Is there a US 1981 911 TURBO ???

I thought they were not imported to the US for a few years. True?

There is one here in Colorado with 67K miles for sale at $18K. What do you folks think???

It is true that 930s were not imported after '79. Many grey-market cars did make it over for those few turboless years. That price is really low. Check it out good, what you pay for a turbo is only an entry fee. It can get a lot more expensive once owned.

What are the downers about owning a TURBO - especially a gray-market car? I am thinking of builing a hot 3.0 for my 77S and turbo body kiting the car. It just seems that having a TURBO would solve a lot issues such as performance, seats, body etc. I would appreciate your ideas here...

Do you know where I might get a picture of a 81 TURBO?

Viprklr,

I have an 89 930 the downsides,
1. That 930 badge means parts are always 10-20% more (unless they are interchangable with 911's)
2. Many are driven hard 67,000 miles can be high depending on how it was driven. Have it evaluated (Sean at Stuggart West has helped me with mine) They generate more heat and stress on internal components then non-turbos
3. TURBO LAG--A stock 930 gets is boost around 3000 rpm, very slow off the line. The lag can be diminished but its expensive, New turbo, exhaust, wastegate modification. Due to the lack of torque at the low end, the RPM's at from a standing start are usually higher than a non-turbo...it takes it's toll on the clutch.
4. The extra torque when the boost kicks in tough on the gear box.
5. The drive train sits back further (3" I think) With the added torque and the weight farther back, it's easier to get the tail out.

The upsides,
1. The body, gota love those flared fenders and whaletail.
2. Once you get the boost turned on the acceration is intoxicating.
3. There are a lot of modifications that can be done to get even more h.p. out of the car w/o tearing into the motor.
4. At our alt. when you get to the tunnel and you can't resist the turn off at Loveland pass, the turbo keeps the h.p. coming.

That's the how I size it up. There are a few difference in 930's from year to year that are debated a positives or negatives.

Sound like a good price for an 81 w/67,000 miles.

Todd

VIPRKLR - I'll add a few remarks to the above. If you use your 915 tranny with a turbo motor the lag is less noticable. I have been told by 930 owners who converted to the 915 that it fealt as if they added 100hp. I plan to run that experiment myself. Adding a turbo motor to a 911 is not the same as owning a 930. They are very different cars. A 930 is heavier and is built to compensate for the weight bias. If done right I think a light 911 with a 915 and a weight reduced 3.3T (lots of ways to get the weight way down) could be an extremely fast car. As for grey market cars - someone has started another thread on that subject.

Can you explain exactly what you mean by this? It doesn't make sense at all via any interpretation I can fathom. Sorry if I misunderstand your point.

>The drive train sits back further (3" I think)

A book indicated the motor postion was 3" further back than a non-turbo 911. If I remember correctly the 930 has a 930/34 or G50/50 tranmission, when coupled to the diff and bellhousing it is longer than a non-turbo drive trian....this hangs the engine 3" further back. I am certain I read this...I just can't find which book

Todd

The bellhousing is longer. This must be modified or a short bellhousing used when doing a tranny swap into a 911. Another issue is where the weight is located on a stock turbo motor - it is biased tward the rear. The turbo, wastegate, and very heavy exhaust are all hanging out back. This is where the big sways and torsionbars come into play.

RarlyL8

I forgot to add, I agree with your comments on the 915 tranny. One of the downsides of 89 is it was only 930 with the 5 speed, many think the gearing was not optimized for the turbo. I have not driven early models with the 4 speed 930/34.

I have driven a few slightly modified 86 and 87 non-turbos, and they are quicker (0-60) than my stock 930 (I'm working on correcting that now). For quicknes and agility just watch a stock 911 vs a stock 930 on a short track. The 911 pulls away in the tight turns and slower secitons and the 930 makes up gound on the longer straights. It's a good comparison of quickness vs speed.

Todd