Porsche has spent 2023 celebrating two major milestones: its 75th anniversary and 60 years of the 911. While 2024 is on the horizon, the year isn’t over yet and neither are the celebrations. The brand presented a one-off 911 Turbo inspired by the original model from 1974.
Unveiled in Dubai, the one-of-a-kind coupe was created jointly by Porsche’s design department, its Exclusive Manufaktur department, its Middle Eastern division, and folks from its Heritage & Museum arm. It’s finished in a shade of silver that echoes the paint applied to the first 911 Turbo, it rides on black-finished Fuchs-look wheels, and it features “PORSCHE” decals on a tartan background above the rocker panels.
Numerous small details add a finishing touch to the look, such as black paint on the exterior door handles, an old-school “TURBO” emblem on the back, and an “A” sticker on the right side of the rear license plate. The letter stands for Austria, which might initially look odd; Porsche is based in Stuttgart, Germany. However, the original 911 Turbo was built for and given to Louise Piëch, Ferdinand Porsche’s daughter, for her 70th birthday. She was born in Austria, she lived there (she notably owned the country’s Porsche importer), and she’s buried there.
It doesn’t sound like Porsche made mechanical changes to the one-off 911 Turbo, so power comes from a 3.8-liter twin-turbocharged flat-six. It develops 572 horsepower and 553 pound-feet of torque, and it spins the four wheels via an eight-speed automatic transmission. For context, the first series-produced 911 Turbo released in 1975 used a 3.0-liter air-cooled flat-six fitted with a single turbocharger and rated at about 260 horsepower in European tune (the American market got a less powerful version of the car). This model was called 930 internally.
Shown above, Piëch’s car — which is part of the Porsche collection and often displayed in the company’s museum — stands out from later, series-produced cars in several key ways. It shares its narrow body with the standard 911 Carrera, it’s equipped with red tartan upholstery (hence the decals on both sides), and it’s powered by a turbocharged, 2.7-liter flat-six engine rated at approximately 240 horsepower.
We don’t know what’s next for the one-off. It could also end up in the Porsche museum, or it might already be in a private collection.
