Stor Rood Test

PORSCHE3.3TURBOPorsche's most expensive model hasbreathtaking acceleration and a topspeed of 160 mph, matched by superbhandling and brakes, but it is mostremarkable for its docility.As a practical everydaysupercar, it has few rivals

a ,rodern mdng car is f6r

3rion6bl6 these days to dis-th6 adage th6t "Racing

tho broed". ln goneral it isthe t€chnical specilicetlon

from what is neoded for aroad car. but that is not the

Porsch6, whoss excellentowo a lot to the Gerhanhighly succe$ful racing. Th6 ultimste devdop-

aa this cross-pollination - at$€ time oI writing - is the

the instant sqcces6 of thewator-coolod 928, it i6

two-door 911 series whichlhe im6ginatlon oI many

of th6 marque, and theEmains th€ companyis toph i6 lheir quickest road csr

*o, at e26,249, their mo6t

rt h was introduc€d in 1966,tl'l hrs been constantly

though its beslc designcharacter have not sltered.'

r original sloments are presentTurbo - an air-cool6d Ilet-sixolrerhanging the rear wheols

aiving them via a transaxlo;n by MacPherson itruts atsnd sBmi-trailing arms at

r, and springing by torsion

Turbo was first introduced in

- a d€vBlopmant oI the Carr3.0 Turbo rac6r, and h hEd a

iar) accommodated underwheel arches, and stifter

lh8n the standard 911.Porsche's engin6ers

to squ66ze a turbocharger

itro engin6, a hug6 reEr,namic spoiler, wide low-lyres (of dilfersnt sizes, front

r 911's cramped gngin6 com-nt This KKK system is con-by a woste gate and th6re is

I energy frbm the exhaustto forc€ th6 air-Iuel mixture

6ngine under high pressure12 psi), means that Porsch€

t il-sete blow-offvalve on the,nanifold in case the system

go wrong. Fitting a turwhich 'rses orherwisa

to obtain the gon of perfor-which could normally only b€

by usinO an sngine double

current Turbo, which is theoI this test, has had its

6nlarg6d to 3.3-litr6s, it hasbigger roar wing, and itshave been lncr6ss6d into 16 in. which {despite a

low6r finsl drive) haa had theof raising the ovorall gearing.illustration of the fact thet thei6 notiusta roadgoing racer is

spart Irom >ll the usual com-ot the 911 intsrlor (closely fit-

lrn Martin's Vantage (f28,9981a performance of a similar

to th€ Turbo, End jJ you c6n1

doth or leather s6ats, d69p pileand thermostatically con-

h6ater), ah-conditioning and

who can spend €roundon a performance car is aoI a smsl' 6xclusive club:

wry rich indeed. Surprisingly,! is a fsir selection of cars, sll ofdiffercnt characrior, trom which

.fford th6t. ther€'s th6 "ordi-

nan/' VB al f26,91X1.. Th€ mostnatur8l rival othorwisa is the Ferrari512 BB (e30,193). and snother i6 theMasetati Bora (823,751). Th6 Lam"borghini Countach would b6 in th6s6mearoa ot tho market. if you couldgst one, but th6 firture of the com-Pany is at prossnt unknown. At the'theap" end of the msrket. thero isJaguar's XJS {€17,410), th€lll6rcedes-Benz 450 SLC (81s,710)..Porche's own 926 (f20,4(18) and thede Tomaso Pantera (fl7, 901).

PERFORMANCEEm Tho Turbo's 6ngin6 apecifi-

I ir*J ;",1'J "f ,l"TT',',"'"5i,,'ll:

aluminium heads on an aluminiuny'silicon block (the 6xtra capacity hav-ing b6en rchieved by a widor bore,rda longerstroke) now producos astaggerjng 300 bhp (DlN) ar 5,500rpm; perh6p6 even more impressivois the lorque Iigure of 303 lb fr at4,000 rpm. These figures ar6 resp6c-tively an improvement of 15 and 20per cent Over the 3-litr6 model andthey rgsult in truly devaststing per

As ther6 is nowhere v\re know of inEnglend where we can csrry outsuch tests without endang6ring ourlicences, w€ took up a long-standingoffer from Volkswagen to use theirt6st track in West Germeny for test-ing the Turbo to its maximum.

Porsche claim that th6 top spoed is"in excess of 260 kph", which is161.6 mph. We could not gur?emetch that (perhaps bocauss we didnot told the door mirrorflat), but ourmean sp66d of 160.1 mph shouldsatisfy most own€r6. h elso happensto be the highest top speed we haveever measured for a productionmod6l.

