1994 PORSCHE 911 TURBO S X85, FLAT-NOSE

October 8, 2018 Myles 0 Comments
Decadence

As Porsche wound down production of its 964 Turbo in late 1993, a final batch of uncommitted coupes was sent to Porsche Exclusive for conversion to ‘S’ specification. That meant they were all equipped with the ‘Works Increased Horsepower’ X88 engine option, uprated with a larger KKK turbocharger with increased boost, a more efficient intercooler, modified cylinder heads with larger ports, increased-capacity fuel injectors, and more radical camshafts with advanced engine timing.

The M64/50S X88 was an air-cooled flat-six that delivered 385 hp at 5,750 rpm, 25 more than the standard 3.6 Turbo. Torque was increased to 384 foot-pounds and was available much lower in the rev range, which helped resolve the lack of urge at lower boost levels. All the X88 engines carried that special designation stamped on their alloy case, and it is believed that just 155 of these uprated engines were produced. Power was fed through a G50 five-speed manual transaxle with a ZF-sourced 40 percent locking differential. These cars were all fitted with standard 3.6 Turbo suspension, including 21- and 22-mm anti-roll bars in front and rear, respectively; and Boge shocks and struts. Engineer/racer Roland Kussmaul lowered the ride height by about an inch and a half to enhance handling.

Porsche produced these special 964-based Turbo S coupes in several distinct varieties. Besides the standard Turbo S, there would be four different Exclusive versions, depending on where they were to be sold; these were designated as Option X83, X84, and X85, the last of which was available in two flavors. Most were given variations of the exotic, hand-fabricated, and thus very expensive 935-like ‘Flat-Nose’ (or Flachbau) bodywork. There were 10 X83s sold to Japan, 27 X84s offered to Rest of the World buyers, and 39 examples of the X85 version with flat-nose front ends were sold to the U.S. An additional 17 X85s were delivered with standard 964 Turbo sheet-metal and vertical headlights, dubbed ‘Package’ cars.

The American-market Turbo S coupes ordered with the X85 ‘Flat-Nose’ option added an additional $60,000 to the Turbo’s $99,000 base price. These incorporated 928/968-style retractable headlamps; standard Turbo sheet-metal, asymmetrical 959-style air intakes on both rear quarter-panels, a special front air splitter, a louvered rear wing that enclosed the intercooler, quadruple exhaust tips, and 18-inch-diameter ‘Speedline for Porsche’ modular light-alloy wheels, 8-in. wide in front and 10-in. at the rear, shod with 225/40 and 265/35 high-performance tires, respectively.