Porsche 911 930 SuperSport SSE - Turbo Look M491

Porsche 911 930 Supersport M491 Turbo Look (11)

The Porsche 911 930 SSE Supersport is everything a 911 Turbo is but without the Turbo and that's the beauty.

The Porsche 901 was built in 1963 to 1973 when the birth of 911 came in 1973 and the 911 was coming to an end in the life cycle as a model when Porsche realised the 928 was not going to be the future and the 911 Turbo saved this amazing model line and the realisation hit home that the 911 was not dead, infact this life cylce was to continue for many years more the planning.

Back in the 1980's the Porsche 911 Turbo was an iconic car, the poster car along with the likes of the Ferrari F40 and the Lamborghini Countach but the company executives buying these monster cars were not amazing drivers and often the cars ended up with a bad press due to accidents.

Porsche came up with an idea to build a Porsche 911 Turbo without a Turbo to allow the car to be a more driveable car allowing drivers to get the most out this amazing car without the huge impacting turbo lag and then huge power release which caught drivers out unaware and caused most of the incidents for the Turbo range.

The issue was this model was not going to be a cheap car costing the same a Turbo and Porsche was unclear if this would sell.

Porsche 911 Price List SSE 1985

Taking the standard Carrera model and then adding the Turbo’s wide-body, spoilers, suspension, four-piston fixed calipers, 16-inch forged alloy rims and low profile tyres, etc was adding on average 27,950 Deutschemarks to the price of the car which was around the same cost as a Turbo but Porsche decided to proceed with this venture.

The Porsche 911 930 SuperSport which is known as the SSE model or Turbo-Look was first introduced in 1984 and these cars were taken off the production line and taken to the special build facility via the E-Programme.

Originally only available in coupe form the 911 Supersport provided a solution that made sense for people who wanted a Turbo without buying a car that wanted to kill them, at the time the 911 930 Turbo was nicknamed the Widow Maker and for a very good reason.

This success of orders for the SSE led to the announcement in 1986 of Porsche to became the world’s first car manufacturer to establish a specialist department at the factory dedicated to tailoring cars to bespoke requirements.

Porsche Exclusive offered custom manufacturing building extraordinary limited series cars and provided a solution to build customers unique vehicles that meet all of their special wishes – in terms of both styling and performance.

Porsche 911 930 Supersport M491 Turbo Look

It was, in the words of Terry Davison (chairman of Porsche Club Great Britain PCGB)
a ‘Turbo without the Turbo engine’.

The Turbo-Look Cabriolet was introduced in 1985 along with the Targa and with this came improvements to the coupe also. All cars built from 1985 included side-impact beams in the doors and the Cabriolet and Targa models were given additional body reinforcement to cope with the higher forces generated by the turbo suspension.

The Supersport became a very successful model for Porsche even though this car cost over £10,000 extra compared to other models. These SSE cars were the most flexible and usable of all the Porsches models available in 1985 with the all-alloy, flat-six engine which had been fuel injected since 1971 being modified to become the 3164cc and producing an extremely torquey engine with 231bhp and 284Nm, which was enough to take the coupe over 150mph and with 0-60 mph in 5.6 seconds.

All 3.2 litre Carreras had a redesigned engine inlet and exhaust system, along with the fitment of a service-free Digital Engine Management ignition system (DME) and high compression ratio of 10.3:1, the air-cooled 6-cylinder with Bosch L-Jetronic fuel metering which provided a significant increase in engine performance but a significant reduction in fuel consumption.

The engine efficiency was thanks to the fuel cut-off when coasting

feature a galvanised body which, together with Porsche legendary build quality, ensures that these classics are long-lasting and built to be driven unlike many cars from the same era.

Almost 75,000 Turbo-Look models were built between 1984 and 1989 across the three body styles being the Coupe, Targa and Cabriolet.

Porsche 911 Supersport Production Numbers

Only 75 cars were ever built in RHD right-hand-drive form and delivered to the UK.

34 RHD Coupe's
26 RHD Cabriolet's
15 RHD Targa's

The 911 930 Supersport in the UK is a rare beast. The Supersport was the car that kicked off a Porsche love affair with the wide-body look for non-turbo 911s and this combination has stayed ever since in the designer's minds.

If you compare the production numbers against the Turbo :-

1975 – 1977 (3.0-litre) = 2,819 produced
1978 – 1989 (3.3-litre) = 18,770 produced

The performance difference was minimal with the Turbo being slightly faster than a Supersport, however the Supersport was easier to drive and more forgiving. The supersport's main benef was not having turbo lag which means the car is actually more drivable on normal roads.

Porsche 911 930 Turbo vs 911 930 3.2 SSE Supersport Comparison

	911 Turbo	911 Supersport
Engine	Longitudinal Rear Engine	Longitudinal Rear Engine
Cylinders	6 Cylinder	6 Cylinder
Engine Capacity	3299	3164
Valves	12	12
Turbo	Yes	Naturally aspirated
Transmission	Manual	Manual
Final drive ratio std:	3.444	3.444
Emission control	3-way catalyst, Lambda-Sensor	catalyst

Power	286 PS	234 PS
Torque	377 Nm	264 Nm
Torque RPM	4800	4000

Tyres Front	205/55/16	205/55/16
Tyres Rear	225/50/16	225/50/16

Brakes Front	283mm 4 Piston Calipers	283mm 4 Piston Calipers
Brakes Rear	290mm 4 Piston Calipers	290mm 4 Piston Calipers

Dimensions	168.9 x 69.9 x 51.6 inches	168.9 x 69.9 x 51.6 inches
Wheelbase	89.4 inches	89.4 inches
Track Front	56.4 inches	56.4 inches
Track Rear	59.1 inches	59.1 inches

Weight Claimed	1335kg	1300kg
Power / Weight Ratio	155.6 Watt	122.7 Watt

0 to 60mph	5.2 seconds	6.3 seconds
Top Speed	157 mph	152 mph
Quarter Mile	13.7 seconds	15 seconds

Performance comparison

Acceleration
0-30 km/h (s):	1.4	1.8
0-40 km/h (s):	1.8	2.3
0-50 km/h (s):	2.2	2.7
0-60 km/h (s):	2.6	3.2
0-70 km/h (s):	3.4	4.3
0-80 km/h (s):	4.1	5.1
0-90 km/h (s):	4.8	5.9
0-100 km/h (s):	5.5	6.3
0-110 km/h (s)	6.3	8.3
0-120 km/h (s):	7.5	9.7
0-130 km/h (s):	8.6	11.1
0-140 km/h (s):	9.8	12.7
0-150 km/h (s):	11	14.4
0-160 km/h (s):	12.6	17.1
0-170 km/h (s):	14.8	19.7
0-180 km/h (s):	16.9	22.7
0-190 km/h (s):	19.2	26.9
0-200 km/h (s):	22	34.3
0-210 km/h (s):	26.1	44.4
0-220 km/h (s):	32.5	62.1
0-230 km/h (s):	41.1
0-240 km/h (s):	55.1
0-250 km/h (s):	99.3

Acceleration
0-20 mph (s):	1.5	1.9
0-30 mph (s):	2.2	2.7
0-40 mph (s):	2.8	3.8
0-50 mph (s):	4.1	5.1
0-60 mph (s):	5.2	6.3
0-70 mph (s):	6.5	8.6
0-80 mph (s):	8.5	10.9
0-90 mph (s):	10.4	13.5
0-100 mph (s):	12.8	17.3
0-110 mph (s):	16.3	21.8
0-120 mph (s):	20.1	29.2
0-130 mph (s):	25.7	43.6
0-140 mph (s):	37
0-150 mph (s):	61.1

Overtaking factors
60-100 km/h (s):	2.9	3.6
80-120 km/h (s):	3.4	4.6
100-180 km/h (s):	11.4	15.9

40-70 mph (s):	3.7	4.9
50-90 mph (s):	6.3	8.4

M491 - Supersport SSE (Supersport Equipment)

The Supersport is the ultimate version of the 3.2 Carrera as an all round car. This car was known as the Option code M491-Turbo-look’ or ‘Supersport’ as it later became known in the UK.

Initially, this special option M491 was only available on a Coupé model and had to be ordered through the "Special Wishes" program and Porsche didnt know if these cars would sell due to the price tag increase to have one of these models.

As sales boomed across the globe these special production option cars became official and extended to include the Targa and Cabriolet in 1985. It was in an official model available from dealers in 1986 and all cars built from 1986 have M491 in the option codes linked to the car.

