Porsche was extremely smart with the newest versions of its most famous trim line. The 997 Turbo came along at the time when buyers who had switched from a 911 to an Aston V8 Vantage may have been looking for their next car swap.
Here was just the thing to switch their attention from Aston Martin back to Porsche, with a same-price alternative! It’s the ultimate premium 911, with all the performance anyone could wish for.
It has long been a superb performer, and the 2006 Porsche 997 derivative was the most powerful yet with a variable geometry turbo bringing 480bhp to the table. Yet it somehow managed to combine this with a smoothness and luxury of delivery too, that struck a remarkable balance of civility and sheer pace.
It has real purpose. This doesn’t necessarily come across when you see it online, but when people see it in the showroom; they immediately know it is something special. With large air intakes, deeper bumpers, serious wings and a beautiful set of forged alloy wheels, it truly does look the business.
What’s making the 3.6-litre version particularly attractive at the moment are the similarities with the latest (even faster) 500bhp 3.8-litre model. This vehicle came out late last year, and has an all-new engine, but visual changes were minimal – marginally different exhausts, LED rear lights and a slightly different look to the 19-inch wheels.
It still uses the same LED bar front indicators, standard to all Turbos. Opinion is split on these but Turbo owners seem to like the statement they make.
Engine-wise, the 2006 3.6-litre model is closely related to the GT3 that won Le Mans in the late 1990s. It’s a brilliant power plant with a fantastic heritage and is virtually indestructible. That’s despite its amazing 480bhp power output, plus the huge 457lb/ft slug of pulling power it also has, across virtually the entire rev range.
An important option to have is the Sport Chrono pack. You can tell if a car has this from the chronograph-style clock on the top centre of the dash. Why is it important? Well, for 10-second boosts, it provides even more torque, by upping the turbo boost by 0.2 bar. The effect is incredible…
The electronic PASM electronic dampers bring active suspension wizardry to the suspension. Computers control the 911 Turbo, with PTM there to ensure four-wheel drive has ample backup. Its electromagnetic clutch can juggle power between front and rear axles, and send power in one direction in around 100 milliseconds. Faster, in other words, than the turbos actually take to respond.
Porsche has always traded the Turbo on offering loads of luxury, and it’s no different here. A fully-equipped standard spec includes leather and PCM sat nav, although the Sport Chrono Turbo Pack was a 1,000 cost-option.
A Bose stereo was standard on Turbos, which proved as impressive as the name suggests. The name on the door speaker grilles gives it showroom appeal, but unless the original owner was a bit bold with the standard trim and stitching inert matches, the interior is just a little bit plain otherwise. Too much like a Carrera – there’s not quite enough to justify a near 100,000 spend.
I’ll warn you off some of the vivid color schemes a few buyers do go for though. Remember, it is a Porsche 911 Turbo: dark leathers are always best. There were several very desirable sport seat options and these are very worthwhile. Only choose sensible sober metallics on the outside too. You can get them in bright yellow – but it is not a good idea at all. Values really suffer. You have been warned.
3.6-litre cars came with either a sixspeed manual or a five-speed Tiptronic auto. The Tiptronic came with cheap feeling steering wheel buttons, which are a bit of a letdown. 3.8-litre cars have the PDK six-speed twin-clutch option alongside a manual – this is brilliant, much better than the Tiptronic. It’s a shame the paddle shifters were optional on the first cars though. We at Clive Sutton offer a wide range of new and used Porsche cars for sale. We deal across the UK and can look after your Porsche car buying or selling requirements wherever you are located.
