Turbocharging is about as common as internal combustion these days, but here are some of the industry’s pioneers
- 1. BMW 2002 Turbo
- 2. Porsche 911 Turbo
- 3. Saab 99 Turbo
- 4. Maserati Biturbo
- 5. Porsche 959
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Forced induction – and more specifically turbocharging – is now so common and mainstream in the auto industry that it would probably be easier to list the models not fitted with a turbo (or two) than those with one.
Emissions regulations, fuel efficiency and performance are the driving factors behind the incredibly diverse and abundant use of turbo tech in the modern era, but back in the day turbochargers were really only fitted for one purpose: extra horsepower.
While mechanical supercharging dates back to the late 1800s and exhaust gas-driven turbochargers were first seen in ships and aircraft around World War I, the first turbocharged passenger cars weren’t released until the 1960s and the technology only began to flourish in the 1970s.
Now the go-to tech in an industry focussed on reducing every gram of CO2, exhaust-gas turbocharging provides car-makers with a way to extract higher levels of power and torque from smaller, lighter and more efficient engines without the extra weight and consumption of a bigger engine, or the packaging issues of a gear- or belt-driven supercharger.
The technology made its debut on production vehicles in the displacement-obsessed US market under the bonnet of the Chevrolet Corvair Monza and Oldsmobile Jetfire, both of which were produced from 1962.
But while these two Yank tanks are widely acknowledged as the first turbocharged production cars, they hardly had a lasting impact on the market and didn’t leave much of a legacy – unlike the five models listed below.
Here are five of the most famous, iconic, significant or important turbocharged production cars that pioneered the technology and steered it towards the abundantly available innovation we know and love today.
1. BMW 2002 Turbo
Released in 1973, the BMW 2002 Turbo was the Bavarian brand’s answer to ever-increasing oil prices and mandated fuel-saving measures – including days when driving was illegal and 100km/h speed limits were imposed on autobahns – for those who still wanted a proper performance car, and a proper performance car is what they got.
Armed with 125kW/240Nm – courtesy of a 2.0-litre four-cylinder and a Kühnle, Kopp and Kausch (KKK) turbocharger – and a kerb weight of just 1080kg, the 2002 Turbo was the M2 CS of its day and could reel off 0-100km/h sprints in seven seconds flat on its way to a top speed of 211km/h.
Track capability was ensured, too, by a beefed-up braking package front and rear, removeable wheel-arch flares (so you could fit wider wheels and tyres), rear-wheel drive and an optional five-speed manual transmission.
The 2022 Turbo was arguably the original pocket rocket and truly showed the benefits and capabilities of turbocharging.
2. Porsche 911 Turbo
Three years later came the infamous Porsche 911 Turbo, a car that quickly earned a reputation as one the fastest and most formidable performance cars of its time, so much so it was even nicknamed ‘the Widowmaker’.
The problem was the unpredictable power (boost) delivery, very rear-biased weight distribution, rear-wheel drive and lacklustre tyres for a car producing up to 194kW/329Nm – in the 1970s – and capable of 0-100km/h in 5.2sec.
Of course, Porsche upgraded the suspension, brakes and four-speed manual transmission to suit the extra shove provided by the KKK turbo, so we can only imagine what it would’ve been like to drive without such enhancements.
These early 911 Turbos can be easily identified by their widened tracks, majorly flared wheel-arches, whale-tail rear spoiler and subtle black exterior trim elements.
3. Saab 99 Turbo
While BMW focused on making a mini touring car and Porsche developed a supercar slayer, engineers in Sweden were working away on the first mainstream turbocharged vehicle: the 1978 Saab 99 Turbo.
Packing a force-fed 2.0-litre engine derived from a British Leyland V8, the 99 Turbo was good for 107kW/236Nm. That doesn’t sound like much, but it was plenty for a compact family car back in the late ’70s and allowed the speedy Swede to hit 100km/h in less than eight seconds.
The trick was making the mountain of newfound torque accessible at low and normal speeds so drivers could make the most of what was on offer, and that was never more apparent than when it came to overtaking.
Low gearing ensured the turbo was always only a second or two away from full boost, which meant the force-fed 99 and pretty much all of its successors had that useful and likeable any-gear, any-speed performance persona.
4. Maserati Biturbo
What’s better than one turbochargers? Two!
It predictably didn’t take too long for other brands to jump on the forced induction bandwagon in an effort to one-up their competitors with either more boost, a bigger donor engine or, in Maserati’s case, another snail.
Yes, Maserati was the first manufacturer to launch a production car fitted with two turbos as standard and, very originally, it was called the 1982 Maserati Biturbo.
The twin huffers boosted each bank of Maserati’s compact 2.0-litre V6 in its native market and a bigger 2.5-litre donk Down Under, where it howled out 140kW of power and 321Nm of torque, harnessed by either a five-speed manual or three-speed automatic transmission.
5. Porsche 959
Building on the success of the 911 Turbo and the innovation of Maserati, the 1986 Porsche 959 took forced-induction performance to another planet by being the first production car fitted with sequential twin-turbocharging.
Arguably regarded as the most technologically advanced performance vehicle ever produced and created as the basis for a Group B rally monster, the 959 set a new production speed record of 317km/h when it was released to the public with official outputs of 331kW/500Nm.
One of the 959’s myriad innovations was its sequential turbocharging, which in simple terms comprised a smaller turbo to provide boost at lower engine speeds and a bigger one for higher revs.
The result was next to no turbo-lag – a defining characteristic of the original 911 Turbo – and a much wider torque band, which not only improved outright performance but ensured maximum driveability in just about any situation.
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