Porsche Turbo 3.3 Liter Cabriolet - Double whammy

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Porsche Turbo 3.3 Liter Cabriolet - Double whammy

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Created on November 20, 2022

Text:

Bruno von Rotz

Photos:

Daniel Reinhard

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Bruno von Rotz

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Archiv Porsche AG

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Porsche AG / Porsche Schweiz AG

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Porsche 930 Turbo 3.3 Cabriolet (1989) - Driving pleasure doesn't have to come from Bavaria

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Porsche 930 Turbo 3.3 Cabriolet (1989) - if necessary, you can reach over 240 km/h with the top down - is it a pleasure?

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Porsche 930 Turbo 3.3 Cabriolet (1989) - Curves are the Turbo driver's friend

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Porsche 930 Turbo 3.3 Cabriolet (1989) - from the driver's point of view, the Turbo and Carrera hardly differ, even as a Cabriolet

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Porsche 930 Turbo 3.3 Cabriolet (1989) - the drag coefficient of the closed Cabriolet corresponds to that of the Coupé

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Porsche 930 Turbo 3.3 Cabriolet (1989) - the Turbo Cabriolet is 177.5 cm wide, making it 12.5 cm wider than the Carrera Cabrio

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Porsche 930 Turbo 3.3 Cabriolet (1989) - the American version with additional baffle plates and 16 hp less power

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Porsche 930 Turbo 3.3 Cabriolet (1989) - the Cabriolet can sprint from a standstill to 100 km/h in under six seconds

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Porsche 930 Turbo 3.3 Cabriolet (1989) - Turbo of the last year of construction

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Porsche 930 Turbo 3.3 Cabriolet (1989) - Country roads are particularly fun with the fast 911

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Porsche 930 Turbo 3.3 Cabriolet (1989) - the 3.3-liter turbo version as a convertible

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Porsche 930 Turbo 3.3 Cabriolet (1989) - some of the normal convertibles also had this wing at the time

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Porsche 930 Turbo 3.3 Cabriolet (1989) - hardly distinguishable from the weaker Cabriolet versions from the front

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Porsche 930 Turbo 3.3 Cabriolet (1989) - wide rear end

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Porsche 930 Turbo 3.3 Cabriolet (1989) - nice weather and an open Turbo - fulfillment of all dreams?

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Porsche 930 Turbo 3.3 Cabriolet (1989) - the large wing was necessary on the Turbo Cabriolet to accommodate the intercooler

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Porsche 930 Turbo 3.3 Cabriolet (1989) - almost 4.3 meters long

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Porsche 930 Turbo 3.3 Cabriolet (1989) - the classic 911 proportions

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Porsche 930 Turbo 3.3 Cabriolet (1989) - naturally equipped with the famous Fuchs rims

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Porsche 930 Turbo 3.3 Cabriolet (1989) - Maintenance instructions

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Porsche 930 Turbo 3.3 Cabriolet (1989) - comparatively long gearshift, almost vertical steering wheel

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Porsche 930 Turbo 3.3 Cabriolet (1989) - classic 911 interior

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Porsche 930 Turbo 3.3 Cabriolet (1989) - Porsche connoisseurs immediately feel at home here

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Porsche 930 Turbo 3.3 Cabriolet (1989) - classic steering wheel with impact absorber, but without airbag

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Porsche 930 Turbo 3.3 Cabriolet (1989) - Boost pressure display in the rev counter

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Porsche 930 Turbo 3.3 Cabriolet (1989) - large rev counter directly in front of the driver, red area from 6700 rpm

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Porsche 930 Turbo 3.3 Cabriolet (1989) - electrically adjustable seats

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Porsche 930 Turbo 3.3 Cabriolet (1989) - simple operation of the air conditioning system

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Porsche 930 Turbo 3.3 Cabriolet (1989) - five gears, four shift levels

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Porsche 930 Turbo 3.3 Cabriolet (1989) - the Turbo hardly gets your palms wet if you don't go too wild

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Porsche 930 Turbo 3.3 Cabriolet (1989) - View into the engine compartment

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Porsche 930 Turbo 3.3 Cabriolet (1989) - if you open the rear hatch, the first thing you see is the large intercooler and the fan wheel

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Porsche 930 Turbo 3.3 Cabriolet (1989) - bulging engine compartment

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Porsche 930 Turbo 3.3 Cabriolet (1989) - Notes on the air conditioning system

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Porsche 930 Turbo 3.3 Cabriolet (1989) - size 245/45 VR 16 tires

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Porsche 930 Turbo 3.3 Cabriolet (1989) - Double tailpipe, this is where the music comes out

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Porsche 930 Turbo 3.3 Cabriolet (1989) - the reference to forced ventilation

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Porsche 930 Turbo 3.3 Cabriolet (1989) - wide bumper horns for the USA

