’s racing section had a lot of experience with turbocharged engines because to their 1,000-horsepower flat-12, the 917/10 Turbo, which launched the turbo era. It participated in its first competition during the 1972 Can-Am season, winning six of the nine events. The 911 Carrera RSR Turbo 2.1 placed second overall in the 24 Hours of Le Mans two years later.
It made perfect sense to integrate race-winning technology into street cars for a brand with a racing heritage like Porsche. In addition, the company aimed to climb a level or two in the industry hierarchy.
