1977 Buchmann-Porsche 911 Turbo Targa

In 1977, Rainer Buchmann moved his company from mainstream mechanic and crash repairer to a unique fabricator of performance cars. To highlight the ability of his newly formed b+b Auto-Exclusiv-Service, the natural showcase was the Porsche 911.

More Performance, More Technology
In 1975, the turbocharged 911 model was made available to the general public, and many customers were perfectly happy. But to some, there were some searing gaps in the range - mainly a turbocharged version of the Targa variant, which was a very popular model in the 911 range. Buchmann set about to change this for a few, very priveleged, customers in 1977.

The Buchmann Targa started life as a bottom-of-the-range SC, and found its way into the Frankfurt workshop after a light impact. The mechanics set about stripping the car, selling the parts that were not needed and repairing the broken parts of bodywork. At the same time, Rainer Buchmann convinced Porsche to sell him a turbocharged 3.3 litre flat six, as found in the 930. Once the engine arrived, Buchmann finished the car, and set about fine tuning it. To begin with, the boost from the KKK turbochargers was ramped up to 1.1 Bar, to endear the Targa with 370 BHP - class leading at the time. A large oil cooler was fitted, and the team built a new-design rear spoiler. The wings of the demonstrator car were replaced by the wider versions of the Porsche 930, along with the Fuch forged wheels.

Internally, the interior was retrimmed in a fetching blue cloth, which spread from the seats to the doorcards. The dashboard was trimmed in a thin layer of blue leather, and the carpet was replaced by a dark blue example. A more powerful stereo was installed, to showcase the company's ability to fit high-tech items into their cars. To top the makeover off, the exterior was painted a simple silver metallic, with attractive 'rainbow' coloured pinstriping running from the headlights, along the front wings, skirting under the windows and across the Targa roll hoop.

The car was unveiled at the Frankfurt motorshow, and Buchmann took a number of orders. However, he took one order from a gentleman to produce an even-more-extreme Turbo Targa - and this was to be his next project.