| Porsche-O-Phile |
09-06-2009 12:57 AM |
Quote:
Originally Posted by Schumi
(Post 4879155)
That's not the story of the 968 turbo.... the real story is Porsche only made 15 of them, then stopped- they were faster than any 911 at the time and that wouldn't fly.
The entire series of cars was getting tired by then too- if they had produced a 3L turbo 4 car in say, 1985 - it could have been the real deal. But then again they wouldn't do that as it would be potentially faster than a 930 for much less money.
The 951/968 combination has nearly endless power and handling limits for the right price.
|
Completely true. In fact this is the reason the stock boost level on the 951 and 951 turbo "S" was limited. They simply couldn't have it out-performing the 911s for marketing reasons. However, it didn't take long for people to figure out that they could EASILY modify the base 951 to run higher boost levels and the next thing you know, 951s were walking on 911s on tracks the world over.
The 944/951/968 line is far more robust than most people think. As far as "bang for the buck", very, very little can beat a modded 951. For the price of a modern Z06 (that's 20+ years newer), you can take a 951 and have it producing well north of 500hp/tq, with an astonishing suspension setup, great brakes, etc. that will eat the Z06 seven days a week. AND it's a Porsche. ;)
The 968 Turbo was definitely one of the best cars Porsche ever made. Fiendishly fast, but also obnoxiously expensive. And by the time it was released, the 944 line was starting to look "old" (one of the reasons the base 968 models didn't sell better is that they were too much like the 924/944, in fact Porsche marketed them as a car that was "mostly new", which probably didn't help). I'd LOVE to see a stock 968 turbo against a modern Z06 Corvette. I dare say the 968 turbo would probably win. In adjusted-for-inflation dollars, the price advantage would have to go to the Corvette though.
Honestly, if I could have a 1980s-930 or another 1980s 951 to play with, I'd gladly get another 951. I currently have two spare 944 engines in my garage including one that's being built up into a 3.0L turbo (same as the 968 turbo, with better internals and higher boost level). This eventually will find its way into my 944 along with upgraded suspension and other parts - though not a "cheap" project, it certainly is FAR less than a modern car costs, and I guarantee it will spank 99.9% of them any day of the week, for far less cost. But I also guarantee that it'll get mistaken for an RX7 or something else by a lot of people (I used to get comments on my "nice RX7" all the time in my 951).
Don't disrespect the water pumpers (including the 928s). They're ALL pretty good platforms. However, for iconic and timeless looks as well as legendary Porsche performance, the good old 911 is impossible to beat.
|