The accelsration i6 startling. Forour MIRA starts, w6 were droppingthe clutch abruptly at 6,000 rpm,loavlng two expensive black lines o,rubber on th6 road tor a consider-able distanc€. After only 2.2 s€a, thecar was travelling ar30 mph,40 mphcame up in 2.7 sec, 50 in 3.7 sec, 60in 5.3 sec. This last figure and the0-100 mph time of 12.3 sec alsobreak new ground, making theTurbo th€ quickest production carw6 (and as far as we know, anyoneelse) hav6 ev€r t6sted. The standingquafteFmile is covered in 13,4 sec,passing the post at 104 mph; ilthis isnot quit6 in the same league as sdragster, it is certainly enough toblow offalmost anything 6lse on th6public road.

Only someono with scant r€gardfor the pric6 oI tyres and Ior hislic6nc6 will approach suchligur6s ooth€ road but a large percentage oIthe Turbo's pot€ntial is useable, andour testers had as much praise torthe way in which it performed as Iorthe sparkling acceleration itseli

The turbocharger starts to giv6.boost from below 2,000 rpm, but ;twill pullfrom belowthot in th6long-legged top gear; how6v€r, th€ 9.8sec it takes to covsr the 20-40-mphincremont in the 4th is bettered bymany rjvals with lower gearing ormore ratios. This is6 carwhich couldbe us6d Ior shopping journeys by aplacid driver, with no danger of theplugs b6ing fouled up.

The important increments in a caaof this type are 50-70, 60€0, 70-90

Maka: PoBcheMod.l: 3.3 TurboM.l.r: Porsche AG, 7000 Sluflgan'Zuftenhausen, Porsch6-s1r6sse 42Ul(rcorc6sloll.1r.6: Porsche Cars GB Ltd, 23-30 nichflsld Ave, Reading,Berks RGl 8PHPrlc.: f22,2t35 basic plus f1,869.58 C6r Tax plus fl,944.37 VAT ?qual6f26,248.95 Tot.l

@| cxccttmt E *" E ",","r" f,| noo, I r"a

and 8G100 mph, tor acceleratingpast othertr€ffic withoutthe nesd todrop down a gear: the Turbo covgisthe6e in 7.2, 6.0, 5.7 and 6.1 sec, soonc6 you're out o, town you cantre8t it virtually as an sutomatic.Open the throBle wid6 at 120 mph,and you get a firm push in th6 backtrom an engino that is just gettinginto its 6tride. K66p your loot downand ihat relentl6ss urg6 i6 unlikelytotade bofore caution 6u0gests it istime to back off. Throttle response isat all times perfectly smooth andprogrossive.

We nevsr 6xp6rienced anydifficul-ties in staning other then an occa-sional tendency to pop and bangwhen cold, end the fuel iniection'sthermostatically controlled enrich-ment operatod effectively snd unob-trusively,

The engine is not 6speciallySmooth compared with the motorsof som6 oth6r high performancecars (Jaguar holding that panicularcrown) and is a bit throbby 6t lowrevs. At higher engine speeds, it isrelativ6ly very good, though by nomsans as sweet as th6 Carrera,which is however a lot mor6 noisy,

Eco-No-MV-li[:'l Considering that most ofourI i-l time in the Porsche wasl-JJ spent with the turbochars€ron a lair amount oI boost, 6nd thatour t6st distance includBd 900 milesacross Europe at high speeds in lsssth6n a d6y, the ovsrall consumptionot 15,9 mpg is excellent, and showshow superbly efficient th is engine is;we would expect the everag€ owner(provided most of his mil€age w€reout of town) to achieve somethinglike 17 mpg,'which is outstanding forthis type of car.

we are not yst able to t6st thosteady-stato consumption of carswith tu6l iniection, but we wouldexpect lhe range from the 17.6 gal-lon tank to be something appro6ch-ing 320 mil6s. Four-star fuel isrecommend€d.

TRANSMISSION

fiifl Ih" four'spe€d gearboxI . . I ntted to the Iurbo rs a drrsdLElesrtt o, Porsche's rscinsprog16mlne: ths tive-sp€ed v€rsioncouldn't tak€ the torqu6 ot the recingCarrera Tutbo, and though it wouldbe up to the task, Porsche have nots66n fit to use it on th€ road car.

Thelinaldrive ratio has been marginally lowored (to 4.222:1) comp-ared with the 3-litr6 model, but theoffect oI this has been more thancompenseted for by fitting 16 ininstead ot 15 in wheels; the result isthat the two upper ratios (which areboth ovordrivgB) give 26.6 and 19.7mpHl,00O rpm, and that ch6nge-uppoints at th€ red line ere 48, 83 and123 mph.

