The Real Reason Why The Porsche 930 Turbo Is Called The 'Widowmaker'

From deadly to dreamy, this is the redemption story of one of the most infamous nicknames in Porsche history

The Porsche 930 Turbo earned a fearsome reputation back in the early 1970s

The nickname "Widowmaker" of the 930 Turbo comes from a deadly accident which led Porsche pay $2.5 million to the widow of the dead

The 930 Turbo was not for amateurs and inexperienced drivers

The introduction to turbocharger and the rear-biased weight distribution are the reasons behind such a fearsome reputation

The 930 Turbo debuted with a 3.0-liter engine but was later updated to a 3.3-liter unit

the 3.0-liter turbocharged flat-six engine is rated at 256. With the updated 3.3-liter unit, the 930 produced 296 hp

The 930 Turbo was Germany's fastest car of its time

With sub 5.0-second 0-60 mph timing and a top speed of up to 173 mph, the 930 Turbo is still a beast of a machine

The 930 Turbo comes from an era, where driver aids were not the norm

No traction control. No anti-lock brakes. As a result, when the turbo kicked in hard, drivers could feel the rear end losing traction

Rear-biased weight distribution is one of key factors for the 930's infamous handling characteristics

Since the engine was mounted behind the rear axle, the rear-drive traction was spectacular, but that also meant more weight is shifted to the rear

The 930 Turbo isn't child's play, required professional drivers to tame it

Modern 911 Turbo models are far more potent, but the advent of driver aids makes them easier to handle

Swipe up to read more about the "Widowmaker"!