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Elferspot Magazine - March 2021
Octane Magazine — Turbo 3.0 Review
Review of the Turbo 3.0 book in Octane magazine's October 2019 issue:
We'll come clean: this book was released last year but our review copy was mislaid during Octane's hastily carried-out office relocation form Bedfordshite to London. It's author, Ryan Snodgrass, very kindly offered to send us another one—and we're so glad he did, because this is a truly exceptional work.
A companion volume to Snodgrass' previous magnum opus, Carrera 2.7, this mammoth 536-page tribute to the Porsche 911 Turbo is printed on creamy archival paper and presented in a stout slipcase. Pay extra for the 300-off Publisher's Edition and you get an even stouter clamshell box that additionally houses convincing reproductions of Porsche ephemera such as press releases and photos, and actual 35mm colour slides, plus a 20-page supplement on how the book was put together.
Is either version worth the money? Emphatically yes, because the level of detail and the production values are stunning. To give just two examples: expert financial book-keepers were hired to check the production data for all 2819 Turbos built; and because no detailed cutaway drawing was ever made of the Turbo, noted cutaway artist Makoto Ouchi was commissioned to draw on. The print specification—which apparently involved '15-micron stochastic hybrid screens' and 'special wide-gamut inks'—will have any bibliophile salivating over their silkscreened linen slipcase.
Every possible aspect of the 1975–77 Turbo is covered in depth: development, build, mechanical, design, one-offs and special editions, racing versions... There's even a spread devoted to specific tyre inflators, jacks and plastic gloves supplied by Porsche for the Turbo's space-save tyre.
As you'll have gathered, we're impressed. It's taken a while for Turbo 3.0 to make it into these pages, but it was well worth the wait.
—Mark Dixon
Porsche Fahrer – Turbo 3.0 Book Review
Review of the Turbo 3.0 book in Porsche Fahrer's February 2019 issue:
Manchmal, wenn Geld und Zeit keine Rolle spielen, entsteht große Kunst, ohne dass die Limitierungen des wirklichen Lebens ihr Schranken auferlegen. Und mit viel Glück wird ein Buch wie Ryan Snodgrass’ Magnum Opus zum Thema 911 Turbo daraus.
Die Masse von 1500 Bildern und Informationen auf 536 Seiten hat das Zeug, den Betrachter/Leser zu erschlagen: Wo beginnen, wenn schon das Kapitel „Accessoires“, angefangen beim korrekten Bordwerkzeug bis hin zum passenden 911-Koffer-satz der Firma Volz, 18 Seiten umfasst? Wohlgemerkt, es geht nur um den Dreiliter-Urturbo der Modelljah- re 1975 bis 1977! Natürlich ist es spannend, die Entwicklung des 911 Turbo nachzuvollziehen, aber richtig aufregend wird es, wenn Text und Bilder tief und detailreich bis hin zum Aufnäher der Sicherheitsgurte in Technik, Ausstattung und Produktion eintauchen. Snodgrass hat sich die Mühe gemacht, auch Sonderanfertigungen und Spezialmodelle zu zeigen, die Spuren im Rennsport nachzuzeichnen und zu guter Letzt JEDEN gebauten 911 Turbo 3.0 mit Farbe, Innenausstattung, Reifentyp bei Auslieferung, Extras etc. aufzulisten. Wenn das Geld also nicht für einen Urturbo reicht, sind 395 Dollar für die Standardausgabe dieses Standardwerks perfekt angelegtes Geld. Ein besseres Buch zum Thema wird es auf absehbare Zeit nicht geben. Fünf Sterne!
Flat 6 — Turbo 3.0 Review
Review of the Turbo 3.0 book in Flat6 magazine's January 2019 issue:
Pas moins de 536 pages, plus de 1500 photos et illustrations pour la plupart jamais publiées, voici un ouvrage majeur sur la 911 Turbo 3.0. Pour tout savoir, tout décoder du modèle emblématique du milieu des seventies.
Ryan Snodgrass n’en est pas à son coup d’essai, après avoir écrit et publié en 2015 un ouvrage de 416 pages sur la Carrera 2.7 mondialement reconnu, il a décidé de s’attaquer à la Turbo 3.0 avec succès. Bien sûr le livre est en anglais, mais très facile à lire, et vraiment complet. Toute l’histoire de la Turbo est fidèlement racontée, chaque couleur, chaque option, chaque couleur ou tissu de siège y sont fidèlement répertoriés. Si vous êtes ou avez été propriétaire de cette icône de l’automobile, ou si vous en avez rêvé et que vous en rêvez encore, vous vous devez d’avoir cet ouvrage dans votre bibliothèque, Vous ne pourrez plus dire : « je ne savais pas ».
Rough English translation:
No less than 536 pages, more than 1500 photos and illustrations for the most part ever published, here is a major work on the 911 Turbo 3.0. To know everything, to decode the emblematic model of the middle of the seventies.
Ryan Snodgrass is not at his first attempt, after writing and published in 2015 a book of 416 pages on the world famous Carrera 2.7, he decided to tackle the Turbo 3.0 successfully. Of course the book is in English, but very easy to read, and really complete. The whole history of the Turbo is faithfully told, every color, every option, every color or seat fabric is faithfully listed. If you are or have been the owner of this car icon, or if you have dreamed of it and still dream of it, you owe it to yourself to have it in your library. You will not be able to say, "I did not know".
AutoMobilia Magazine — Turbo 3.0 Book
AutoMobilia Magazine's latest issue#3 (Jan/Feb 2019) featured "Best Motor Book Buys of 2018" by Ben Horton (of Hortons Books), who had this to say about the Turbo 3.0 book:
July saw Ryan Snodgrass' second book come to market, Turbo 3.0 — Porsche's First Turbocharged Supercar. Another superb offering from Snodgrass, and I personally love his panache for design and layout. He is also one of the pioneers of what I call, the "future of automotive publishing" by giving the customer a lot of specific details. Perfect for anyone who either owns one of the cars or is looking to buy one. This limited edition of 2500 copies has 536 pages and comes slipcased. The book was also nominated for "The Royal Automobile Club Book of the Year."
9Once Plus — Turbo 3.0 Book Review
Porsche Road & Race – Turbo 3.0 Book Review
Amongst its numerous attributes, Porsche sports cars have always been about performance, engineering, innovation and being different. From the production of the very first sports car to bear the Porsche name, the 356 which came into this world in 1948, the company has strived to excel with each successive model. In this same mould, the 911 Turbo 3.0 is just one of Porsche’s many milestone achievements that have set this manufacturer apart from the rest of the motor industry.
In the same way that the Atlantic salmon swims upstream against the strong flow of a river to reach the headwaters to spawn, so too has Porsche avoided the easy path to achieve its goals. Many motor manufacturers might claim to have pursued similar ideals over the years, but few have come close to achieving these as consistently as Porsche has done. When the 356 was launched, its design was just so far ahead of anything else on the market, and being streamlined and lightweight, it soon started beating much more powerful rivals in motorsport. When it was replaced by the 911 model, racing drivers and teams loyal to Porsche continued to compete, giving the new model excellent exposure. It was the company’s success with the 917/10 and 917/30 turbocharged race cars though, that encouraged Porsche to experiment with turbocharging the 911’s 6-cylinder engine.
Apart from Porsche’s success with the Carrera 4-cam 4-cylinder engine in the 1950s and early 1960s, the most notable big step forward for Porsche, was in turbocharging the 911 engine. A number of manufacturers had dabbled with the concept, some had mild success even, but no other manufacturer came close to achieving what Porsche did with this technology. When Dr. Ernst Fuhrmann suggested hooking up a turbo to the 6-cylinder 911 engine, many questioned whether this would be manageable, or even if it could work in the passenger car market. History tells us that the 911 Turbo 3.0 launched in 1975 was the big breakthrough that saw Porsche’s sports cars grab the market’s attention. Many sports car loving kids around the world will happily admit to having had a poster on their bedroom wall of the Turbo 3.0 at some point (the Editor included).
Production of the 911 had fallen from a high in 1973 (15,438 units), around the time of the Carrera RS introduction, dropping 47% to a low in 1975 (8189 units). With the launch of the Turbo 3.0 in the spring of 1975, sales of all 911s began to climb again to 10,677 units in 1976 and 13,793 units in 1977. Not only was the Turbo 3.0 flying off the showroom floor, but Porsche was also writing history on the race tracks of the world with its 934 and 934.5 models. Put simply, turbocharging the 911 6-cylinder engine transformed the company from a little Stuttgart manufacturer into a serious contender around the world with both its road and race cars.