The chsnge is typical of all

n

Porsches we hav€ ever driven: get itslightly wrong and it seems baulkyand notchy, but tim6 your use ofclutch, throttle and lever correctlyend it islransformed, becoming slickand e joy to use. The change tromfirst to second alwsys 6eems to bethe trickie6l. and wss a littls slow€rthan usu6l in this car.

Ths clutch, unususlly light forsuch a powerlul car, is speciallybeeIod up to cope with the extratorque. lt is light and progr€ssive,but es ususlthe ov€r-centre action oIth€ pedal mskes it diffi cultto operate6moothly in traffc.

It is not a good ide8 to slip theclutch of a Porsche for prolongedperiods. especially ifyou are puttinga lot of powerthrough the wheels, €sit willcook itsel, in a very shontim€.Forthis reason, itwas a little difficultto pull away from r6st up our't-in-3test hill, but we did not hav6 6nysuch problems on the road.

While in' most cass6 the four-speed gearbox is mor€ than adequ-ate duo toths wide spread oftorque,we did feel on ons or two occasionsth8t thefive'speed would be helpful,as th6r€ are times when first gear istoo low and second rath€r too high,

HANDLINGEFI.| Porsche's achievement inI .t I enrsctino from an inheFIEJ entty "'r,;.ons"

"on""pt -having the 6ngine ovsrhang the rearwheels - one oI the best handlingc6rB in the world, has been notedwith enthusiastic approval manytimes before in these pages.

The Turbo has beefed-up butessentially identic6l suspension tothe rest oI the 911 rang6, with M6c-Pherson struts, longitudinal torsionbars and an anti-roll bar at the front,and semi-trailing 6rms, transversetorsion bars and an anti-roll bar atthe rear. The ultra-low aspect ratioPirelli P7 tyres were specialiydev€loped for this c6r; 6t the Irontthey are 20955 VR 16 on 7 in rims,and at the rear they measure 22Y50VR 16 on 8 in rims.

There are two advantsgssto a rear€ngine; light steering and good trac-tion. The Porsche's high-geared rackand pinion (3.0 turns lrom lock tolock) is as easy on th6 6rms at park-ing. speed as the avsrage baby s6l-oon, yet it manages to conveyto th€driver an uncanny feel of what thefront wheels are doing; this is noless than we have come to expect ofthe 911 series.

Rmdholding lrom those remark-able tyr6s is almost beyond belief,permitting a skilled driver to cornerwithout drama at speeds whichwould pul a normally-shod car offthe rosd. In wst the tread pattern-seems to have a squgegee effect onsurface water, and grip remains

Broadly sp66king, the grip is sogreat that the Turbo neither undeF

st€eB nor overcteers, itiust whistl6sround bends in a neutral atlitude,with minimalrolland no squealfromthe tyres. Driven really hard it willinitially undeBteer mildly {horaldedby a progressive increase in steeringw€ight) and will thon 3hifr ever sogradually into oversteer; but iitakosa brav€ man to push it that hard.wh6n the tail dogs step out ot lin€under Power, the slide is largelYself-correcting.

lnd6€d, this is on€ ot tho mostcharacteristic Ieaturos of a Porsch6:th6 driver must gat in tune with it.ather than attempt to ffghl il. Thest6ering writhes gently in thedrive/6 hands, with just €noughkickbackto keep the driv€r informedoI changes in surface,

The enormous r€arwing keepsthoresr tyre6Iirmly in contact with theroad, eliminating the tondency toyaw oxhibit€d by wingless 9116, butther€ is still a tandency to wander;the only way to cope with this is torelex your grip on the wh66l andvirtually lstth6 c6rsteer itself - it i6suDrising how accurate a line it willmaimain.

The good tr6ction w6 6xp6ct6d iBth6re in ebundance, and despite allthe pow6rand torqueyou need to befairly brutal to induce wh€€lspin on adry surface. Put your foot rlal tofloor and it just accelerates breatht-6kingly.

As always with Porsches, wefound that more than lsual cautionw6s required on greasy surfaces,€8pec-ially downhill. but the onlyotheriraitthalcaused us even a mildmisgiving was a strong tendency totuct into the apex when closing thethrottle 6v6n El relatively modestspeeds halfirvay through a bend. Atlow sp€eds this lessens the under-ste6r, at high speeds it pushes thetail out. Provided that an accurdteamount of opposite lock is quicklyappli6d, this is no problem, as thecar will very rapidly sort it6ell out.

