I recently got a chance to speak with Magnus Walker about his 930 Turbo, the new 992 Turbo S, and the future of Porsche after the release of his latest YouTube Documentary, 45 Years Of Boost.

The Porsche influencer and self-styled urban outlaw recently got a chance to hop behind the wheel of the new 992-generation 911 Turbo S. While that kind of an opportunity might seem like Christmas come early for most gearheads, it’s just another day in the life of a famous bearded guy with an established name and automotive aesthetic.

Of course, the two-day loan almost certainly came with the expectation that he’d produce some kind of content to share with his fanbase—that’s just the way these things work.

And it’s not like Walker would have turned down the chance either way. This is a car that has already proven itself capable of beating legit supercars off the line and accelerating well beyond Stuttgart’s claimed top speed.

But rather than producing another cut-and-dry review featuring a quarter-mile sprint on an empty runway with a laundry list of stats superimposed on top—for the record, Porsche claims that’s 650 horsepower and 590 lb-ft of torque, 0-60 in 2.6 seconds, and a top speed of 205—Walker wanted to convey the feeling, the experience, and the fun of driving Porsche’s newest flagship model.

And since he’s got a few cars on hand, to say the least, what better way to explore the new 992 Turbo S than by going back to where it all started for Porsche, with an engaging glimpse behind the wheel of his 1975 Ice Green Metallic 930 Turbo, which stars in 45 Years Of Boost, his latest documentary released on his YouTube Channel.

45 Years Of Boost

To shoot the clip in the short window of time that Walker had access to the Carmine Red Turbo S, he called upon 22-year-old director Cameron Thuman and 21-year-old producer Dilan Mistry of the production company NativeFour, a dynamic young duo he’d previously collaborated with on another Porsche vid in 2019.

(“Night Rider” is a very Nicolas Winding Refn-esque neo-noire clip but instead of Ryan Gosling driving a Chevelle Malibu, features Walker and his red 1974 Slantose blasting around the deserted streets of nighttime Downtown Los Angeles. It's worth a watch, too.)

Walker calls the young duo of Thuman and Mistry “talented and efficient,” and it shows. With only four days’ warning—Thuman was holed up quarantining in Park City and dropped everything to drive out for the shoot—the team was able to wrangle up a skeleton crew and film at three separate locations using eight cameras all in one day.

RELATED: 10 Outlaw Porsches That Are More Expensive Than They Look

Taking The 992 Out For A Spin

Magnus Walker Porsche Cameras
via NativeFour

The resulting video captures the dynamic twists and turns that make up some of LA’s greatest driving roads, with legendary names that inspire wistful stares for all of the city’s car-loving natives: Angeles Crest, Deer Creek, Little and Big Tujunga. Few settings could be more perfect for exploring the evolution of Porsche’s turbocharged sports cars since 1975.

If anything, what the clip might lack is more time spent on the elder P-car, the 930 Turbo. It’s one of two Walker owns and he calls it the better driver out of the pair (not to mention, the other is right-hand drive, so not particularly convenient for LA traffic).

The story of how he came to acquire this particular 930 Turbo deserves a side note. Walker admits he tends to collect cars that represent the beginning of something new—in this case, it’s the first iteration of the 911 Turbo, of which the 992 is the eighth generation, though he’s also amped on the early 928 as Porsche’s first water-cooled, V8-powered, front-engined grand tourer.

A Young Magnus Walker's Dream Porsche

Magnus Walker Both Turbos
via NativeFour

But the 930 Turbo was “the car” for Magnus growing up. It’s the classic story: boy sees car aged 10, wall posters, daydreams, everything.

Forget earlier Porsches, he said.

Growing up as a kid in the ‘70s, that was what I associated with Porsche. It wasn’t a 356. It was a Turbo.

Decades later, daydreams become reality. After owning a handful of 930 examples, plus one Turbo-look 911 that clearly wasn’t doing the trick, Walker was approached by the seller of this Ice Green Metallic 930. (Apparently, this is another one of those things that happen fairly frequently in the life of a world-famous gearhead).