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Porsche Turbo (1973) - Prototype, shown for the first time at the IAA 1973, still with 2.7 liters displacement and 280 hp

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Porsche Turbo (1973) - still a one-off, with impressive rear spoiler and 280 hp at 6,500 rpm - production not yet planned - International Motor Show (IAA) in Frankfurt 1973

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Porsche Turbo (1975) - wide cheeks and rear wing

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Porsche 911 Turbo 3.3 (1981) - 1981 model with the 3.3-liter turbo engine

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Porsche Turbo (1975) - Top model from Zuffenhausen with 3.0-liter displacement and turbocharger - Geneva Motor Show 1975

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Porsche 911 Turbo 3.3 (1978) - with a liter output of 91 hp - Geneva Motor Show 1978

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Porsche Turbo (1978) - Engine with 3.3 liter displacement and intercooler

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Porsche Turbo (1975) - Engine with turbocharger

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Porsche Turbo (1975) - the world's first production sports car with exhaust gas turbocharging

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Porsche 911 Turbo 3.3 (1982) - the wing of the 3.3-liter version was more massive

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Porsche 911 Turbo 3.3 (1986) - with sunroof

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Porsche 911 Turbo 3.3 (1988) - Transparency drawing

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Porsche 924 (1976) - Advertising - its big brother is the Turbo

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Porsche 911 Turbo 4x4 Cabriolet (1981) - Porsche wanted to test public interest with this study - IAA 1981

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Porsche 911 Turbo Cabriolet study (1981) - shown at the IAA as the forerunner of the 911 SC Cabriolet

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Porsche 911 Cabrio Turbo - Prototype for the IAA - 50 years of the Porsche 911 in the Porsche Museum

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Porsche 911 Turbo Cabriolet study (1981) - public interest was tested at the 1981 IAA with all-wheel drive and an open convertible roof (Techno Classica 2013)

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Porsche 911 SC 3.0 Cabriolet (1982) - at the 1982 Geneva Motor Show - Porsche offers a full convertible again for the first time after a 17-year hiatus

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Porsche 911 SC 3.0 Cabrio (1982) - at the 1982 Geneva Motor Show - elegance is combined with the temperament of an extremely powerful 2+2-seater

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Porsche 911 SC 3.0 Cabriolet (1983) - for the first time since the 356 there was a fully open sports car from Porsche again

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Porsche 911 SC Cabriolet (1982) - The open-top sports car, which is characterized by a newly designed convertible top in "three-bow technology", is a milestone in Porsche model history

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Porsche 911 SC Cabriolet (1983) - the opening turned a good-looking car into something almost as pretty

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Porsche 911 Turbo Targa Buchmann (1985) - Recreation of the famous bb creation with the Polaroid colors - Techno Classica 2015

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Rinspeed Porsche R69 911 Turbo Rinspeed Cabriolet (1986) - clearly modified from the series

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Porsche 911 Turbo 3.3 (1987) - as a convertible

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Porsche 911 Turbo 3.3 (1987) - as Cabriolet and Targa

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Porsche 930 Turbo 3.3 Cabriolet (1989) - immediately recognizable as a 911 of the G-model generation

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Summary

In 1965, Porsche abandoned the Cabriolet for the time being. It would be 17 years before it was possible to buy a completely open 911 for the first time. But only with the naturally aspirated engine - turbo fans had to wait even longer, even though the 1981 prototype still had a turbocharger. It was not until 1987 that the factory finally delivered the open Turbo to customers. This driving report with many current and historical photos attempts to clarify whether the long wait was worth it.

This article contains the following chapters

The first Turbo
Surprise at the 1981 IAA
Tuner in the niche
Presentation in spring 1987
Improved once again for the 1988 model year
More popular in the USA
At the wheel of the über-cabriolet

Estimated reading time: 8min

Preview (beginning of the article)

Do you need 300 hp to enjoy the sun and let the wind caress your hair? Actually, the 204 hp of the Porsche 911 SC Cabriolet was enough, but you can never have enough power. Besides, big cheeks also look good on an open-top sports car, so why not a 911 Turbo Cabriolet? The year was 1973, when Porsche presented the prototype of the first road-going Porsche Turbo at the IAA in Frankfurt. A displacement of 2.7 liters was good for 280 hp, but the car, which was visually very reminiscent of the RS 3.0 models, was not yet convincing on the road. After a year of further development, the sports car was presented as the Porsche 930 at the Salon d'Automobile in Paris in October 1974. The forced-induction, air-cooled six-cylinder boxer engine, which had grown to a displacement of three liters, now produced 260 hp. With an unladen weight of 1140 kg, these were easy to handle; only the not entirely negligible fuel consumption did not quite fit into the landscape in view of the prevailing energy crisis.

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