A car that can go as quicklyas 6 Porsche Turbo needs tobe able to stop in a hurry 6s

wdl. To achisvethis, internally venti-latod and cross-drilled discs hevebesn titted as pan ofa system whichhas a froniftear circuit split and (tomildly raised 6y6brows from somePorscha fanatics) servo a6sistance.

We certainly tound th€ seryounobtrusivE, 6nd it takes a lot of theeffort out ofd6c6l6€tion, as our stopfrom 30 mph oI mor6than 1.0 g torapedal pressure of only 75 lb showscl66rly.

Th€ effectiven*s of th6 brakes isillustrated by our maximum deceler-ation stop from 70 mph: astound-ingly, it .ropp6d in 174 ft, the equi-valont ot more than 0.9 g.

Our new fade test (considing of 20stops rrom, in the case ofthe Turbo,100 mph, at int6rvals of 45 sec) i6stiff€r th6n it us6d to b6, but thePo6che c6me through it with noproblemB other thsn a faint smell otpsd material after nin6 stops, and aslight rise in r6quirodwhich oventually settlednormalagain.

Th6 watersplssh test hEd only aminimal eff6ct on efficiency.

On the road, ws Iound the brakingto b€ sup6rb. Until the Fds-had

pressurqback to

warmed up. the brakB wore a littleheavy, but they were beautifullyprogrc$iv€ and very rcacauring,imparting plenty of intormation tothe driver

The handbrake easily held th€ caron th6 f-in-3 t66t hill and rocorded acommondable 0.42 I stop from 30mph.

Ff] ff regsrded purely as s two-l'*11 seater, th1911 seri63 i3 very-r--;r practtcat. ther6 13 ptonly orroom for two poople and a f6iramount of luggag€, for although thefront "boof is rsthe. shallow 8ndlacking in dpacity, more cases meybo carri€d inside the car by foldingdown the beckr€st3 of the rear 6eat3.

lfyou carry mor€ than two plu6theocc6aional exra gdult. than you'llne6d anothsr cal as woll a3 thePo6che, for tha logiSics of 3 reareniined configuration rul€ out any-thing re6€mbling a' true two-plua-two. though two sm6ll childrenwould probably notcomplain at hav-ing to ride in th6 back for a fairdistance.

ln the Turbo. s lot o{thetradition-ally oxtensive front pasgenger legroom has been sacrificed to providoroom for air conditioning. which i3 3'piv but (we suppos€) umvoidable.As well asthe lockable glovebox andthe large bins in the outercornerc otth6 footwolls, there is a liddod 6ndunlidded bin ih aach ot the doortrims. and there is a small cubby6head ofthe g6ar lev6r in the cehtrBconsole; allthis.dds up to out6tand-ing oddments space.

liETl ln our test of the 3-litre TUFl . . l bo. w. s.id 'The tvres alsoIEI dominate tho rid;, whichfsel6 harsh and unforglving ov6r6msll bumps and corrugetiona suchas Sunken manholo covers, thoughthe noise tr6nsmltt6d through to theinterior makes it sound a lot worsethan it r€ally is." This 3tatement is 65tru6 ot the present model: the 5u6-p€nsion makes such lood noisaBthatat Iirst you expact to t66l uncomrort-able and it com6s as a surprise thatride quality is in fac,t more thanacceptable eveh at low sp6eds. Th6dampers psform their tagk per-tectly; wh6n a tyr6 hits a bump thesuspeBion registers it wilh an aud-iblethump, bul is then ch€cked fromover-reactjon. At high spesd this i6translated into extraordinarily goodconlrol, with no sign of flo.t or pitch-;ng ovsr.bumpy or undulating su.-

AT THE WHEELll,t'l lhe 16lalronshrp Detween

l-* *l :H":':'ili,"iii :10,"'x;th6t mo6t people immedistely feelthat lhe car was dsigned Bpecill-calv for th6m. This is not to say it itid6al, however, for some drivors donot like the ofbet ot the p€dals, theclutch haE a tricky overcentre actionwhich takes 6om6'practice. and bothth6 clutch and brake p€dals are alittl€ on tho high sidofordrivors withsmall ,eet lthough thb can be ov€r-come by fitting 6 hoel bosrd). Heeland toe goarchsnging i6 easy, how_

6ver, and there is plEnty of room tor€st the l€ft foot.

Our ahoner test€rs complainedthat th€ 5€aling position was too lolvfor good visibility when manoeuv-ring in tight spaces.