RELATED: 15 Porsches Magnus Walker Would Love To Own

The only catch was that the car was being sold without its engine or gearbox. It was a roller. But the overall condition was excellent, the Ice Green Metallic paint color made it rare even among the 284 examples sold worldwide in 1975, and it just happens to be the very first 930 Turbo ever sold in the United States, as proven by Porsche’s factory records.

Plus, being Magnus Walker, he just happened to have a 930 Turbo engine and trans on hand, ready to drop in and drive.

After the swap, he told me, the Ice Green Metallic 930 “appears to drive better than my other 930 Turbo. You gotta remember these cars are 45 years old, who knows what modifications were done to the motors over the time period."

He speculated the powerplant might have received some upgrades along the way, musing, "I don’t know what it is, a different cam, but it’s just a healthy motor and the boost comes on strong.”

Turbo Lag, Then And Now

Magnus Walker 930 Turbo
via NativeFour

Boost, turbo, turbo lag. These concepts all come together in a wonderful way for Walker behind the wheel: “First gear in my ‘75 Turbo is good for 40. Sometimes you’re not even out of second gear. And the clutch is really heavy. And the car feels heavy on wide rubber.”

Mash the throttle and, he said, “You can count 1...2...3... And then, wallop. It comes on rather abruptly and rather aggressively.”

If that sounds less than ideal, guess again. Even through the thick beard and thicker English accent, Walker’s love of forced induction shines through just by the way the word “Turbo” punches out of his mouth.

But how does the notorious “widowmaker” 930’s torque punch compare to the new 992, with its variable-turbine geometry and electrically adjusting wastegate flaps?

The new Turbo, it’s a different delivery of turbo that just keeps spooling. It wallops but it doesn’t wallop like a sledgehammer to the back of your neck, it just really builds, sort of very linear. It’s not all or nothing.

Plenty of Porsche purists might express concerns surrounding the new 992 generation. (It’s not an exaggeration to say that every new 911 gets resoundingly rejected by Porschephiles, from the water-cooled 996’s “broken eggshell” headlights to something as trivial as the fonts used for the 992’s badging).

But the main legitimate concern about the 992 generation as a whole comes down to size and weight. Where Walker’s 930 Turbo probably weighs about 3,000 pounds and feels heavy despite the aftermarket suspension and Urban Outlaw Fifteen52 wheels he’s added, the 992 Turbo S tips the scales at 3,650 pounds—it’s heavier, wider, taller, and longer than a C7 Corvette.

That heft comes courtesy of performance-enhancing features like all-wheel drive and rear-wheel steering, both of which the comparatively spartan 930 Turbo lacked. Plus, the 992 Turbo S uses Porsche’s new eight-speed PDK (Porsche Doppelkupplung) automatic gearbox, whereas the 930 employs four forward gears and a clutch pedal.

Throw in all of today’s mandatory safety and emissions equipment, plus available creature comforts like ventilated leather seats and Bluetooth connectivity, and things have gotten pretty cushy. “No sledgehammers here,” Porsche seems to be saying.

The 992 Turbo S Is A Complete Package

Magnus Walker Porsche Turbo S
via NativeFour

But the power and technology complement each other well, according to Walker, and the added heft doesn’t spoil the fun.

“The car just has bags of grip. It’s so deceptive, not even in just the turns.”

He even admitted, “You can be going, hypothetically, up the 2 freeway to the Angeles Crest, barely on the gas and you look down, you’re doing triple-digit speed. And you’re not even on throttle.”

Then, when the twisties do arrive (sooner than expected at over 100 on the way to Newcomb’s Ranch), he says the 992 Turbo S “...really doesn’t seem to lose traction. You’re not scrubbing speed, not sliding tires, you’re not spinning.”

How about the PDK, not being able to row your own gears?

