M491 Package

[Jnikic]

Does anyone know of a resource that would outline the various differences included in the M491/Turbo-look Carrera package?


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[James Brown]

Finally, We Get To The Turbo Look 3.2 Carrera M491

In 1980 due to US emission regulations the 930 was pulled from the North American market and it didn’t return until 1986. This left a huge hole for any driver in North America that wanted the aggressive looks and increased performance of the Turbo. The aftermarket tuners jumped on this and started turning the 3.2 Carreras into turbo-look cars. The quality of the body work ranged from frighteningly bad bondo jobs to conversions so good they were almost indistinguishable from factory produced 930s. But even with the good ones it was hard and very expensive to go deeper than wide fenders and spaced wheels and tires. The 930s had a very different suspension setup to take full advantage of the wide-body, bigger brakes, bigger wheels, etc. and to replicate this was a massive undertaking. But people did it to varying degrees of success.

Porsche woke up to the fact that they were losing money to the tuner market and in 1984 they began offering the M491 option on the 3.2 Carrera. It remained an option on the 3.2 from 84 to 89. The 87-89 models also have the G50 transmission just like the standard Carreras. Finally, direct from the Porsche factory, you could order your normally aspirated Carrera with just about everything the Turbo had, minus the actual turbo of course. This wasn’t just a Carrera with stretched fenders. It included:

The wide-body
The turbo whale tail
The turbo wrap-around chin spoiler
The turbo suspension
The turbo brakes with 285 mm cross-drilled discs and four-piston aluminum calipers
The wheels and tires
A slight weight increase but a noticeable handling improvement over the standard Carrera
The M491 option didn’t come cheap. This wasn’t like deciding whether or not to splurge on the electric seats or the sport steering wheel. Prices for the M491 option ranged from $10K to $15K extra depending on the year. The high cost kept orders and production numbers low, making these genuine M491 equipped models very special, very rare and increasingly a good investment.
ow Many Were Imported Into the North America

This is a hotly debated topic but the one thing that most people agree on is that the numbers are low. The Turbo Look Registry site seems to have the most comprehensive data:

Total imported between 1984 and 1989: 1852

Coupes: 1984-354, 1985-213, 1986-76, 1987-62, 1988-37, 1989-15

Targas: 1984-0, 1985-65, 1986-58, 1987-45, 1988-32, 1989-15

Cabriolets: 1984-1, 1985-113, 1986-226, 1987-305, 1988-171, 1989-65

Sites like the Turbo Registry are also trying to determine how many of these cars are still on the road. The M491 Carreras were highly desirable as track cars given the Turbo handling paired up with the bulletproof 3.2 engine and they were somewhat overlooked until recently as collectables. This means that the number of great condition, low mileage examples are low and likely to increase in value if kept in original condition.

[DRACO A5OG]

OP, are you planning on buying one or doing the upgrades/mods i.e. wide body kit?

[tdw28210]

JB provides a great write up. Here is the link to the aforementioned registry site. My M491 Targa is quickly becoming a "dead guy" car. Home - Turbo-Look Register - turbo-look.com

[Jnikic]

@Draco - I'm trying to reclassify my wide body race car so that it can run as an 84 Turbo Look in PCA/E Stock. But to do so I need to make sure everything is correct.

@James - Thanks!


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[4flyboy]

Thanks James, I have a 1984 TL Coupe' and did not know some of this!

[javadog]

Originally Posted by Jnikic

@Draco - I'm trying to reclassify my wide body race car so that it can run as an 84 Turbo Look in PCA/E Stock. But to do so I need to make sure everything is correct.

Man, that's going to be a challenge. I've never seen a widebody 911 that had everything on the tub and the suspension converted to what the 930 used.

JR

[Jnikic]

Originally Posted by javadog

Man, that's going to be a challenge. I've never seen a widebody 911 that had everything on the tub and the suspension converted to what the 930 used.

JR

Tell me about it! I'm pretty close - rear flares, front fenders, front suspension, brakes - but the rear trailing arms are going to be a deal breaker. They're just too expensive and require too much work for my budget, and unfortunately I can't run in PCA without them ...

[javadog]

The changes to the tub are what will hurt. To use the turbo rear trailing arms requires changing the torsion bar tube, and that's a huge task. The front of a turbo tub was revised where the suspension mounts to add some anti-dive geometry, and that requires changing the sheet metal on the bottom at the front. I assume the turbo-look cars had the same front changes as the turbo, but you'd have to double check that.

Probably a moot point, as the torsion bar tube is going to kill your deal.

JR

[JJ 911SC]

Originally Posted by James Brown

Finally, We Get To The Turbo Look 3.2 Carrera M491

In 1980 due to US emission regulations the 930 was pulled from the North American market and it didn’t return until 1986...

Actually it was pull out of the U.S. market as they were available North of 49th Parallel during those years (81 to 85).

[DRACO A5OG]

Originally Posted by javadog

The changes to the tub are what will hurt. To use the turbo rear trailing arms requires changing the torsion bar tube, and that's a huge task. The front of a turbo tub was revised where the suspension mounts to add some anti-dive geometry, and that requires changing the sheet metal on the bottom at the front. I assume the turbo-look cars had the same front changes as the turbo, but you'd have to double check that.

Probably a moot point, as the torsion bar tube is going to kill your deal.

JR

Geez, well that threw a proverbial monkey wrench in my plans to convert my car. I was thinking just spacers on the cheap but a "front unwanted dive and possible bent fenders" is not acceptable, not to mention POS handling, a BIG NO NO.

Sorry OP for the hi-jack

[javadog]

I doubt you'd ever notice the anti-dive. It's the huge spacers in the rear that would stop me, unless I ran rear wheels with a suitable offset.

JR

[DRACO A5OG]

Well, I do have larger T-bars, sway bars, front and back.

Yeah, monster rear spacers, not too excited but I do have The 17X9 replica fuchs, that should help a bit, I hope.

[panzerfaust]

Originally Posted by javadog

Man, that's going to be a challenge. I've never seen a widebody 911 that had everything on the tub and the suspension converted to what the 930 used.

JR

+1. To covert it properly it would be way more than the 15k$ Premium that Porsche asked over the standard narrow body. Hence way you never see a conversion go the whole 9 yards. Different pick up points are the main killer....

[James Brown]

you can put the turbo brakes all around but the turbo trailing arms have the calipers mounted at the rear vice the SC mounted around the front. a telltale sign if your hunting for one of these cars as it is a pain to swap out the torsion bar tubes

[Phony930]

Sorry for bumping a very old thread but it’s the exact subject I’m researching — does the factory option M491 have the same rear suspension and trailing arm setup as the turbo cars?

Are there ANY differences outside of the powerplant? If so, can anyone list them out?
1) engine / trans / fuel system
2) tachometer with integrated boost gauge
…anything else at all?

Trying to confirm for sure.

[Flat6pac]

There is boge struts and shocks, not koni.
To id a true wide body, the torque tube is set up for both turbo transmission and 915
Bruce

[RarlyL8]

The M491 "package" is simply a neutered 930; 3.3L turbo/4spd and axles being replaced with 3.2L/915 or 3.2L/G50 and axles. The rear turbo wing became optional as did the front valance with fog lights. 930 suspension and brakes remained. Turbocharging the 3.2L Motronic '87-9 G50 M491 in my opinion would be the 930 Porsche should have built.