Terrific turbocharging pioneers
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Search through the new car listings today and you will struggle to find anything that does not have a turbocharged engine, other than a handful of stalwarts, the days of the big capacity performance machines has truly come to an end.
The almost universal adoption of turbocharging has taken place thanks to the increased power and efficiency that can be achieved from using forced induction.
Issues like turbo lag, overheating and heavy fuel consumption plagued early cars, but these pioneers paved the way for the modern crop of ultra-efficient and effortlessly torquey family cars we now take for granted. In this feature, we take a look at some of the very first and most influential turbocharged cars ever made.
From the first overpowered sports cars that threatened to upset the established supercar hierarchy to unassuming family cars that could top 150 mph, the rise of the turbocharger has been a fascinating journey. Read on to see which of these boosted pioneers have made it on our list.
Oldsmobile F-85 Jetfire 1962-1963
Trust the Americans to come up with a cool name for what is widely accepted to be the first ever production turbocharged petrol car.
The Oldsmobile F-85 Jetfire used a 3.5-litre aluminium block V8 and a turbocharger that required a water/alcohol mixture injection system dubbed ‘Turbo-Rocket’ fluid.
The block will be familiar to most Brits as the basis for the much-loved Rover V8, in this guise it made 215 bhp and 300 b-ft of torque which got it to 60 mph in a quick-for-the-time 9.2-seconds. It only lasted two years but the F-85 set the ball in motion for what was to follow.
BMW 2002 Turbo 1973-1974
The next production turbo car arrived ten years later, based on the successful 02 series compact saloon, the BMW 2002 Turbo combined the fuel-injected 2-litre engine from the 2002tii with a KKK turbocharger to make 170 bhp and 180 lb-ft of torque.
It had massive turbo lag but the on-boost performance was scintillating, sadly it arrived just as the global oil crisis hit, and only 1672 were built.
Porsche 930 1975-1989
The 911 was already a respected sportscar by the early ‘70s and the introduction of the 260 bhp 3.0-litre turbocharged 930 added the kind of firepower that allowed it to challenge some serious contemporary supercars like the V12 Lamborghini Countach and Ferrari 512BB.
Early cars were known for lots of lag and very tail-happy handling characteristics although the later 3.3-litre cars came with 5-speed gearboxes and intercoolers which pushed the power up to 300 bhp and mitigated the turbo lag somewhat.
All are highly valued now, especially the slantnose models which came with a factory-fitted 330bhp performance kit. There has been a top-spec turbo model in the 911 range ever since.
Saab 99 Turbo 1978-1979
SAAB was one of the very first companies to embrace turbocharging as a way of improving performance and fuel-efficiency and their very first model was the 3-door 99 Turbo.
The 2.0-litre turbo motor made 145 bhp and gave the little SAAB a 0-60mph time of just over 9-seconds. As it was based on an ageing platform, the 99 Turbo was only produced for 1 year and its rarity has made it a valuable collectors’ item.
A very rare Turbo S with an additional 15 bhp and a handful of 5-door Turbos were also produced.
Lotus Essex Turbo Esprit S1 1980
The Lotus Esprit was a superb feat of engineering and espoused all the virtues of Colin Chapman’s lighter-is-better philosophy. It was quick too and although 160 bhp from a 2.0-litre engine was impressive it just couldn’t match the heavy-hitters in a straight line.
Enter the limited-edition Essex Turbo Esprit in 1980, this model featured a virtually all-new 2.2-litre turbocharged motor which meant 211bhp and a 0-60 mph time of 6.1-seconds.
It was an instant hit and the Turbo Esprit became a regular fixture from 1981-on, by the ‘90s it was producing up to 300bhp.
Audi Quattro 1980-1991
Audi have been turbocharging their cars for decades and other than the R8, every model they produce now features a turbo.
The very first however was the Quattro four-wheel drive two-door coupe. Based loosely on the all-conquering rally derivative, the road-going version featured a 197bhp 2.1-litre 5-cylinder turbocharged engine which gave it rapid pace.
Minor modifications over a long 11-year production life kept it competitive and they are highly prized today.