It’s all a matter of perspective, he explains. “As great and engaging as three-pedal manual cars are, I’m not always opposed to the 992 Turbo S not being manual,” adding that with the computer shifting for you, “you find yourself focusing on different things, like picking a later braking spot or an exit spot.”

Plus, Porsche still offers stick shifts in the lower-spec 911 variants. And Walker knows it—in many ways, his 930 Turbo is more comparable to a 996-gen 911 GT2 or even the 992 generation’s 911 Carrera S, which is rear-wheel-drive, can be had with a stick shift, and pumps out an impressive 443 ponies and 390 lb-ft of twist because it has, hilariously, two turbos.

And here’s where the conversation got a bit tricky as we tried to keep track of Porsche’s marketing nomenclature, where the word “Turbo” doesn’t actually translate to exhaust-powered forced induction. It’s an issue plenty of Porsche purists have brought up recently, after Stuttgart unveiled the all-electric Taycan in both Turbo and Turbo S guise despite the super-sedan’s distinct lack of an internal-combustion engine.

Porsche's Turbo Nomenclature Explored

Porsche Taycan Turbo S Rear End
via YouTube

Walker took things a whole step further, however.

Apparently, when Porsche began selling the 3.0-liter 930 Turbo in the United States, the earliest cars delivered received “Turbo Carrera” badging, whereas the rest of the world simply got the Turbo. Fast forward next to the 718 Boxster and Cayman generation, when Porsche ditched the naturally aspirated flat-six in favor of a turbocharged flat-four but didn’t include any Turbo badging.

And now, alongside the Taycan Turbo EVs and their lack of actual turbos, Porsche has added twin-turbos to the base 911 Carrera but only calls the higher-spec Turbos Turbos.

All tongue-twisters aside, Walker feels positive about the future of Porsche—and particularly the 911. I brought up Stuttgart’s decision to design the 992 chassis with enough space for a mild hybrid system, a move that will help keep Porsche up to speed in the industry but that will also, when the inevitable does occur, add even more poundage to the 992 gen’s already bloated curb weights.

Walker is looking farther into the future, though.

“It’s only natural that the 911 body will adapt to non-internal-combustion engines. It’s gonna happen,” he said. “And my take is, having driven the Taycan, speed is intoxicating. Noise does not always translate to speed.”

After all, “The Taycan’s a really, really fast car—you just don’t hear it coming. But from the driver’s seat, what you hear are the creaks of the suspension, the bushings, the tire squeal on the road. It’s a whole different environment.”

In that regard, Walker’s taste runs counter to current trends in the very aftermarket community he calls home, he’ll admit, “My pet peeve is when you see these guys or hear these guys driving around in souped-up BMWs and Mercedes with exhaust crackling and backfiring and popping and they’re going 25, 30 miles an hour.”

The sounds are just one part of the many sensory inputs that make a car fun to drive, he explains, “I think the future looks pretty bright, even if it’s gonna be an electric 911 in 2030, or whenever it may be. It’ll be fast. It’ll be fun. It just won’t be quite as loud.”

Having covered the future of Porsche, I turned to the future of Magnus Walker. What’s next for the outlaw wizard collector?

Magnus Walker Filling Gas
via NativeFour

Well, actually, he’s thinking about branching out—20 minutes before we spoke, he’d closed a deal on a 1969 E-Type Jaguar. In recent weeks, he’s also acquired a 1975 AMC Hornet and, with partner Hannah Elliott, traded a Mercedes SL into a 1975 Rolls-Royce Silver Shadow (“a really interesting story”).

Don’t expect to see that iconic beard flying inside a silent supercar anytime soon, though—Walker is sticking to fossil fuels. The newest car he owns in model-year terms is a 2004 996-generation 911 GT3 (one of his “top-five Porsches” from before the “big boy-racer wings” took over) and he intends to keep it that way.

“As long as you can put oil and gas in them,” he said, and “as long as people are still tweakin’ on them, I’m still driving them.”

Sources: Vimeo, YouTube, NativeFour, and Porsche.