Is the 1994 Porsche 911 Turbo 3.6 the First Safe Turbo 911?

Tony’s Take: Until the mid-’90’s, Porsche’s 911 Turbos were a bit, uh, tricky. Power arrived like Jack Torrance in The Shining. That said, time it right, stay on the throttle and you can avoid what British speed demons call “a moment.” For 1994, the Sultans of Stuttgart decided to sort out the car’s notorious turbo-lag (see: Engine).

As Car & Driver reported, “If the old car’s power came on like the cannons in the William Tell Overture — late, and all of a sudden — then the new one feels more like a Wagner crescendo . . . One can now exit turns on the throttle and maintain gentle, predictable understeer at the limit of adhesion.” 

Make no mistake: the ’94 911 Turbo 3.6 up for sale on BAT is a rear-wheel-drive car with its engine behind the rear axle. Until Porsche fitted their Turbo 911’s with all-wheel-drive, driving one of these things demanded respect. But there’s no doubting that this “expert’s” Porker is the real deal.

Design

It’s amazing how much smaller (10.3″ shorter, 5″ narrower) the wide AF 1994 Porsche Turbo is compared to a 2023 Porsche 911 Turbo. Not to mention 335 lbs. lighter.

The ’94 was the last hurrah for the second gen 911 shape (codenamed 964). Credit Benjamin Dimson – the Filipino-born lead designer behind the 928 S4, 944 Turbo and 959 – for the ’94 Turbo’s super clean design.

This example’s curves look particularly fetching in Polar Silver Metallic with the blacked-out “chrome.” The bright-finished 18″ Speedline wheels are a perfect compliment to the shiny paint. The owner-lowered stance may not be to everyone’s taste, but it is mine.

The Turbo’s rear end takes no prisoners. The car’s bulging rear arches set it well apart from its siblings. As does the “whale tail.” The gigantic, fixed aerodynamic aid makes no secret of the fact that downforce is mission critical.

The Motor Trend reviewer above claimed the ’94 Turbo “may not have the best or most modern interior in the business, but it certainly has character.” Twenty-nine years later, collectors crave the car’s classic cabin, considering late ’90’s “modern” interiors passé.

The BAT Porsche has all the mod-cons: power sunroof, heated & power-adjustable front seats, air conditioning and the original Porsche-branded cassette stereo. Dual airbags is a bonus and who doesn’t like a short-throw five-speed manual shifter?

Engine/Performance

To cure the dreaded not-to-say-deadly turbo lag, the Porsche ditched the boosted 3.3-liter flat six for the German automaker’s time-tested 3.6-liter powerplant (powering Carreras since ’89). The 1994 Car & Driver review tells the tale.

The bigger block’s three millimeters of added bore combine with cams and a fuel-injection system both optimized for greater torque to make last year’s peak torque of 332 pound-feet available at 2400 rpm. As boost pressure builds in the iron lung, the torque increases steadily to its new peak of 384 pound-feet at 4200 rpm.

Full boost is available at lower revs, too. The [recalibrated] KKK turbocharger and all its related plumbing, including the whale-tail-mounted intercooler, increases maximum boost to 13.1 psi. An extra 300cc of exhaust gas blowing on the same impeller spools it up at lower revs, making full boost available at 3500 rpm. The result is a seamless torrent of pre­dictable, controllable acceleration.

caranddriver.com

Note: the BAT car is not equipped with the rare X88 package, which added 25hp to the equation.

1994 Porsche 911 Turbo 3.6 Previous Sales

The ’94 Porsche 911 Turbo has well and truly established itself as a classic Porsche. It’s moving towards iconic status. The prices reflect the increasing esteem in which the car is held.

This Car’s History

Chassis WP0AC2962RS480123 passed through a couple of hands recently, with each owner seeing a big bump in the new price paid. (Four owners so far.)

Prediction

The 1994 Porsche Turbo is a proven quantity whose appeal has legs. The ascending price for this and other examples – as well as collector 911’s generally – is justified, both in terms of driver enjoyment and long-term value. This one will continue the trend. I say it will hammer for $361k.