It should be remembered that Porsche launched the Turbo 3.0 at a time when other sports car manufacturers were facing bankruptcy, dramatic drops in sales, and increasing demand for cleaner running vehicles. In the face of such daunting odds, the Turbo 3.0 made everyone sit up and notice, from customers to race teams, from rival manufacturers to business and financial commentators. Many thought Porsche would fall on its face, but the reverse happened, and we can probably thank Porsche for being so brave in the face of the oil crisis, and for giving us the 911 Turbo 3.0 model.
The book, Turbo 3.0, written by Ryan Snodgrass and published by Parabolica Press, is an outstanding piece of work. The book’s narrow remit is precisely its strength, because if you are the lucky owner of a 911 Turbo 3.0, then you would not need any other book on this subject on your bookshelf. This exhaustive volume endeavours to cover everything an owner, restorer, historian or enthusiast would want to know about the dawn of Porsche’s turbocharged supercar. Turbo 3.0 covers not only Porsche’s historic 3.0-litre Turbo, but also the development of production-based turbocharged race cars by examining the Carrera RSR Turbo 2.14 and Turbo RSR 934/934.5 race cars....(read more)
Love for Porsche – Turbo 3.0 Book Review
The Turbo 3.0 book is just as the car : a benchmark
The automotive industry had not easy times in the mid seventies. New safety and emission regulations were imposed to them, and the oil crisis left quite a trace in the period. Porsche had some dark times too with diminishing sales. Dr Ernst Führmann, designer of the iconic 4-cam Carrera Engine, was the CEO of Porsche in that period. In Can-Am races, the turbocharged Porsche 917/10 and Porsche 917/30 had proven its reliability. So Ernst Führmann had the idea of putting a turbocharged engine in a street legal Porsche 911. The idea of the Porsche 911 Turbo was born.. a story that still continues.
Ryan Snodgrass of Parabolica Press, known from the excellent Carrera 2.7 book, took a dive in the history of the Porsche 911 Turbo 3.0 liter, nicknamed the Porsche 930. Ryan Snodgrass used all possible material to his disposal. The Porsche factory archives were of course an important source of information, but that was not enough for the author. Ryan Snodgrass interviewed people involved with the design of the Porsche 911 Turbo 3.0, as well as mechanics, test drivers, engineers, racers and owners. The enormous amount of information is compiled in the book “Turbo 3.0 – Porsche's First Turbocharged Car”. And just as the Carrera 2.7 book, the Turbo 3.0 book became a one- model only encyclopedia. A book any Porsche enthusiast needs to have in the library.
It is hard to imagine how detailed the Turbo 3.0 book is. That makes it a perfect source for perfectionists, restorers and historians. As you could expect of a book like this, there is a list of all the chassis numbers with information like the color the car left the factory, type of engine and gearbox and the option list for that particular car. But there is more useful information. How many of you know all the different possible colors for a Turbo 3.0? And did you know what the toolkit should look like? The Turbo 3.0 book has plenty of detailed information about all possible colors. The chapter about the interior has pictures and information of all upholstery available at the time. All gauge variations are described as well as the radios that could be ordered at the factory.
In the 536 pages, literally nothing remains uncovered. The privateer racing exploits of the 3.0 liter Turbo are included as well as the development of the cars that directly derived from the Porsche 911 Turbo 3.0: the iconic Porsche 911 Carrera RSR 2.1, the Porsche 934 and Porsche 934/5. “Turbo 3.0 : Porsche's First Turbocharged Supercar” was among the 6 books shortlisted for the Specialist Motoring Book of the Year Award of the Royal Automobile Club. Even though it was another book that ran away with the award, being on the shortlist is an honor on its own. And to be honest... well deserved. This book sets a new standard and it will become the reference for the Porsche 911 Turbo 3.0 without any doubt. It is worth every cent. This book should be in any automotive library. You can order it directly at Parabolica Press.
Porsche Klassik – Turbo 3.0 Preview
Porsche Klassik magazine printed a short preview of the Turbo 3.0 book in its latest November 8, 2018 issue #14 (see rough English translation), with notice that the more in-depth review will appear in the following issue.
Turbo, Turbo über alles
Ryan Snodgrass hat vor zwei Jahren die [Carrera 2.7 MFI] Bibel geschrieben und nun überrascht der Software-Ingenieur mit einem opulenten Band über den 911 Turbo 3.0, der auf 536 Seiten wirklich alles Ober den ersten Elfer mit Turboaufladung und dessen Rennvariante 934 erzählt. In der auf 300 Exemplare limitierten Luxus-Variante für 595 Dollar ist das 5.8 Kilogramm schwere Werk mit seinen 536 Seiten Umfang das Referenzwerk schlechthin — die auf 2.500 Exemplare beschrankte Normal-Ausgabe kostet 395 Dollar. Wir werden in der nächsten Ausgabe von PORSCHE KLASSIK diesem außergewöhnlichen Buch und seinem Autoren eine größere Geschichte widmen.
Rough English translation:
Turbo, Turbo over everything
Ryan Snodgrass wrote the [Carrera 2.7 MFI] bible two years ago and now the software engineer is surprised with an opulent volume about the 911 Turbo 3.0, which on 536 pages really tells everything about the first 911 with turbocharging and its racing variant 934. In the limited to 300 copies luxury version for 595 dollars, the 5.8 kilogram heavy work with its 536 pages per volume is the reference work par excellence - the limited to 2,500 copies normal edition costs 395 dollars. In the next issue of PORSCHE KLASSIK we will dedicate a larger story to this extraordinary book and its author.
Turbo 3.0 Shortlisted for RAC's Specialist Book of the Year 2018
The Turbo 3.0 book has been shortlisted for the prestigious Royal Automobile Club's "Specialist Book Of The Year" 2018, one of the most prestigious awards in the automotive publishing industry. The winner will be announced at the annual awards event, hosted October 31st by respected broadcaster and journalist Simon Taylor at the Club’s historic Pall Mall clubhouse.
“We never fail to be amazed at the quality and variety of titles that our experienced judges propose for the Awards, and this year is no exception,” said Peter Read, the Club’s Motoring Committee Chairman.
The judging panel consists of of six experts who are totally independent of the Royal Automobile Club and represent the UK’s most informed motoring literary critics. The judges include Gordon Cruickshank (Motor Sport magazine), Mark Dixon (editor of Octane magazine), Ben Horton (independent motoring bookseller Hortons Books), Mick Walsh (editor of Classic & Sports Car), Christian Whitehead (motoring department of London bookstore Foyles) and Tom Wiltshire (book reviewer for Auto Express).
Zwischengas — Carrera 2.7 Book Review
Noch ein Buch über den Carrera RS 2.7? Nein, dieses Mal geht es um den Nachfolger, der als sogenanntes G-Modell zwar die gesamte Technologie erbte, sich aber mit seinen Faltenbalg-Stossstangen optisch deutlich vom wertvoll gewordenen Vorgänger unterscheidet.
Ryan Snodgrass verdient sein Geld als Software-Ingenieur, seine Liebe zu Porsche entstand unabhängig davon. Und es muss echte Liebe sein, wenn man sich derartig tief in das Thema hineinkniete. Snodgrass nutzte ein “Sabbatical”, um aus dem vielen Material, das er zum Porsche Carrera 2.7 MFI, gebaut zwischen 1974 und 1976, gesammelt hatte, ein Buch zu komponieren, das kaum eine Frage offen lässt.
Das Buch ist so erfolgreich, dass der Autor postwendenden einen Verlag gründete und 2018 das nächste Werk, dieses Mal zum 930 Turbo, nachschob.
Es ist sicherlich kein Zufall, dass Snodgrass bereits im Vorwort des englisch gehaltenen Buches seine Vorbilder bei der Konzeption seines Carrera-2.7-Werks nennt, nämlich Matthias Bartz’ Dino Compendium und das Carrera-RS-Buch von Konradsheim/Gruber.
000 Magazine – Turbo 3.0 Book Review by Kerry Morse
A few months ago, I picked up a rather large package at the post office, brought it home and—it being the end of a long day—put it aside. After dinner, I opened the box and discovered a book full of boost.
You may be familiar with author Ryan Snodgrass’ freshman effort, Carrera 2.7, a first-rate reference book that fit right in with the new edition of Carrera RS from TAG. Both titles are considered go-to-books for settling matters of originality, and there was every reason to expect that the long-awaited sophomore offering from Snodgrass would follow the established format.
This time, however, Snodgrass enlisted as art director Richard Baron, whose body of work would fill a few bookshelves. Baron’s stylistic shift has given Turbo 3.0 a separate identity, in much the same way that a 1976 911 differs from a 1976 930. The core remains, but the differences are immediately apparent and very pleasing.
The organization seen in the previously mentioned books was used to form this one’s structure: chassis numbers, color codes, optional equipment, promotional campaigns, literature, tool kits, racing variations. All are where they should be, along with a narrative of the concept, development, introduction, and production run for 1975–1977. A more suitable title for this comprehensive study is The Really Big Book of the 3.0 Liter Turbo.