4wd and the 911 turbo

Perhaps most apparent on the 911’s evolution has been the embracing of four-wheel drive in the Turbo line-up. Porsche’s early 911 Turbos had a fearsome reputation: cars for the most skilled drivers with tricky power and handling traits that appealed to only a small number of buyers. With the 993 Turbo that changed: the 414hp twin-turbo 993 civilised the Turbo, removing its handling quirks and creating a machine that mixed GT comfort with supercar performance and handling.

Four-wheel drive was arguably the only way to go with the Turbo, at least for a mainstream audience, the hardcore forced-induction fans always able to get their blown kicks from the GT department’s spin-off models, the 993, 996 and 997

GT2 and its RS relation, and, most recently, the 991 GT2 RS. The GT department’s Andreas Preuninger did admit with the firm’s latest GT2 RS they thought long and hard about leaving the Turbo’s driveshafts, differential and multiplate clutch transmission in to deal with its prodigious output, however.

That the Turbo models have remained four-wheel drive is because of their ever-increasing outputs. A modern 991 Turbo S’s output massively surpasses that of the 959 (even a 993 Turbo S had output to match it), the huge torque delivery and its response arguably necessitating four-wheel drive – for the majority of customers at least. Indeed, it’s increased the accessibility of the Turbo to a wider audience and has allowed Porsche to push the 911 in many different ways, differentiating the Turbo from its initial hardcore market and allowing the GT department to fill that gap with models like the GT3 and their RS siblings.