Ferrari 208 Turbo 1982-1985
Arguably the most beautiful mid-engined Ferrari ever built, the 308 arrived in 1975 and its flat-plane crank 252bhp 2.9-litre V8 was an absolute gem.
Thanks to steep taxation of cars above a 2-litre capacity in Italy, Ferrari introduced a turbocharged 208 V8 that was just on 2-litres in size and despite not having an intercooler it produced an impressive 217bhp and performed very similar to the larger 2.9-litre unit.
A mere 437 GTB variants were built and the targa-topped GTS variants were even rarer with 250 made.
Today, the latest 488 GTB is turbocharged too although its 3.9-litre twin-turbo engine produces a slightly healthier 660bhp.
Porsche 959 1986-1988
With the competent yet ageing 911 and a brace of front-engined offerings being the sum total of Porsches offerings in the mid-1980s, the technologically advanced 959 arrived seemingly out of nowhere.
Here was a car that combined four-wheel drive an aluminium and Kevlar chassis, run-flat tyres and turbocharging all in a familiar yet thoroughly modern 911 body style.
The 2.9-litre flat-six made 444bhp thanks to a pair of turbochargers and for a short time its 197-mph top end made it the fastest production car on the planet.
All this cutting-edge engineering was filtered down into the rest of the 911 range over subsequent years.
Ford Sierra Cosworth RS 1986-1992
While turbocharging had changed the upper echelons of performance motoring, the Ford Sierra Cosworth was a model that the man in the street could relate to and aspire to a bit more readily.
The Cosworth RS came about as a result of a Ford Motorsport project that needed to build a strong Group A competitor.
The resultant racing RS’ became very successful in both touring cars and rallying, while the road variants with their 204bhp turbocharged 2.0-litre engines were great too.
Later models featured four-wheel drive and a bit more power while the rare RS500 special edition models are now very valuable collectors items.
Ferrari F40 1987-1992
In true Italian style, Ferrari’s response to Porsche’s tech-fest 959 was not some futuristic all-wheel drive machine but instead an adrenaline-packed barely road-legal turbocharged rocket on wheels.
It wasn’t all old-school though and it featured a lightweight Kevlar, aluminium and carbon fibre construction and a potent 2.9-litre 478bhp twin-turbo V8.
Released to celebrate Ferrari’s 40th anniversary, the F40 was also the last car to be personally approved by an ageing Enzo Ferrari.
It topped out at a 959 beating 199-mph ( a mere 2-mph more) but it is its immersive driving experience and superb handling that has made it one of the most sought-after sports cars ever made.
Nissan Skyline R32 1989-1994
The Skyline range had been around since 1969 and each generation had a GT-R variant that pushed the limits of performance and handling in its segment.
The 1989 R32 was the first to be fitted with turbocharging though and combined with its advanced four-wheel drive system quickly became an almost unbeatable force on the track.
Producing a claimed 276bhp (it was more like 320bhp) and capable of a lot more, the R32 became known as ‘Godzilla’ for its giant-slaying performance levels. All of R models since have featured turbocharging and continue to punch well above their weight.
Lotus Carlton 1990-1992
The Lotus Carlton was to a Vauxhall Omega what the Hulk is to Bruce Banner.
Back in the late ‘80s Vauxhall decided that they needed a supercar challenging four-door saloon and fitted the already quick Omega with a 3.6-litre twin-turbo V6, some aggressive bodywork and Lotus fettled suspension components.
The result was the 377bhp Carlton, a car that would easily out run the fastest German saloons as well as most sports cars of the time.
Its 177mph top end and vicious acceleration made it an instant hit, perhaps it is not too surprising that it too was only ever available in one shade of green.
Mercedes-Benz 300SD 1978-1980
The Diesel One:
Mercedes-Benz was among the first passenger car manufacturers to offer diesel-powered saloon cars way back in 1936 with the 260 D.
They were the first to offer a turbocharged version of their popular S-Class model too.
Initially only available in the United States, the 300 SD featured a turbocharged 3.0-litre 5-cylinder engine which made 110bhp and could get to 60 mph in under 17-seconds, it was the 22mpg overall consumption that really got everyone’s attention though.