Modern Classics
John-joe Vollans flys the flag for newer classic metal.
Let’s pretend Porsche hasn’t just ruined everything by calling its new rang-topping electric Taycan ‘Turbo’ S, as the Turbo moniker used to actually mean something. As far as automotive origin stories go, this is one of the best. Porsche won Le Mans back-to-back in 1970-71, but rather than rest on its laurels, it added a snail-shaped bellow to the 917K flat-12, taking power north of 850bhp and winning its first Cam-am title in the process. A year later, that figure hit 1100bhp and was enough for another Can-am trophy.
The Stuttgart stallion wasn’t finished yet however, the flatsix would get blown next. The 935 and 936 that followed shook up sports car competition for the remainder of the Seventies. Though it was all made possible by the 930 Turbo homologation special. Bar raising Turbo road cars followed including the stripped-out 376bhp Turbo S (964) of ’92 and the gamechanging twin-turbo, all-wheel drive 993 of ’95. Bringing us to the visually softer, watercooled 996. Though come ’99 it was clear the Turbo had lost none of its sharp edges.
Motive power came from a revised twin-turbo flat-six, this time from the ’98 Le Mans-winning 911 GT1. Power in the optionallyequipped X50 Turbo was a mighty 444bhp.
It’s one of these pumped-up Turbos (though this is chipped to 550bhp) that I’ve borrowed from James Agger Autosport. It proves no less visceral than the firm’s usual Blackpool-built stock and trade.
The colour helps, its shade combining with steroidal styling to banish any whiff of
‘This thing just wants to headbutt the horizon’