Why Driving the Porsche 930 Turbo Was So Difficult

The Porsche 930 Turbo became one of the most legendary — and intimidating — performance cars of its era. Introduced in the 1970s, the original 911 Turbo combined a rear-mounted engine with a large single turbocharger, huge power for the period and almost none of the electronic driver aids modern sports cars use to protect drivers from mistakes. The early 3.0-liter 930 produced 260 PS, while the later 3.3-liter version increased output to 300 PS and could reach more than 260 km/h (161 mph). Those numbers were extraordinary in the late 1970s, but the way the power arrived was what made the car difficult. Porsche Schweiz The 930 suffered from pronounced turbo lag. A driver could press the throttle, wait for the turbocharger to build boost, and then suddenly receive a large surge of power. Hagerty notes that boost arriving unexpectedly in the middle of a corner could easily catch drivers out. Combine that with the 911’s rear-engine weight distribution and the possibility of sudden oversteer when a driver lifted the throttle incorrectly, and the car demanded much more respect than a modern Porsche. Hagerty There was no traction control constantly correcting wheelspin, no stability-control system rescuing a bad corner entry, and for most of the 930’s life there was only a four-speed manual gearbox. The result was a car that could be incredibly fast in experienced hands but brutally unforgiving when driven carelessly. This is why the Porsche 930 Turbo became associated with the famous “Widowmaker” reputation — and why learning to drive one quickly required understanding the car rather than simply pressing the accelerator.