Th6 contour€d soats are firm aa isusual in G€rman ca6. bul they areso wellsheped and offer Such excel-lenlsupportto all vital a reas that ono6oon c.ases to notice this. Thoinonia-reel belts are comlortablo.

There are two steering column5t6lks, ono for tha indicators andheadlights flash and dip, the othBrfor the wip6rs and wipqi/vash; theseare as in other veBions of the 911and are ideally sited tor fingertipconirol. Othor functions are control_led eith6r by large push-pullswitches or by rarher frddlY little

All-round visibility on lhe.move is g€nerallyvery good,bit shorter drivers may find:

that th€ir vi€w of the front wings isrestricted by the lowness of the seat.This is only a problem in confined6pac6s, when it is also necessary tob6 carelul about the projoction otthose prodigiously flared rear wheelarches. For parking, the front wingssnd r€ar spoiler provids good 1616r-

ence points, The interior 6nd door.nirror3 combin6 to giv6 the driver aclear picture ofthe road behind.

A huge reservoir ensures that thewindscreen and the headlights get ethorough washing when needed,and there is a wip6r (but no wash)for the b6ck window The wipershav6 three gpeed setlings with anintermittent racility, and we neveroxperienced any litting ofthe bladeseven st 140 mph in heavy rein.

The back seat oI a Porsch6 isclauslrophobic not only because ofthe l8ck olspace; it b also difficultto

INSTRUMENTS

[fr ] ::l:i5,',:",:'.. i"Li: JlEl placing all the instrument6behind a singlo curved piece otglsss; inste6d, they favour a moretraditional displey df individual cir-cular dials. Th6se are domin.ted bya lerg6 r6v counter and speodome-ter, the former incorporating 6 6mallturbochargqr boost gauge. Th€56VDO di6ls are very cleerly markedand eaay to read. For some r6ason,

74

l--J tionally poor point;Iicult to extract a stabls s

MOTOn wek.ndine M.y l9

the speedometer only goes

The other gauges are for6nd for three aspects of thelevel, its temperature andsure, There is also a clock.

are required, and they arstively designed,som6 of them are partially

mph - perhaps Porscheto be enough.

by th€ steerinq wheel, andalso subi6ct to stray rellect

[I-] The heating syrl'+--l Porsche slls wasUll ri^^"tt. .^.. aainr

iom an aiFcooled enging.years ago the system wasinproved by the introdirction

control. This is easilyby turning a wheel sst

lie handbrake, and ifthe carat a constant speed, it

rapidly and accurately tot Unfonunately, there istendency for the volume

with both road and engine

warms uP rapidlyfrom

All €ro rather small andis modest svsn whsn the

rotary switches in the cenkeOne ls for the lhree-speed

lan is on the highest of itssettings; through'put under

&ct alone is very weak. Con-J direction is simple enough,

- ever we tound ihe slides ain action (an uncharact€ris-which Porsche have sur-

ly failed to erad;cate).air conditioning is controlled

start and th€ h€atsr soontl|e passenger companmentDirecional control is byof one o, the levers on the

There are four outl.ets forIresh air, two in the centrs ofthe facia and one at e.ch

the other fortemperature.this (and the ventilaton asto be inferior to a good

NI

system and in manythe ventilaiion c6nnot

the heating, and the overallis sometimes stuffy.

One of the hallmarks of the911 series in its normallyaspirated forms is the ban-

attention. The tur-has a muffling etfect to aextent, and in a graph of

noise level against perfoFthe Turbo would come outof the quietest cars in the

engine, though, is not the onlyrolnoise in a motorcar, and inareas the Porsche's soundon is no better than averaoe.ron rs no better tnan average.noise induced by the wide

tyres is the worst offen-

-d this takes the form oI loudon coarse surfaces and bump'

on broken ones. There iswind noise at high speed

from the area of the doorand gear whine in the inter

car for the occupaflts but thenoise level is low enough to

relaxed motoring over

of its exhaust; to our earsa most attractive sound, but it

have the disadvantage of

tsummarise this is by no means

The finish on Porsches hasfor long been the envy of

5 many other manulacturers.ie panels fit perfectly, the paintLwless, and where plastic is

t never seems out oI Place.as is the case with most Ger-

MOTOR BOAD TEST NO 21179 '

PORSCHE 3.3 TURBOPERFORMANCEq)NDmo sWsather Sl]nny; wind 5-15 mohT€mparaturs 69'FB.rometer 29.9 in HsSuddce Dry rarmaGdsm

