TGIF, Forced Induction Friday, that is. Today we examine a car that many people associate with the word “turbo”. This is NZG 266, the Porsche 911 / 930 Turbo. This casting entered the range in ~ 1984, and is very much a period piece:
The 911/930 Turbo, a legend starting in the late 70s through the 80s. With legendary snap oversteer, these gained the nickname “widowmaker”, and are famous for their not-for-beginners handling. NZG Modelle is a German maker who has been around for about 50 years, and hit their stride in the 70s and 80s. Most of their production is roughly 1:43, and this model is that scale. These were marketed as premium models rather than toys when new, during a time when relatively small scale precision wasn’t as high as today - they compensated for it with paintwork and features. This model has very high quality glossy burgundy paint, a highly detailed interior, accurate wheels, opening features, rubber tires, numerous lenses, etc - during this era, this was high spec. This rounded fastback style of car is hard to proportion correctly, and this casting handles it pretty well. From all angles, one knows exactly what they are looking at:
Front and rear have similar detail - “Porsche” in the rear light assembly, and the heating element lines and wiper on the rear window, are nice touches:
This is an all-metal casting, and the base contains technical and identifying detail. I believe 10.84 at upper right is the date of initial production:
This example lives in its original plastic box and paper outer box:
Something I am glad to have in my collection. I got this for virtually nothing with some other cars, which makes it that much more attractive. As those who are familiar with my material will know, it’s not the usual scale I collect, but I like the era and the car. It has some quirky charm along with quality finishes:
Now on to some fun, the opening features. This is another where “everything opens”, and this has a lot to show off. As some may have noticed, panel gaps or shutlines aren’t perfect when closed, but this is maybe to be expected for something of this age and initial price - these were a bit more expensive when new, but not terribly expensive (maybe around $30, and I suspect they can be had for similar now). One take a look at the accurately contoured seats, into the frunk, and maybe get a peek at the engine:
The dashboard and steering wheel are impressively accurate - although the steering wheel angle is a bit funny, and appears to be fixed in that position. Still well-done for this era and size:
And now on to the theme, the engine. A turbo flat 6. It’s in there somewhere:
Zoom in under some varied lighting and flash, and see indeed has a heart:
And some 1:1s from flickr, car-from-uk.com, and rennlist.com:
And a couple engine pics from petrolicious and barrett-jackson.com:
