The Porsche 911 Turbo (993) was a clear example that the idea that a high-power car – more than 400 hp in our case – could not carry the engine behind the rear axle was definitely banished. Belonging to the 993 series, it replaced the 964 in 1994, being a great evolution with respect to other models of the past such as the 911 Carrera 3.2 Speedster (964) and the 911 Carrera 2 (964).
We will not go into details of its well-known line, if only to highlight its large rear overhang, its huge spoiler next to the large engine cooling grille or the hollow alloy wheels to lighten weight. We can name some of the most noteworthy items of equipment, such as the on-board computer, central locking, front electric windows, air conditioning, headlight washers, fog lights or double central airbags.
And, being the top-of-the-range model, the list of optional equipment for the 911Turbo (993) was quite long: remote control for door opening, sunroof, heated seats, automatic cruise control, lumbar support in the passenger seat. passenger, digital sound processor, telephone pre-installation, six-CD changer, absorbent bumpers, leather-upholstered passenger compartment, and much more.
The Porsche 911 Turbo (993) featured two technological firsts: supercharging via two turbochargers, one for each three-cylinder bank, and all-wheel drive.
Its dimensions are as follows: 4,245 millimeters long, 1,795 millimeters wide and 1,285 millimeters high, with a wheelbase of 2,272 millimeters and front and rear tracks of 1,411 and 1,504 millimeters respectively. Its approved weight is 1,500 kilograms, although in practice it is higher, closer to 1,600 kilograms. Leaving aside the descriptive details of its design or the materials used in its construction; We will focus on its mechanical part and behavior, which is the most interesting.
The engine is located in a longitudinal rear position, with six opposed cylinders – boxer architecture – and an alloy block and cylinder head. The distribution is carried out by a single camshaft for each cylinder bank, with two valves per cylinder. With 3,600 cm3.it delivered a maximum power of 408 hp at 5,750 RPM and a maximum torque of 540 Nm at 4,500 RPM. Powered by electronic fuel injection and two turbochargers, one for each row of cylinders, a first for Porsche.
All that power was transmitted to all four wheels via a permanent all-wheel drive system and a limited-slip differential, another feature first used by Porsche in a turbocharged engine. The gearbox is manual, six-speed, with the following developments at 1,000 RPM: 1st: 9.0 km / h; 2nd: 16.0 km / h; 3rd: 22.1 km / h; 4th: 28.5 km / h; 5th: 35.4 km / h; 6th: 46.0 km / h.
The steering is servo-assisted, with a turning diameter of 11.7 meters. It takes 3.3 turns of the steering wheel to bring it from lock to lock. As for the brake system, four ventilated and perforated discs of equal diameter, with 322 millimeters, and held by fixed four-piston calipers supplemented with ABS made the arrests. The suspension was independent on both axles, with wishbones at the front and a double transverse connecting rod axle at the rear. Regarding the wheels, they were 18 inches, shod with 225/40 front and 285/30 rear tires.
The engine was controlled by an advanced electronic management system, complemented by a intercooler that almost completely covers the engine, a powerful and versatile engine is achieved. With the measuring equipment in hand we see that at 2,500 RPM it already delivers 444 Nm. This translates into a docile and predictable drive up to 4,000 RPM, being comfortable to carry through congested urban traffic, without having to use the clutch more than necessary and without giving us unwanted jerks.
With 408 hp, the six-cylinder boxer engine of the Porsche 911 Turbo (993) managed to push in just over four seconds from a standstill to 100 km / h, and go below 23 seconds to travel the 1,000 meters also from a standstill. They are not negligible figures
If we continued to press the accelerator until we exceeded 4,500 RPM on the lap counter, its behavior went from sweet to aggressive. Up to this point, the excellent brakes, balanced frame, all-wheel drive and precise steering allowed you to roll at a high pace with a large margin of safety.
Once this barrier was overcome, it was essential to firmly hold the steering wheel and treat the accelerator with care, with lightning acceleration and high braking capacity (39.1 meters from 100 to 0 km / h). All this is valid on dry ground, with firm wet it is necessary to be extremely careful. With a weight distribution of 40/60 (front / rear) it was difficult to get the rear axle to slip, unless you were a seasoned rider.
Let’s see what else the stopwatch told us. It reached a maximum speed of 290 km / h, needing 4.3 seconds to reach 100 km / h from a standstill, and 22.8 seconds to travel the 1,000 meters, also from a standstill. In sixth gear it goes from 80 to 120 km / h in nine seconds. As we can see, they are not negligible benefits.
Consumption is another story, in line with the available cavalry and the benefits achieved. By city they shot up to 22.3 l / 100 km, decreasing to 10.1 l / 100 km by conventional road at 90 km / h cruising, which rose again to 24.3 l / 100 km if we did fast driving without any regard for the right foot. If we settle for going 120 km / h by motorway / highway, we obtain an average consumption of 11.7 l / 100 km. These performance and consumption data are taken from a real test; They are not homologated data, but they are very close.
In model year 1995 (launched in 1994), a very small series (14 copies) called 911 Cabriolet Turbo, with a spoiler particularly long rear. From 1996 an increase of power was available to 430 CV, and from 1998, to 450 CV. The total enjoyment of this true sports car was not available to everyone, both because of the almost pilot capacity necessary to squeeze it as the amount of money necessary to acquire it: in 1995, 20,733,000 pesetas had to be parted, about 216,000 euros today.