Porsche Videos Celebrate 50 Years of Turbocharging

Though turbocharging has been around for 63 years or so, it’s been more than 50 years since one of the early adopters—Porsche—began to utilize it in motorsport. To commemorate this landmark, Porsche has produced a four-part series of Porsche Heritage Moments that you can watch on the Porsche YouTube channel.

Seventeen of the 19 victories Porsche has had at Le Mans have been achieved with turbo-powered cars. Starting in 1975, Porsche created the 930, a production 911 Turbo Carrera that laid rubber like no other. Since then, there have been seven other 911 Turbo generations, each getting more wicked than the previous. Today, go to a Porsche dealership and you’ll find turbos on more than just the 911 Turbo.

Le Mans winner Timo Bernhard is your guide in the four-part series which includes stories from Porsche engineers like Norbert Singer and two-time World Rally Champion Walter Röhrl.

The episodes are as follows:

• Episode 1: Turbo in Motorsport—the Basis for the First 911 Turbo. The seeds were planted in 1970 as Porsche’s involvement in CanAm led to the idea of eschewing a 16-cylinder engine for a turbo’d 12-cylinder.
• Episode 2: The Start of Series Production—the Result of a Tried-and-Tested Concept. Aerodynamics engineer Hermann Burst waxes poetic on the development of the “ducktail” spoiler for the 911 Carrera RS 2.7 to reduce lift; this led to the “whale tail” spoiler. Though not a turbo model, these cars were stepping stones for 911 Turbo development. Says Burst, “For me, the 964-generation 911 Turbo is the culmination of all the technical objectives we have pursued so far over two decades. Galvanized bodywork, automatic heating and climate control, aerodynamics – from a purely technical perspective, it’s my favorite.”
• Episode 3: The Turbo in New Spheres—Water Cooling. Yes, it’s been 20 years since the 911 Turbo S broke hearts as it ditched air-cooling for water-cooling. And, for the first time, a five-speed Tiptronic S transmission was an option. “One of the secrets behind the success of the 911 series is the consistent technical evolution that constantly brings the 911 Turbo closer to the ideal sports car from generation to generation,” says Thomas Krickelberg, who started the Racing Engine Development and Engine Research department in 1990.
• Episode 4: Turbo—Beyond Performance. Going beyond the ordinary and mastering challenges, Porsche engineers have developed Variable Turbine Geometry (VTG), which was introduced for the 2006 911 Turbo. “The 997 generation 911 Turbo was a milestone in the Porsche’s history with the turbo,” says Krickelberg. “With this [VTG] technology, the ‘turbo hole’ was a thing of the past.”

This Porsche serial will drop on the Porsche YouTube channel in consecutive days at the end of December. By the time you read this, all four will be ready for your viewing enjoyment.