1979 Porsche 911 Turbo Information and History (Type 930)

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Chassis Num: 930 980 0608

In 2008 this 1979 Porsche 930 Turbo was brought to the Automobiles of Amelia presented by RM Auctions where it had an estimated value of $34,000 - $40,000. When bidding had subsided, the lot had been sold for a high bid of $40,700 including buyer's premium.

The car is powered by a turbocharged and intercooled six-cylinder engine that displaces 3299cc and produces 300 horsepower. There is a four-speed manual gearbox and four-wheel disc brakes.

The original owner of this car was Al Holbert, the race-car driver who won five IMSA GT Championships, with 49 victories scored in a variety of Porsches, Monzas, and Marches. Holberts resume also includes winning the 24 Hours of LeMans on three occasions and 10 Can-Am victories.

This car is painted in Chiffon Yellow with a Dark Coca leather interior. It came equipped from the factory with air-conditioning, power windows, and a sunroof. It is a low-mileage car having traveled a mere 17,500 miles since new.

With its ownership heritage, is powerful 300 horsepower, and low mileage, the new owner certainly got a bargain at $40k.

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This car was delivered to the United States in 1979; this is the only Gulf Racing Blue Porsche 930 Turbo. It was specially ordered from Porsche by Gulf Oil Corporation. Alan Boe purchased the car in May of 1991 from a Houston, Texas lawyer who purchased it from Gulf. It is original except for normal replacements such as tire, battery, and spark plugs.

It has been proven throughout time on many occasions that racing improves the breed. For Porsche, this is no exception. During the late 1960s, they had fitted their racing cars with turbochargers which were met with positive results. This led to outfitting their road-going cars with this performance enhancing feature. The initial intent of the turbocharged street 911 cars was to comply with homologation requirements. But after rules changed making the turbo's obsolete, the 911 street car development continued. The development was led by Ernst Fuhrmann who used the lessons-learned from the 917/30 Can-Am cars to equipped with 3-liter flat-six Carrera RS 3.0. Other improvements were needed to cope with the additional power, including suspension upgrades, larger brakes, and an improved four-speed gearbox. To increase cooling airflow and provide additional down force, a 'whale-tail' rear spoiler was fitted on the back of the car. The wheel wells were flared and increased in size to accommodate the upgraded and wider rear wheels. These larger tires improved the grip and stability at high speed.

The road-going 'Turbo' was released in the spring of 1975 with exportation to the US following a year later. Power was increased in 1978 to an impressive 300 hp (DIN), as displacement rose to 3.3-liters and the addition of an air-to-air intercooler. Other improvements were made along the way, including larger brakes and changes to rear spoiler to improve airflow. Many of these features were became the basis for the very successful 934 and 935 racing cars.

The name 930 was an internal designation for a turbo 911 built from 76-93. From 1979 through 1985, the 930 was not sold in the United States. The Type 930 Coupe had been intended to satisfy racing homologation requirements that stated 500 examples were required to be built in order to race. Porsche began with the 911 and added flared fenders to protect the wider wheels and tires. A rear spoiler was placed on the rear and the engine was given a KKK turbocharger. Though it was originally intended for racing, the market demanded that Porsche produce road-going versions. It was introduced in 1975 and stayed in production for a number of years, until finally being phased out in 1989.

For 1987, the Porsche 930 S offered over 280 horsepower and could race from zero-to-sixty in about 5 seconds. Performance continued to all aspects of the vehicle including the brakes, suspension, and transmission. The slant-nose front end and faired in headlamps were designed to improve the vehicles aerodynamics. This was an option offered by the factory in 1987.

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