The Turbo concept was created by Porsche to give an indication of what a ‘super’ 911 would look like, combining supreme performance with grand touring luxury. Finished in a striking one-off silver, with hand-painted ‘Turbo’ script, this show car sold the dream of a 911 with unprecedented levels of turbocharged performance, previewing the production ‘930’ Turbo that would appear two years later. When introduced in 1975, the 930 would be the fastest production car available in Germany.

Taking a standard 911S as its base, the concept was built up in Porsche’s design studio Style Porsche, with the construction overseen by the firm’s chief engineer, Helmuth Bott. Ironically, when it made its debut on the glitzy Porsche stand in Frankfurt, the car didn’t actually feature the headline grabbing, turbo 2.7-litre flat-six motor; it wasn’t ready in time for the show. Porsche instead modified a conventional naturally aspirated motor, with additional components - including the Turbo itself – mocked up in wood and painted to look real.

Despite its imitation mechanicals, the concept was more than enough to convince and capture the imagination of the show’s crowds. It was a great hit, and a very significant car for the brand, setting out Porsche’s stall for the coming years.

The concept was in fact, three concepts in one; in addition to debuting the Turbo name, it featured styling elements that would go into the ‘G-Model’ 911, while also previewing the RSR racer and ultra-rare 3.0 RS road car. The concept showed a much more purposeful and aggressive 911 design language, featuring larger Fuchs wheels and pumped-up bodywork, with dramatically swollen arches and an outlandish ‘whale tail’ rear wing, the latter dramatically improving the cooling and aerodynamic capabilities.

After the seismic first appearance in Frankfurt, the concept toured the world, appearing at motor shows in Paris, Tokyo and Melbourne, before returning home to Stuttgart.

The car that will be on show later this year at The Concours of Elegance at Hampton Court Palace. It is without doubt one of the most historically significant Porsches of all: the original 1973 911 Turbo ‘Prototype’. This special car represents the genesis of an icon; it was the first road-going 911 to wear the ‘Turbo’ badge.

The first 911 Turbo