MAXTMUM SPEEDSmph tph

[,!ean of opDosite runs 160.1 257-6Best one w.y 162,1 260.a

al l mile 104 157at kilometre 124 2OO

Speed in ge.rc (at 6250 rpm):

N fNO REST

2.2 0.40.-,.,.,2.7 0-60 . _. .. _.0-50....... 3.7 0€0....... 3.60-00 ....... 5.3 0,100....... 5.50-70 ....... 6.4 0-120....... 7.0o-ao -.....- 7-8 0144....... 9.20-90 ....... 10.3 0-160. .. .... 12.20-100...... - 12.3 0-180....... 15.6G110..-....15.00-120......- 19.1Stand's I 13.4 Stand's km 22.9

'Assuming a Touring luel consumptionof 18 mpg,

BBAKESPodal pres6urs, stopping distanco, andaveras€ dscelsration from 30 mph {44kph).

FADE20 0.69 slops at 45 se6 int€tuals fromspesd midway betwe€n 4) mph (64 kph)and maxihum {100 mph. 161 tph) atgross vehicle weight.

STEERIIIGWeighling .t whe€l rim when parkinq andwhen corne.ind on 216 ft di6m6re..ir.le' rbftPating 19Corn6rin9 Et 0.rg 1.5

0.3s 4.oo.fu 6.5

Turning circle b6twsen t6rb8

cLuTcS

Maximum ped6l load

NOISE

50 mph70 mph 77.5 27Max rsvs in 2nd a9 62rA raiins where I r 30 dBA and 1OO r 96dBA, and where doublo tfi€ numhermeans doublB the loudnsss.

SPEEDOMETEA (hph)

30 4n 50 60 70 80 90 r00

27 36 4a.a a5 65-5 75 65 96

Distance rccorder: 1 p€r c€nt fast

WEIGHT

P.riorm.n i t.rt! c.ri.d out by MotoBrt.ll .t th. Motor lndu.try B.srr.rrAt.od.don proyins sround, Undl6y, lnd.t YWt provhO eround tt Ehr&L.3i.n,

Test Deta: wotld Copytight EseN6d; hounauthorised reprcductioa in whole o.

6in tscm32lb 15kg

66.5 1272 1A

ftmL.fl 33.25 10.1Blohr 334 10.2

Lock'to l@k 3.0 rurn650ft diam. circl€ 0.9 turns

14.1 mpo (urban)34.9 mps (56 mph)18.5 mpg (75 mph)

17.6 qalls80.0 lites

510Im

lbkgftms25 11.4 101 30.8 0.3350 22.7 47 144 0.4475 U,1 26 A_0 1.00+Handbrak€ 7t 21.7 0.42

(1t3lph) 174 53.0 0.92

A@ELEAAION IN TOPmph kDh20-4.() ...,., 9,8 40{0......30-50 .. .... 9_6 6G80 ......zrG60 ...... 9.1 80-100......50-70 .. .. _. 7.2 100-120.....60-80 ..,,., 6,0 120-140.. _, _

70-90 ...... 5.7 140,160.,.,.80-100.._... 6,1 160-180.,.,.90-110......7.310G120..... 8.7

FUEL CONSUMPTIONOverall ttg mpg17a lirreYl00 km

17134198

2.6

4a83

123

5.96.25.03.13.44.14.4

P6dar fore at start lX ,11Pedalfor.6 ar 10rh 6rop 60 27-2Pedalforce 5t 20th stop 54 24-5

unraden weishtl !*u ,.58Weiqht as tosrod ?9 zl5 t4!,6'with fuel for appmx 50 mitss

GENERAL SPECIFICATIONENGINECyli.ders 6 horizontally oppos€dCapacity 3299 cc {201.3 cu inEorEr'n.oke 97144 mm

o.a22.93 inl

Block AluminiumHe6d Atuminiumvalves Soh. e.ch t.nk

lnduclion So$hK-Jetronicinjection,turbocharged with induc'tion intercooler

Bearinds A mainMar o;wer 3OO bho (olN) al55oo romMax torcue 303 Ib n {DrN} at 4000 romTRANSMISSIONType +speed manual

lntsrnal ratios and mph/1000 rpmTop 0,6511/26.63rd 0.88:1/19.72nd 1.3011/13.31* 2.25:1/7,7Rev 2.43:1

final dive 4.22211

BODY/CHASSISConstruction lntegral all steelProtection Zinc-co6ted; six-ydr anti-

corrosion waranw onfloorp.nchassis assembty

susPEitsloIlF.oot lndep€ndenl by MacPhe.

son rrrurs, lo.giludinal lorsion bars: anti-roll bar.

