Porsche Relives 911 Turbo Debut for 50th Anniversary
Porsche celebrated 50 years since the debut of the 911 Turbo by taking it back to where it all began.
Major Milestone
Today, it's impossible to view the Porsche 911 Turbo as anything less than revolutionary, a model that helped reshape the landscape of performance vehicles - even during a time when they were on the verge of extinction. Regardless, it's also somewhat hard to believe that the 911 Turbo is turning 50 years old after its debut at the 1974 Paris Motor Show, which is certainly cause for a special celebration.
Photos: Porsche
Looking Back
Porsche headed back to the streets of Paris recently to celebrate this special anniversary, with a classic 911 Turbo in tow, of course. There, it was photographed passing iconic places like the Champs-Élysées and the Élysée Palace, helping us take a look back at some troubled times that threatened its existence in the first place.
Photos: Porsche
Troubled Times
After all, in 1974, the world had just emerged from an oil crisis so severe that driving was banned on Sundays in Germany for some time, meaning that it was rather bold of Porsche to debut a new performance model in this sort of environment. Regardless, the automaker remained confident. "In spite of its outstanding performance, the new Porsche dispenses with all the negative attributes of conventional peak performance," its original press release read. "Its design is neither hard nor spartan, and its running is not sensitive."
Photos: Porsche
Show of Force
Since that debut, the word "Turbo" has become one synonymous with power and force, even landing on modern Porsche EVs that don't have a turbocharger, let alone an internal combustion engine. The 911 Turbo itself has also been refined numerous times over the years, making the turbo lag of the original a literal thing of the past.
Photos: Porsche
Leap of Faith
These days, it's easy to think of the Porsche 911 Turbo as a true icon, a model that will seemingly always be a part of the lineup. However, that wasn't always the case, as it took a bold leap of faith, 50 years ago in Paris, to set the stage for a truly revolutionary change in the automotive world as a whole.
Photos: Porsche
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