Designed with Group B regulations in mind, the design study was based on the 911 and powered by a flat-six, twin-turbocharged 2.85-litre engine developing around 400hp.Īt the time, Porsche was aiming to build 200 units – the minimum number required for homologation purposes – each one with a price tag of around DM400,000. The Group B study was the genesis of one of the greatest supercar of the 1980s. Production versions of the Cabriolet would follow in 1982, but we’d have to wait a little longer for the first all-wheel drive road car. It was here that the 911 Turbo Cabriolet ‘Study’ was unveiled, complete with 3.3-litre turbocharged engine and all-wheel drive. To chart the recent history of Porsche all-wheel drive, you must travel back to 1981 and the Frankfurt Motor Show.

Later, in 1912, Porsche developed an eight-ton tractor with a 100hp six-cylinder engine and a locking differential, described by a client as “a consummate machine!” Porsche 911 Turbo Cabriolet Study Porsche can trace its all-wheel drive roots back to the Lohner Porsche racing car of 1901, which Ferdinand Porsche personally delivered to a customer in Luton.

With this in mind, we’re going to upset the purists by taking a look at the recent history of the user-friendly side of Porsche. This year, Porsche is celebrating 30 years of production all-wheel drive cars, and our very own Peter Burgess was invited to the Porsche Experience Centre at Silverstone to drive the latest range of all-weather vehicles.

Porsche model years