Panorama Magazine – Turbo 3.0 Book Review
Panorama's May 2018 issue reviewed the Turbo 3.0 book:
Following its domination of the Can-Am racing series in 1972 and 1973, Porsche used its experience with turbocharging technology gained in motorsports for serial sports car production. Launched in 1975 with a turbocharged flat-six engine, flared wheel arches to accommodate wider wheels, and unmistakable “whale tail” rear spoiler, the 930 Turbo was revolutionary in its performance. It was the fastest German production car upon its introduction, helping Porsche to fortify its reputation as a seminal sports car manufacturer.
Following in the considerable wake of his award-winning Carrera 2.7, author Ryan Snodgrass again hones in with laser-like focus on just a single variant of the iconic 930 Turbo—the earliest 3.0-liter examples produced from September 1974 through June 1977—tracing the model’s roots and origin during an era that is often referred to as a dark time for performance cars.
Naturally, there are the de rigueur in-depth chapters that one might expect to be found on the subjects of turbocharging, drivetrain, chassis, body, and interior, incorporating first-hand accounts and interviews with factory personnel who worked on the project. Additional content includes sections on accessories; literature; marketing materials; and special bespoke models built by the factory for exhibition, executives, and important clients. Racing derivatives such as the Martini Carrera RSR Turbo 2.14, 934, 934.5, and privateer Turbo 3.0 entries are also examined. An appendix at the end of the book lists all 2,819 Turbo 3.0 chassis numbers complete with notations on original colors, interior, and equipment.
Over 536 beautifully designed pages, the prose is supported by more than 1,500 incredible color and black-and-white images, including illustrations, charts, publications, and internal documents, the majority of them truly uncommon or not published before.
Befitting a book that Snodgrass states demanded almost 5,000 man-hours of research, writing, design, and production time, the attention to detail is incredible, surpassing the already superb levels of data analysis and engineering development insights from the author’s previous effort. The book’s production quality is on an equal plane of existence with its writing and utilizes special wide-gamut inks and high-resolution, 15-micron stochastic screens, allowing the reader to zoom in on the details should they want to scrutinize the photos more closely with a magnifying glass when researching various minute details for their own restorations.
Available in a slipcased standard Limited Edition, of which 2,500 have been printed, and a numbered-series Publisher’s Edition (shown here) limited to just 300 copies containing additional niceties, Turbo 3.0 is a sublime reading experience, automotive book or not, and one that will undoubtedly generate feelings of lust for the 930.
Although a starting price of $395 might seem lofty, consider it a small price to pay—the reader is gleaning the immeasurable benefit of all the hours of effort and achievement the author has invested into uncovering anything an owner, collector, or re- storer could possibly want to know. A monumental piece of work, Turbo 3.0 must be considered one of the finest automotive books extant, and the definitive word on the model.
—Benjamin Shahrabani
