1987 Porsche 911 Turbo ‘Flat-Nose’ Coupe
Few factory options in Porsche’s history carry the backstory of the Flachbau (flat-nose). Its sloped front end, retractable headlamps, louvers, and rear quarter vents were inspired by the Type 935 racing car, one of the most dominant competition machines of the late 1970s, and transplanted onto a street-legal 911 Turbo.
The conversion originated with a special request from Mansour Ojjeh, president of Techniques d’Avant Garde and a principal backer of the TAG-McLaren Formula 1 program, who asked Porsche to build him a road-going 935-inspired 911.
As similar requests multiplied, Porsche formalized the program under its Sonderwunsch (Special Wishes) department, pricing the finished cars as much as 60 percent above a standard Type 930.
Production remained limited, with 34 examples built for 1984, 50 for 1985, and 51 for 1986. In most markets the cars were designated 930 S, while in the United States the option (M505) became officially available for the 1987 model year.
The factory alterations were extensive: new steel front fenders with pop-up headlamps, boxed rocker panels, rear quarter vents with strakes, and a large tea-tray rear spoiler. The visual connection to the 935 was intentional and unmistakable.
Mechanically, the 3,299cc air-cooled flat-six with a single turbocharger and Bosch fuel injection produced 282 horsepower in US specification for 1987 (300 horsepower in Rest of World form).
A four-speed manual transmission was fitted as standard equipment, with four-wheel ventilated disc brakes and the 89.4-inch wheelbase carried over from the production Turbo.
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