Porsche is celebrating 50 years of turbocharging with a 911 special edition

The 911 Turbo 50 Years will be limited to 1974 units in honor of the first year of Type 930 production

By Bradley Brownell / Jalopnik3 min readUpdated August 16, 2024

Porsche (POAHY) has been practically synonymous with turbochargers since the early 1970s. The 911 Turbo has been an icon of speed and performance for fifty years. Porsche is honoring that history with a new special edition 911 Turbo 50 Years. This is more or less an appearance package for the existing 992-generation 911 Turbo S, which includes interior elements clad in “MacKenzie” tartan plaid, special wheels, a limited edition number plaque, and some special turbo badging with a turbocharger icon. You will be totally surprised to learn this special edition Porsche comes with a matching wristwatch.

Porsche (POAHY) first began turbocharging its racing cars with its all-conquering 917/10 and 917/30 Can Am monsters for the ‘71 and ‘72 seasons. The first 911 to get a turbocharger was also a race car, the 1974 911 Carrera RSR 2.1 Turbo. That car made an incredible debut at Le Mans, racing to second overall with a production-based 911 chassis. In late 1974 for the 1975 model year, Porsche introduced its road-going sibling, the original 3-liter non-intercooled 911 Turbo making an incredible-for-the-time 260 horsepower.

While American manufacturers had introduced turbochargers to their lineups earlier than Porsche, namely Chevrolet with the Corvair Turbo and Oldsmobile with the Jetfire, the technology didn’t really find its stride until the Europeans got hold of it. Within a single year the 911 Turbo, BMW (BMWYY) 2002 Turbo, and Saab (SAABF) 99 Turbo were all introduced and set the world ablaze with their incredible performance stats.

The 911 Turbo 50 Years is, as I said earlier, based on the current 911 Turbo S, which delivers 640 horsepower and 590 lb-ft of torque from a 3.7-liter flat six. Weighing 3,649 pounds, this car will accelerate from 0-60 in 2.6 seconds. That’s a stark contrast to the original 930's 0-60 time, which was 4.9 seconds (according to Car and Driver testing done in period).

The car comes as-standard with a decal package paying homage to the RSR Turbo’s bold swooping Martini livery, as it was first shown in 1973. Harking back to the early Turbo models, Porsche has painted the rear wing, lower rear fascia, exterior mirror bases, and air intake grilles in a dark grey color. This car introduces a new color for Porsche dubbed “Turbonite” which will be exclusive to Turbo models from the brand. This car has the wheels, badges, fuel cap, and Porsche crest painted in Turbonite.

Inside you’ll find tartan plaid seat inserts and door cards. The seat belts, contrast stitching, black leather, and steering wheel crest are also found in Turbonite, to match the exterior. A special “Turbo 50” logo has been stitched into the headrests and is illuminated on the door sills.

If this isn’t enough throwback for you, Porsche will allow owners to opt for the special “Heritage Design Package.” This package delivers a gorgeous shade of Aventurine Green Metallic paint, a decal set in white, and customizable roundel race numbers. The hood and wheel center caps are painted in silver and white, while the wheels get a special original Porsche crest with orange bars dating back to 1964. With the Heritage Design Package, you get gold painted model designations on the back. Inside you get even more tartan plaid, including the dashboard inlays, the glove compartment, and the seat backs. The instrument cluster gauges are made green.

As promised, the car comes with a special watch (so long as you pay for it), the Chronograph 911 Turbo 50 Years by Porsche Design. You can only get this watch if you buy a 911 Turbo 50 Years. The watch face is black with Turbonite accents, while the strap is made of black leather with contrasting Turbonite stitching.

If you want a 911 Turbo 50 Years, you can order one now with your local Porsche dealer. Be prepared to pay up for it, however, as the MSRP is an astounding $261,100. For what amounts to a special interior, special badges, and wheels, this car is a whopping $30,700 upcharge over the standard 911 Turbo S coupe. Cars ordered now will arrive to owners later this year.

The essential business news, delivered fresh every morning.

Join 500,000+ readers who start their day with Quartz.

By subscribing, you agree to our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy.