Coastal Traveler - Spring 2008 - (Page 13)

coastal driver Porsche 911 Turbo $126,200 Performance 480 hp @ 6000 rpm 460 lb-foot of torque 0-60 mph: 3.5 seconds 60-0 mph: 99 feet skidpad: .94g mileage: 16-26 mpg Top speed: 193 mph www.porsche.com The most remarkable thing about the Porsche Turbo is not its hyper-drive acceleration or its composite brakes – it is its economy. The Porsche Turbo has 155 more horsepower than a Carrera yet gets only one mpg less. This is because the glorious, atmospherically compressed turbo-power is free. Turbocharging sounds glamorous but involves routing tailpipe gasses into a turbine, which bellows oxygen into exploding cylinders. It is like routing farts into your nostrils to increase oxygen levels during Himalayan summits. Turbochargers are spun to 120,000 rpm by gasses vented from an explosion. They get very hot and shouldn’t be shut down immediately after a hard run, like a thoroughbred. A man who puts his turbo away sweaty should have it taken away from him. It is turbo abuse. The first turbo was BMW’s 1974 2002 Turbo, and it would take an early adopter to appreciate one. They were far less powerful than a 2002 below 4600 rpm, but when the turbo kicked in unexpectedly, many owners were flung. So too were the owners of the Porsche Turbo, which arrived in 1976 with an equally explosive delivery. The early Porsche Turbo hunkered down over rear wheels that were cartoonishly large in an effort to distribute power over a wider surface. It had 60 percent of its weight over a pendulous rear end. If you gave it too much throttle while cornering, the turbo would engage and the wide rear tires would spin, and so would the car. Expert drivers mastered its pendulum until they could steer the rear end with the throttle. After 30 years of development, the Porsche’s turbo is imperceptible. Multiple turbines produce torque low down, like a big V-8, and distribute the power through four-wheel drive. Few need or even want 480 horsepower. But most drivers should give up their V-6 engines and get turbo 4s that are just as powerful but more economical. What would you rather feed your engine – gas or air? spring coastaltraveler 13 http://www.porsche.com http://www.porsche.com

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Coastal Traveler - Spring 2008

Coastal Traveler - Spring 2008 Contents Coastal Connoisseur Coastal Picks Coastal Scenario Coastal Art Coastal Driver Coastal Roadkill Coastal Eco Coastal Hotel Coastal Desert San Diego La Jolla Laguna Beach Malibu Santa Barbara San Luis Obispo Big Sur Carmel Monterey Santa Cruz San Francisco Sausalito Mill Valley Stinson Beach Bolinas Olema Point Reyes Station Fairfax Inverness Marshall, Tomales Sebastopol Petaluma Sonoma Coast Redwood Coast

Coastal Traveler - Spring 2008

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