The Porsche 911 saga began in 1964, which means that this year the most famous sports car in the world turns 60. Believe it or not, we are not here to talk about the regular 911, but the Turbo version, which was born a decade after the first 911.
The turbo version of the car was first previewed by the Germans at the Frankfurt Motor Show in 1973, and a year later, in 1974, the first version was produced. Since this also marks an important moment in its existence, reaching half a century on the market, Porsche decided to celebrate the moment appropriately by releasing a special version of the current 911 Turbo S (the version introduced in 2019).
The car in its celebratory guise is called the 911 Turbo 50 Years, and while it uses virtually the same components as the production model, it features enough exclusive details – many of which are visible both outside and inside – to make it truly special.
We will begin our journey of discovery of the model starting from the mechanical aspects, in case you are not familiar with the 911 Turbo S.
The heart of the car is the 3.7-liter boxer engine that delivers 641 horsepower and 800 Nm of torque. The engine is controlled via an eight-speed dual-clutch transmission and breathes through a sports exhaust system with black tailpipes.
These levels of power are delivered by a vehicle that weighs 1,640 kg (3,616 lb) and enables impressive acceleration times: 2.7 seconds to reach 100 km/h and 8.9 seconds to double that.
Photo: Porsche
The car features a suspension system that is ten mm lower than what you normally get in the 911. The car comes with all-wheel drive, an electronically controlled rear differential lock and Porsche Ceramic Composite Brakes (PCCB) as standard.
All this impressive mechanical package is housed within the 911 body we know and love, only this time it is painted in an exclusive color called Turbonite. This shade is offset by anthracite gray on the rear wing blade, rear apron, mirror base and air intake trim.
To make sure everyone sees that this is an homage to the Type 930 that brought racing technology to a production sports car in the 1970s, Porsche has fitted some unique styling elements to the body. These can be seen as vinyl side graphics that remind us of the livery of the Porsche 911 RSR Turbo shown at the Frankfurt Motor Show in 1973, a badge on the rear bonnet grille that shows a turbocharger icon and the years 1974-2024, and a Turbo 50 model logo.
Porsche has tampered with the LED lights that illuminate when the doors are open, so they now display an image of a turbocharger on the ground. When opened, the doors reveal a McKenzie tartan interior in the center and on the door panels, as well as Turbonite accents on the seat belts, controls, decorative stitching and trim strips.
A GT sports steering wheel is used to steer the exclusive 911 Turbo S wheels in the same colour as the Turbonite, while an aluminium plaque above the glove compartment displays the Turbo 50 logo and the individual serial number of the limited-edition sports car.
Why the limited edition number of the sports car? Because Porsche will only produce a limited number of them, in an effort to make the car even more special. Exactly 1,974 units (a number chosen to honor the year the Turbo was born) will roll off the assembly line.
Photo: Porsche
Each of them will be accompanied by a special timepiece made by Porsche itself. It is called the 911 Turbo 50 Years Chronograph and is offered with a black dial with Turbonite elements, a car leather strap and a transparent case that allows you to see the winding rotor, designed to mimic the wheels of the car. The limited edition number of each watch is engraved on the titanium case and corresponds to the number of the car for which each watch was made.
If all of the above isn’t enough for those looking for a rare Porsche, the automaker is also offering a special Heritage Design package that further cements the model’s connection to the Turbo cars of the 1970s.
In addition to all the features described above, the package adds Aventurine Green metallic paint or any other color from the automaker's Paint to Sample program, white decorative graphics and selectable car numbering between 0 and 99.
Inside, the pack adds additional leather and tartan elements, with the instrument cluster dials and Sport Chrono clock finished in green.
Porsche says it will begin selling the 911 Turbo 50 Years, shown live at Monterey Car Week, in the fall of this year, but it doesn’t mention pricing. Just to give you an idea, the base Turbo S starts at $230,400 in the U.S.