Rear lndependent by semi trail.ing arms, transverse torsion ba6; antiroll bar

STEERIiIGType Fact and Dinion

ELECTRICALaattery 12v, aa AhEarth NeqativeGener5tor Aheh6io.,9a0W

typs Halog€ndip 110 W toralmain 120 W lotal

GUAAANTEEOuraiion . .. .. -.. .t2 monih., unlimit.dpl!. .ir.y..r .ntl.coro.lon w.rr.nty for

ITAINTEI!ANCEARAXES12.0 in dia, ventilated12.0 in dia. venrilar6dht€gral drum in.e6r discs

D!alj split diagonallyNo

WHEELS|/TYhESForged alloy, 7J x 16 infront, 8J x 16 in r6arPirelli P7: 20455 VR 16{front),22550 vR 16 (rear)2Y?X| psi FA {normal)2Yzl3 psi F/F

(fullloadt'igh spe€d)

sid€ window i2 int€.minenl wiper

fu.lfillerrlap '13 oil

a fr.sh air vanrs

6 fo-o l,stts sikh ,5

swiich t63 slereo3 slereo

r.diohassete la

I h€alinq 6nd i92t)

l0 tueuoil levei 2'lgu.ges 22

man cals (6ven the aeally €xpen9iv6ones like this), the decor is a bitsever6/ the mor6 so in our test carb6cau6e of the colour blend, predo,minantly blue and black (the fswn-trimhed intgriors are far moreatiractive, to our eyes at least).

Novertheless, it is a suprcmelypractical and comfonable purpose-built driving environment, and thewhole car looks 6nd feels perfectlyconstructed; there is non6 of thelragility oI some oth6r "super car3".Everywhere thero alg signB ofthoughtful sngineering, and designwork, right down to things es mun-dane as the door locks.

Anyone sponding more thanf26,000 on s car has a rightto oxpect it to be v6ry woll

equ;pp6d; anyon€ buying.s PorscheTurbo will not b6 disappointed.Ap8rtfrom its highly advancad tech-nical specitication, it hss asBtandardjuat about 6veMhing most owngrswill require.

The list includes air conditioning,an electrically operat€d sliding roof(which doos not cause serious bul-teting at speeds bslow 90-100 mph),an gxcellent Blaupunkt stereo radicy'casaett€ player, electric windows, aremot6 control drive/s door mirror,6 re8r scrsen wip6r, rearfog lights, achoice olcloth or leather upholstery,plus a great d€al more munden6

Porsche's contidonce in its ownsngine€rinO is amplv domongtratednot me16ly by the l2-month,unlimited-mileage warranty and th6six-y6ar guarantee againat corrosionin the floorparvchassis ass6mbly,but 3160 by th€ service intervals:efter the first free sorvice at 600mil6s, a servico is needed only onc6overy 12,OOO miles, without anyneed for an intermediato oil chango,The glectronic ignition requir6s noattentioh. The engine cover relessois in the passenger door jemb, thefront boot release inside th6 csr,

Engin€ acce$ibility has slwsysbeen a problom in the resr enginedPorsches, th€ mor€ so in the Turbob6c3uss of all th6 extra equipmentlhat has to be carri6d. The oil coolorand the intorcoolsr hav€ been neatlystowsd away undernesth the bigwjng, but getting at rhe plugs mustbe a tricky task even with speciatisedtools. We found it impGsibte toavoid spilling som6 oil{even u6ing 6

S.Nldn! . Tw6o. .p.n Lom .lmpl.l.rt. llt. r.plrln, wom b.ha l. no loo

can wilh a long spout) on thg oneoccasion it required topping up during our 2,620 mile test.

The brakelluid reservok is housodneatly with the Iueltilier under a flapin th6 front nearside wing which isrel6ased from insidethe car, and th6battery, housod in the front boot, isoqually 6asy to get at. The spar6wheel is also sited th6r6, and is ofth6 get-you-hom€ vsri6ly; these arenotl6galfor useon British roads, bntit is difficulrtothink olan alte.narivein a car which us6s ditferent sizes oftyrs at front and r€ar. A new set offourtyr6s cost the best pan ofr/oo.

There ar6 18 Porsche dealorsthroughout the UK.

We said of th6 3-litre Turbo that"F6w, if any, cars hav€ impressed u6so much". Thafs a ditficult act toIollow but the 3.3-litre version i6 aneven better car which fully lives upto Porsche's claim that it offers "Rac-ing p€rformance with saloon carcomfon".

