Porsche Index: 997.1 Turbo

Few 911s blend all-round usability, appeal and modernity quite like the 997, and the Turbo takes that mantra further. Total 911 assesses the credentials of the Mezger-engined Gen1

The last Turbo to use a Mezger engine can be yours for £60k. Our Porsche Index will help you find a good example

Ever since the advent of the 930 way back in the middle of the 1970s, Porsche has become synonymous with turbocharged road cars, and the genre seemed to have reached something of a zenith with the launch of the 996 Turbo 26 years later. Improving on that car’s combination of mammoth power and brutal performance would take something special, so could the arrival of the first-generation 997 Turbo in 2006 move the game on? We’d have been more than a little surprised if it hadn’t, and Porsche duly delivered, improving the recipe in every way that mattered. While essentially a development of the 996’s Mezger (dry sumped) engine, the revised unit benefitted from a pair of Variable Turbine Geometry (VTG) blowers that upped power to 480hp and torque to 620Nm. Improvements of 60hp and 60Nm respectively, a manual car would break the 0-62mph tape in 3.9 seconds – it was 0.3 seconds quicker still in Tiptronic form – and top out at 193mph. All that shove was deployed to the Tarmac via a six-speed manual transmission or an optional five-speed Tiptronic automatic with steering-wheelmounted shift buttons and an electronic brain that altered the shift patterns depending on driving style and available grip. The internals were ripe for big power, too, and many went down the modified route as the 997.1 proved a sturdy base for four-figure power outputs.

The four-wheel-drive system had also come in for notable upgrades compared to the 996’s system, the viscous coupling making way for an electronically controlled multi-plate clutch for quicker responses. With PASM fitted as standard and supported by electronic-assistance systems including PTM and PSM, it ensured that the new model was devastatingly effective when it came to covering ground. Naturally, the 997 Turbo looked the part thanks to the wider-hipped body shell from the C4S and the addition of an intake-festooned front air dam and two-piece rear spoiler with an electrically operated upper section. And it was a pretty classy affair inside, too, the superb blend of peerless ergonomics and bank-vault build quality proving a real step up compared to its predecessor. Clad in top-quality leather and lavishly equipped, the cabin truly was befitting of the Turbo’s range-topping status. Oh yes, and you could combine all of this with fresh-air thrills by opting for the Cabriolet that debuted in 2007, assuming you had the necessary £106,000, of course. It would be a further two years before the Gen2 Turbo appeared, but it’s no surprise that almost 20,000 customers would be wowed by what’s on offer here.