Fifty years. That’s how lengthy it’s been since Porsche first strapped a turbocharger to the again of a 911 and rewrote the rulebook. In 1974, the primary 911 Turbo shocked the world with its outrageous increase, bulbous arches and brutal efficiency. Half a century on, Porsche is celebrating the milestone with the 911 Turbo 50, a particular version that honours the heritage of some of the revered badges in sports activities automobile historical past. It’s not only a numbered plaque and a paint job, both. The 2024 992 Porsche 911 Turbo 50 is a correct nod to the previous, delivered by means of fastidiously thought-about particulars and a driving expertise that also provides you sweaty palms virtually 5 years because the 992 Turbo S debuted.
Only one,974 examples of the Turbo 50 can be made, and at a look, it doesn’t shout about its rarity. However look nearer and the references to its ancestors begin to shine by means of. This specific instance got here completed in Aventurine Inexperienced, a shade that nods to the unique Turbo’s Olive and Oak greens of the Seventies. Most distinctive, although, are the white-painted Turbo wheels – a design that harks straight again to the Fuchs-style wheels of early automobiles. It’s a cultured reinterpretation of the previous, and when paired with much less refined Turbo 50 badging and really good heritage Porsche crests.
Inside, issues get wild and a contact Scottish! Porsche says the design goals to “recall the zeitgeist of the Seventies”, and that mission’s completed by way of unapologetically retro Mackenzie blue tartan cloth. The traditional sample seems throughout the seat centres, door playing cards, dashboard trim and even contained in the glovebox. Turbonite trim, a darkish, satin metallic end developed particularly for this mannequin, provides visible distinction, whereas Turbo 50 logos seem all over the place from the door sills to rear badge. A last cheeky flourish, each time you open the door, a LED projection of a turbocharger illuminates the pavement.
That being stated, it’s no museum piece. The cabin tech, infotainment and seats are bang updated. On the highway, the Turbo 50 is each bit the powerhouse it needs to be, following the 992 Turbo S formulation of being outrageously succesful and ferociously quick. Powered by the identical 3.8-litre twin-turbo flat-six as the usual Turbo S, it produces 641bhp and 800Nm of torque. That’s good for 0–62mph in simply 2.7 seconds and a prime velocity of 205mph (330km/h), making it one of many quickest road-legal 911s ever.
However what actually stands out is how approachable it stays. Have interaction launch management and it’s predictably brutal, however ease off and the automobile reveals its GT character. It’s composed, refined, and endlessly quick – a automobile that shrinks distance with an uncanny sense of calm. But on tighter roads, there’s sufficient steadiness and adjustability to remind you it’s a 911 at coronary heart. It by no means fairly matches the pin-sharp precision of a GT3, however it’s not attempting to. The Turbo’s genius has at all times been in its breadth of skill.
The Turbo 50 is a celebration with substance, a reminder that evolution doesn’t must imply compromise. In Aventurine Inexperienced with white wheels and 641bhp beneath your proper foot, it’s a tribute that does justice to a legend, and a sign that the Turbo bloodline is alive and effectively. We all know the 992.2 Turbo S will observe in GTS T-Hybrid recipe with electrical turbocharging and eagerly anticipate experiencing the brute power of the subsequent era.