Its acceleration is simply breath-taking. and the maximum 6peed isv€ry high, but the serne may be saidoI a number oI "supercars". Lile-wis6, it6 estonishing roadholdingand'rts powerful brakes sre m6tchedby 6 select few of th6 world's bestmotor cars, though none hss the6ame astonishingly sensitive feel.

The realachievement of th€ Turbois its suprem6 practicality. lt is asmuch et home dawdling along theHigh Streot as it is flst oul on lh6autobahn. lt can be trsated tike anordinary everyday car, and indeed,th6r6 is nothing on th€ market atsryprice which has a longer intervalbetween recommended sorvicas. lnour opinion it is probably th6 b66texampl6 of precision 6ngineering onfourwheels, snd is let down only bya mediocre v6ntilEtion system.

Compa,isonsPEBFONMANCE

rmean of lslt snd ght

MOTOR wEl.ndino Mry t9,

Lton O.Tn- Fr l

cosrsAI{D SEBVICE &ro fe& tadrl

subjocl to col|tirmation

STAI{DABD EOUIPME TPor.if,luno A.t n D. l'Bs Fnd

3.3 TURBO f26249

MARNNVANTAGE f2&9O8

308GT4 f15,999

xJs f17,410

928 f:10/98

RivalsWa hlvc not tGtad two of tho Turbo'3 closest rivab inthrlr lrt !t fom; thcy !1. thc F€rrlri Boxer (fit0,193), andthc M!3.rttl Bo]r. Thc Llmborehinl Countach and the Boraarc not lnclud.d b.G!us. aro not

.:o T..aY__ f'Eghrndltng and brales. The gear-chahge is good, but an €xtra g6arlonly th6 fouFsp66d is availablelwould ba an r8set. Lik€ th6 re6t ofth6 911 6eries. it i8 6 comfortabletwo-a€ator with rBesonable luggagespaca. hs docility, it6 long a6rvic6intervals, ,t8 qu6lity engineering snda msticu lous Ettontion to d6tsil makeit parhaps the mo3t practical ot th6

One of th6 most exciting cars mad€today. from o company onjoying an6w l@s€ of lit€. Fanb6tic perform€nce ($p€cially in Vantaa€fom), Buporb handling. excellentPow€t 366ring, impressivo brak€aaro majot t6stu169. Rgar soatacclhmodalion b sd€quat6, thoughitcennot match tho lsroorssloons inthb rarpect Boautifullyfinished, endquite rotin€d. A most €xhllaratinocar to driv6.

pows ul model has thrilling p6r-formenco combined with €xcellent

Vory fe3t but big Ford \/8 iB verythirSty. Test cal3 msx was r6v-limited but 155-160 mph should bepo83ibl6 with curent ge..ing. Voryoood gear chsnge but clurch hoavy.Low-3p66d rid€ a bit choppy. Com-fortrble snd roomy intorior, gooddriving poaition spartlrom th6 off6€tpod8ls. Sansilive handling, but e bittoo much under3teor; €xtremelygood roedholding, and the la.g6ventilatod dbc brskes can cop€ withth6 pow6r

Mid-engine coupe power€d by 255bhp VB giving ouEtanding perfior-manca but heaw tu6l congumption.Modiocre g6archange. Nominally e2 + 2 but tiny rear 3eat3 not suitablotor aduhs and the boot is smsll.Roadholding €xceptionel, but handl-ing lG3 procisg snd roSpongive thanthat of 246 Dino which remains oneoI our 6ll tim6 fevourite suporcars.Visibility good, b'rt hoating snd v6n-tilation dissppointing,

lh tru. Jaouar lrsdition, the XJ.scombinos oxcaptional performanceand refin€ment at a vaty compstitivoprico. Th6 slyling msy not b€ toeveryono's test6 and the r6ar soa@ommodation is cramped for so

r a car. But if you can afford thebill+ rhe XJ€ is without doubtof tho world'. mo6t deairable

Although faatar than thei{s no r€placem6nt forcleBsic two-s66ter.

Poa8ch6-8 all n6w luxrrry sportB carh6sn't th6 mind-blowing perfor-mance yoo'd oxp€ct, but it's noaluogad. Sup6r-r6fined engine sndlo/v wind nobe but potential r6fin6-m6nt let down by excessive tyreroa.. Superlstive road holding, andoxcoll6nt hahdling in all butthe mostextreme conditione, wilh mediocrerida Excellent brsk6s. geeutifullymade and lavlshly €quipp€d. Veryspacious tor two, but cEmpgd r6ar