For many, the Porsche Type 930 911 Turbo is the ultimate automotive icon: the ‘Widowmaker’ is defined by its aggressive flares and legendary turbo lag. However, fifty years after its global debut, its provenance (not to mention tricky handling) means a 930 is a rare sight on the road today.
For Edinburgh-based commercial / automotive photographer and Classic Retrofit customer Jack Harding, the 930 isn’t a garage queen; it’s a physical vehicle for adventure. Jack is currently in the midst of a meticulous modification journey, transforming his Turbo into a compelling long-distance grand tourer capable of tackling trans-continental road trips and, eventually, a new life under the Spanish sun. Not bad for a classic 911 which first rolled out of Stuttgart back in 1980, and not bad for an enthusiast enjoying ownership of his first ever Porsche. For Jack, the purchasing of his 930 – more on this later – was the culmination of a 15-year quest to own an example of the iconic Porsche 911.
“My grandfather worked in automotive, so I was always into cars,” he tells us. “Initially I was a car salesman at Nissan and then a performance specialist at BMW… then I picked up a Sony camera while living in Sweden in 2016 and began shooting landscape. Not long after, I changed career.”
As Jack’s photography career took off, so did his insatiable appetite for all things automotive: while working with some of the world’s biggest car brands as part of the day job, Jack also fully exercised his petrolhead passion in his spare time. “I had 18 cars in three years!” he says, laughing. But Jack was still to scratch that Porsche itch, which duly arrived in 2024.
“I really wanted a 993 Carrera S or 930, as I was smitten by their wide, voluptuous hips,” Jack tells us, eventually plumping for a black over black 930, which he bought via auction… sight unseen! The gamble, though, paid off: “The car was previously owned by a guy in London – he bought it off a Russian tycoon with whom he shared garage space. After a three-year restoration it had a couple of years off the road, followed by a few more years covering a handful of miles, eventually the guy decided to sell.
“Two weeks after the auction, my car was delivered to me on a trailer. It was at this point I realised I’d never actually driven a 911 before! The windscreen wipers barely worked, and the aircon was non-existent.”
The goal is a car that appears period-correct and standard to the casual observer, but possesses the reliability and drivability of a modern machine.
Fast forward two years and Jack has covered an incredible 17,000 miles in his classic 911 Turbo, including epic European jaunts through the Swiss Alps and down to the French Riviera. When not touring the European mainland, Jack has also had the car suitably fettled for the task at hand, while maintaining the originality of the Turbo’s period design. Modern upgrades beneath those timeless wide Porsche arches include KW suspension to go with a 400hp, 3.4-litre engine in a machine weighing just 1,300kg.
Jack’s approach to modifying a legend is one of restraint and stealth engineering. The goal is a car that appears period-correct and standard to the casual observer, but possesses the reliability and drivability of a modern machine. This Q-car philosophy is essential for a classic destined for the high temperatures of Spain, where Jack plans to export the vehicle to, as well as the unpredictable nature of ensuing 1,000-mile road trips.
“I really wanted the reliability of a new car, intertwined with the love and enjoyment of a classic.”
Jack explains: “I really wanted the reliability of a new car, intertwined with the love and enjoyment of a classic.” And that’s where his relationship with Classic Retrofit began. “I bought a Gen1 Electrocooler A/C system – it was one of the first things I did with the car, as I’d heard such good things about it. The system was installed by my local specialists at Ziegen Porsche, with input from the Classic Retrofit team. It immediately made life easy: I didn’t always want to put the windows down to keep cool – now I can control the car’s internal temperature at the press of a button.”
A further, critical milestone in the build was the recent fitting of our Classic Retrofit CDI+ unit. For any air-cooled 911 owner, the original Bosch CDI box is a known weak point—a 40-year-old piece of analog tech that can be prone to heat soak and inconsistent spark energy. For Jack’s 930, the Classic Retrofit CDI+ was the perfect solution. It fits directly into the original housing, maintaining an elegant, stock aesthetic, replacing ageing internals with state-of-the-art digital electronics.
One of the most immediate benefits Jack noticed was the transformation in low-end drivability:
“It’s much smoother now, with a smooth idle. The rev needle’s sweep round the tacho on start-up is also pretty neat!”
The smoother drive Jack is experiencing is thanks to multi-spark technology in our CDI+ box, improving combustion at lower RPMs. This makes the Turbo much smoother in both traffic and during low-speed cruising. Furthermore, for those planned long trips, peace of mind is paramount. The unit features a programmable soft and hard rev limiter, providing a safety net for the engine that the original car simply didn't have. Unlike the original unit, which can see spark energy drop as RPMs rise or battery voltage fluctuates, the digital upgrade provides a constant 300V output, ensuring a strong, consistent spark even under the heavy load of a boosted Turbo engine under the hot Spanish sun.
Ziegen Porsche Limited making some adjustments to the timing on Jacks 930, post the CDI installation.
The ignition upgrade is just one piece of the puzzle. To prepare for the move to Spain, Jack is looking at further invisible upgrades to ensure optimum performance. “I like the idea of having the performance of a new car in this 930 – a bit like a GT3 Touring meets classic Turbo,” he says.
Jack Harding is proof that you don't have to choose between heritage and usability.
By blending his photographer’s eye for detail with a pragmatic approach to classic car ownership, Jack Harding is proof that you don't have to choose between heritage and usability. His 930 remains an icon, but thanks to a few choice retrofits from the digital era, it’s now a classic 911 ready to leave Edinburgh behind and chase the sunshine to Spain.
Find out more about Jack, his car, and his work on his website and Instagram page.
To contact Jacks go-to independent workshop Zeigen Porsche, head for the contact page on their website.