PERFECTLY PORSCHE: This 911 Turbo was made to move

March 7, 2017
Posted by Barrett-Jackson

Written by independent automotive journalist Roger C. Johnson

This 1996 Porsche 911 Turbo is a striking example of form, function and automotive passion. It will be crossing the block at the 15th Annual Barrett-Jackson Palm Beach Auction, April 6-8, 2017.

There was a time when the automotive press suggested carmakers were following a planned obsolescence strategy with their passenger car designs, because every few years whatever you were driving suddenly appeared outdated. The consumer needed something brand-new-looking to feel like he or she was up to the minute ‒ or so most manufacturers thought. How else can a car company create a business model that will profitably take them decades into the future?

There is one other way, and Porsche invented it. The concept is simple. Design a sports car that looks so good and performs so well from the very beginning that it can be tweaked a little, here or there, over the decades and continue to be a striking example of form, function and automotive passion. No other single model sports car has ever even come close to the Porsche 911’s uninterrupted 54-year production run.

Perhaps the most amazing part is the 911’s powertrain platform with the engine essentially hanging out over the rear axle line. Such engine placement contradicted all known sports car design philosophies. Porsche didn’t just make their approach work as well as the others, but, to a great extent, it often performed even better. The ultimate proof is always on the racetrack, where Porsche has become a dominant factor at the highest level of competition, and remains so to this day.

Here is a wonderful example of a 1996 Porsche 911 Turbo that can show you firsthand what all the commotion is about. This all-wheel drive, air-cooled, 400 horsepower machine will make everything perfectly clear in practically no time at all. Zero to 60 blows by in a mere 3.9 seconds. Try zero to 100 in only 9.9 seconds. Magazines of the day clocked quarter-mile numbers of 11.5 seconds with speeds in the 112 mph range. The outer limit is around 180 mph.

The classic, air-cooled flat-6 does its job with the help of twin turbochargers ‒ one for each bank. It’s easy to see why two smaller turbos would be more efficient, since they each have less internal mass to spool up. Each turbo has its own waste gate, which limits boost to 11.7psi.

A number of engine components have been beefed up to accommodate full boost applications. A 6-speed manual transmission with an overdrive in fifth and sixth, along with much more aggressive primary gears, work with a final drive ratio of 3.44:1. It will have you scouring for an empty airport runway down every road you travel.

Stopping this car from any speed is not only easy, it is amazingly so. Porsche 911s have always been famous for their braking capability, but in 1996 they already represented the leading edge of contemporary design. Suddenly, all that rear-weight bias is a huge advantage when it comes to generating negative g-forces.

Vented and cross-drilled 12.7-inch rotors at each wheel are an inch wider than previous models. The factory’s fifth-generation ABS system dictates the action to P225/40 and P285/30 Pirelli P Zero tires and adds even more safety, and thrill, to the Porsche experience.

Another new feature includes 18×8 and 18×10 inch aluminum wheels, front and rear, utilizing hollow spokes to reduce unsprung weight by 24 unwanted pounds. Just one more invisible touch by the engineering department to help keep this 89.4-inch wheelbase land-based rocket doing exactly what it’s told.

On the other hand, what better way to celebrate German engineering and style than with Guards Red exterior paint and black leather on the inside? Power seats and sunroof add to the luxury, and in the cockpit there is plenty already with the expected craftsmanship as it relates to driver and passenger ergonomics.

This car has been recently serviced at Porsche Cars North America, and then displayed at the facility’s museum. Granted, any Porsche 911 Turbo would look great sitting in someone’s museum or collection. Except for one thing. This is a street car, a road machine ‒ and likely the ultimate daily driver. Never once did the designers imagine a car like this sitting in one place any longer than it absolutely had to_. In motion_ is where this Porsche belongs. Why don’t you be the one who puts it there?

For up-to-date information about this vehicle, click HERE.