There are some combinations that are simply timeless. Take, for example, the dark green paintwork and tobacco-coloured leather interior worn by this archetypal sports car of the late 70s, a Porsche 911 Turbo.

We could have started this article by raving about the car’s 300 horsepower, the brutal acceleration after the seemingly endless turbo-lag, or the always glutinous four-speed transmission. But these factors have been described countless times before. What hit us when we first set eyes on this particular 911 Turbo (or, more strictly, 930) was that a once violent rebel of a track car has, over the decades, become a law-abiding citizen. These days it wears its bodywork graciously over the sophisticated tobacco brown leather. Wild-at-heart in its youth, it’s a classic that still has every bit as much presence on the road, but that has managed to acquire dignity with age. It has had to, since it’s well aware than an Audi R8 et al will sprint to 60mph in far less than the 1978 Porsche’s once-impressive 5.3 seconds.

Yet the car’s inner values remain the same: a 3.3-litre air-cooled boxer engine with turbocharging and intercooling, paired with a four-speed manual gearbox driving the rear wheels. At the time, the 911 Turbo was purely a RWD model – it was nearly two decades before the model gained 4WD.

Inside, the 911 Turbo offers the same comforts as its less macho, naturally aspirated brethren, but small differences mark it out – such as the boost gauge and the word ‘turbo’ embroidered on the rear of the back seats. The brown of the typically Porsche sports seats is a colour that is currently experiencing a bit of a renaissance in the automotive industry, but here it’s true to the car’s 1970s heritage. The fact that the upholstery is still so luxurious, and still fits the body of the driver like a glove, is testament to the quality and careful workmanship of Zuffenhausen.

Given the low mileage of the pictured example (just 70,000km), perhaps the condition is not so surprising. But as for the test drive, we leave that to potential buyers because, as we said earlier, it seems almost unseemly to talk about the performance.

Related Links To see the full advert for this Porsche 911 3.3 Turbo see Dr. Georg Konradsheim's listing Modern and classic Porsche 911s can be found in the Classic Driver Marketplace

Text: Classic Driver
Photos: Dr. Georg Konradsheim