At the 1973 Frankfurt motor show, Porsche unveiled its first turbocharged road car. Drawing on lessons the company had learned competing in America's Can-Am racing series, this first 911 Turbo had a 3.0-litre engine producing 276bhp.

For 1978 the engine was enlarged to 3.3 litres, plus the 911 Turbo gained wider tyres, an intercooler and improved brakes developed in Porsche's hugely successful 917 racing car.

In addition to the regular 911 Turbo, Porsche offered a special order SE 'Flachbau' (Slantnose) version of the car from 1981.

The 911 Turbo range expanded again in 1985 to include Cabriolet and Targa variants.

After a year off sale, the Turbo returned in 1991, but this time it was based on the newer 964 version of the 911. Power was up to 316bhp, plus this new Turbo had improved aerodynamics and, for the first time, power steering.

A 3.6-litre engine was introduced in 1993, while the last of the air-cooled 911 Turbos - the 993 - followed in 1995. This time power was hiked to 402bhp with the help of twin turbochargers, while the list of new features also included a six-speed gearbox and four-wheel drive.

The 996 generation arrived in 2007, and inevitably it spawned a Turbo model. This had a new water-cooled engine which produced 414bhp and gave the car a top speed just shy of 200mph.

In 2010 the 997 Turbo appeared, sporting another all-new engine: a 493bhp 3.8-litre. And if for some reason you thought that wasn't enough power, there was always the 523bhp Turbo S.

The first 991-generation version of the 911 Turbo produced 513bhp. Porsche's seven-speed PDK paddle-shift gearbox came as standard, along with four-wheel drive and rear-wheel steering to improve agility. There was also a 552bhp S model that could reach 62mph from a standstill in 3.1 seconds.

Today's 911 Turbo produces 532bhp in 'standard' form and 572bhp as an 'S', with the latter version accelerating from 0-62mph in just 2.9 seconds.