This means there are some extremely rare cars built-in 1985 without the M491 option code and these cars were taken off the production line and

Porsche 911 930 Supersport Turbo Look Option SSE

911 Supersport Coupe Built in 1985

911 Supersport Coupe Built in 1989

Note: C16 UK Model - Cars built before 1986 do not have the option code M491

L027 & L80K = Guards Red

C16 = UK LUX SPEC Car

058 = Impact absorbers front and rear

220 = Locking differential 40 %

261 = Passenger side mirror (flat, electrically adjustable and heatable)

330 = Cassette-radio Blaupunkt Toronto SQR 48

335 = Rear automatic 3-point seat belts

341 = Central locking system

383 = Sports seat, left, electrical height adjustment

387 = Sports seat, right, electrical height adjustment

425 = Rear window wiper

490 = Sound system

491 = Turbo-look

494 = Amplifier

567 = Top-tinted windscreen

650 = Sun-moon-roof

975= Luggage compartment velour carpet

Two Super 1980s Porsche 911 Supersports Hit The Market in 2017

They look like a Turbo but they’re not. And that’s the beauty.

The 1980s Porsche 911 3.2 Carrera marked the rebirth of the fabled sports car after years of basically being on life support through the 1970s. Once Porsche realized the 928 wasn’t going to replace it after all, it started working on the 911 again; the 3.2 Carrera was the first fruits of this.

In later guise with the snickety G50 manual gearbox, they were a peach to drive — perhaps even sweeter than the monster Turbo range topper. All they lacked were the 930 Turbo’s wider wheel arches, famous whale tail, plus uprated suspension and brakes. If only you could mix and match the two, thought many at the time: with the 911 Supersport, that’s exactly what Porsche did.

Coded M491, the Supersport kit was sold between 1984 and 1989, and offered on both Coupe, Cabriolet, and Targa models — it was the first time a wide body kit had been offered on a non-turbo model. It was 1980s perfection: now, North London’s Hexagon Classics is offering people the chance to go back in time with two immaculate models up for sale.

They’re not cheap, mind. The white 23,750-mile Coupe it has for sale is £139,995 (about $174,500), and the red 27,490-mile Cabriolet is £124,995 ($155,800). But the firm’s chairman Paul Michaels says they are “exceptional examples of one of the most desirable and rare Carrera 3.2s variants. The Supersport kicked off a Porsche love affair with the wide body look for non-turbo 911s, a combination that has proved popular ever since. If you’re in the market for a Supersport then you will struggle to find two better, lower mileage cars on sale anywhere in the world.”

Both use the same 231 horsepower 3.2-litre flat-six engine, good for a top speed of 152 mph (244 kph) and a sub-six second 0-60 mph (0-96 kph) time. Both are fitted with 16-inch Fuchs alloys, and for further retro effect, the Coupe has its original Blaupunkt Toronto stereo. The Cabriolet, meanwhile, has a five-draw cassette stowage box. That’s sure to intrigue the kids. The rest of us will just swoon at two of the most super 911 Supersports in Britain.

Source: Hexagon Classics

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Auctions

The Porsche Sale at Silverstone 2017

LOT NO. 221 - 1988 PORSCHE 911 SUPERSPORT (SSE) 3.2 CARRERA TARGA - 20,000 MILES Sold for: £103,500

Sale Information PDF - Click to view

Possibly the ultimate version of the 3.2 Carrera was the ‘Option M491-Turbo-look’ or ‘Supersport’ as it later became known in the UK. Initially, Option M491 was only available on a Coupé and had to be ordered through the "Special Wishes" program, but was later extended to include the Targa and Cabriolet in 1985, before becoming an official model available from dealers in 1986.

From 1987 onwards these dramatic versions were officially known as SSE (Supersport Equipment), and the cars in this final three-year run up until 1989 were fitted with the more user-friendly G50 Getrag gearbox. 'M491' was not just a sop to the excesses of the 1980s, with flared arches evoking the appearance of some dramatic Porsche models from the past, but was a popular option offering the 'macho' good looks of the Turbo without the mechanical complexities. However, it was not cheap adding over £10,000 to the cost of a standard variant by the end of the model’s life in 1989, possibly explaining the relatively small build numbers.