Porsche was one of the first car companies to offer a turbocharged engine and this car, the Porsche 930, was where that experiment began. Before they were withdrawn from the US market in 1980 and reintroduced in 1985, the first 930s to hit these shores were notorious beasts. With a propensity for oversteer due to a rear engine layout and a fair bit of turbo lag, these were not easy cars to drive. Those who mastered the quirks, though, had a competitive advantage in this car compared to other performance vehicles of the era. The 1978 model saw an increase to 300 horsepower, which was a massive amount for its day. This particular 930 was owned by a mature gentleman and has seen only 28,000 miles. It also benefitted from an extensive refresh 2,000 miles ago, as the seller comprehensively documents.
1978 Porsche 930
Rewind back to 1978 and imagine a car so powerful that it could hit 60 mph in less than 5 seconds. Imagine a car that literally turned the world upside down, the car was the Porsche 930. First introduced in 1975 with a non-intercooled turbocharged 3.0 flat 6 it set records and was the object of lust for every car lover on the planet. It not only captivated people with its power, it stirred passion for its flared fendered in your face appearance and it garnered respect for the many people it killed with it’s tricky at the limit handling. What a car! Now imagine this car with almost twice that power….
In 1978 Porsche refined the formula slightly by bumping displacement to 3.3 liters, adding intercooling and upgrading the brakes and suspension. The changes were a huge leap forward and transformed an amazing car to a life changing one. These cars were incredibly hard to come by, in fact Porsche imported just 461 1978 930 Turbo’s and this car is the very last 1978 made, being VIN # 9308800461!
This 930 was a very special car being a Paint to Sample (PTS) car when ordered new. I have been unable to cross reference the paint code to get an official paint color but to me it looks like Porsche Slate Gray Metallic. It has been a desert SW car its entire life and has covered just 28k miles.
The car originally belonged to an older gentleman who drove the car sparingly. Due to excessive sitting the car needed some updates and oil leaks fixed. It was taken to the Porsche store for this work and the classic slippery slope started…. At 26k miles this particular car underwent a very thorough mechanical refresh and not a penny was spared. If you are looking for a car that has had a cost no object build here it is! You couldn’t duplicate this for $100k. Everything is well documented with thousands in receipts from the best vendors in the Porsche business.
Here is what has been done:Motor:
Complete Engine Rebuild- Matching #’s case
3.4 Liter RUF Mahle P&C’s 7.5-1 Compression
ARP Head Studs
AASCO High Performance Valve job with springs and titanium retainers
Ollies Machine Shop- Balance, rebuild rods, Crankshaft magnafluxed polished and heat treated
911SC Cams
Kokeln Ball Bearing Turbo
Kokeln Intercooler
Tial 46mm wastegate (1 bar)
Nology Wires
B&B Polished headers w/heat
B&B Polished Exhaust
Fuel Distributor recurved
Rennline Polished Alternator Strap
New ERP copper oil cooler lines and thermostat
New engine chains and rails, CDI box, Fuel Accumulator
Billet Valve Covers and aluminum sump plate
WEVO Engine Mounts
Transmission-
915 5-speed conversion
Full Transmission Rebuild
RSR 6lb lightweight flywheel
RSR Carbon Kevlar Clutch
Limited Slip
WEVO Shifter
WEVO transmission mounts
Suspension-
Smart racing 23mm front and rear swaybars with reinforced mounts
Hollow 22mm front and 29mm rear torsion bars
ERP Bump Steer Kit
Custom Valved Bilsteins w/reinforced spindles with front camber adjustability
Rear mono-ball bushings
New plastic front, rear and spring plate bushings
Hawk Performance Brake pads
Interior:
Sparco Torino Seats in real leather and alacantara
RS Door Panels
RS Carpet kit w/ rear seat delete
Alacantara Dash and headliner
Rennline Pedals
Rennline Track Mats
Autopower roll bar color matched in Slate Gray
Sparco Touring 4pt belts
Momo Corsa steering wheel
Rennline Blower motor cover
Rennline battery tie down
Rennline kill switch
Boost gauge in clock location
Exterior:
New in the box genuine RUF 9×17 front and 10×17 rear Wheels
H4 Headlight Upgrade
Oil cooler intake scoopTo drive this car now is to really understand the word OUTRAGEOUS! This is not a car suitable for a novice driver or someone new to air-cooled Porsche’s. Having driven hundreds of air-cooled Porsche’s I can honestly say this is one of the most powerful ones I have ever driven. It makes ungodly power yet manages to be more civilized than a stock 930. The addition of more displacement, high compression, a more modern turbocharger and a 5-speed transmission literally transform this car. It is not for the faint of heart but if you want one of the coolest 930’s to roam the streets here is your car.
You will note that the build centered on the mechanicals and interior of the car. These items are 100% done and sorted. The exterior of the car has not been touched and depending on how someone might want to use the car could stand being taken to the next level. The glass, trim and rubber are all gorgeous but the paint is definitely showing its age. From 10 feet or in pictures it looks great, however it is suffering from issues such as clear coat hazing, cracking and is in need of a respray if you want it to match to caliber of the rest of the car. To just drive and enjoy it.
The car will come complete with all the books and manuals, the Certificate of Authenticity, complete documentation of all the upgrades/service done, original tool kit, air-pump and 3 original Porsche keys. What an amazing car!
It’s rare that I ever say this about any car, but I don’t think there is one thing I would change on this 930. The paint to sample color, history, modifications…for me, this car is perfect. Regardless of vintage, any 911 Turbo will be a pricey proposition. The 930 models are averaging in the $40,000 to $60,000 range, depending on originality and mileage. The seller informs us that this car is going for half of what the 1979 930 we featured last week is advertised. With this kind of presentation, provenance and a slew of tasteful mods, I’d say we are right on the mark in terms of value.
-Paul
I love this car. The paint colour combined with Ruf wheels really do it for me.
My concern is with the gearbox. As we all know the 930 was originally equipped with a 4-speed gearbox, as the 5-speed “915” was deemed unable to manage the higher horsepower in a Turbo application. As the 911 evolved into the mid-late ’80s even the 915 was considered inadequate for the rising power of the 3.2 litre engine, and Getrag was contracted to produce the G50 ‘box for the 911. The Turbo continued with the 4-speed until 1989, when it received a strengthened G50.
All this is to say that in a hopped-up Turbo the 915 ‘box will be a very weak link. I’d get more info on what was involved in the rebuild and whether the gears were strengthened.