Author: Peter Anderson

Longer, wider, lighter, faster. The 991 911 has been with us for seven years but certainly made its mark.

The 991 launched in 2011, with the usual “how can you tell it’s new” jokes to go with it. Porschephiles don’t care about that stuff and neither do I. They’re not going to change the look and rightly so.

The 991 grew again, both in overall length and in its wheelbase, again to fit bigger humans and more stuff. The wheelbase grew a whopping 10cm making it look longer and lower, aided by a lovely wide track.

I think the kids call this “stance.”

It might have been bigger in every direction, but it got lighter to the tune of 45kg (or thereabouts, depending on the model). The wild GT2 RS smashed the ‘Ring and the post-GFC world couldn’t get enough of them – over 217,000 sold, taking the all-time sales through the one million mark.

During the year after its initial launch in 2011 at the Geneva Motor Show, the Cabriolet joined the coupe and in 2014 came the return of the GTS.

The Turbo and Turbo S pairing launched in 2013, as did the first iteration of the GT3. The GT3 RS replaced it two years later before the mid-life refresh in 2016 threw the cards in the air again.

From 2016, the Carrera and GTS switched to all twin-turbo 3.0-litre power. Shortly afterwards came the new Targa and in 2018 the limited-run Speedster.

Huffy puffy engines

The base engine shrunk again, this time to 3.4-litres but still managing 257 kW (350 PS). The 3.8-litre S upped the ante with 294 kW (400 PS).

The GTS arrived in 2014, this time with 316kW (430PS) and the option of rear- or all-wheel drive.

In 2016 the 3.0-litre twin-turbo found its way into the 911’s rump, with 272kW (370 PS) and a nice fat torque band. The GTS went further on the same engine with 331kW (450 PS).

The Turbo climbed to 397kW (540 PS) from its 3.8-litre twin huffer and the S scored 427kW (580 PS).

And Porsche kept going. The Turbo S Exclusive Series had 446kW (607PS) and finally, the GT2 RS had a whopping 515kW (700PS). If you were happy to restrict yourself to the track, the very limited 935 had the same engine. All of them had whopping great slabs of torque to ruin the rear tyres.

The GT3 kept the sublime naturally-aspirated 4.0-litre from the previous generation, initially with the option of a six-speed manual. With 382kW (520PS), that same engine with 368kW (500PS) found its way into the Speedster, the final edition of the 991.

The manual on the GT3 disappeared in 2017 and you could also get a slightly less hardcore GT3 Touring.

Well. That’s been fun. With Part 7 we draw to a close the countdown to the new 911 to be unveiled at the LA Auto Show.

Six generations in and the 911 range got bigger and deeper. With variants galore to suit all tastes, from a sweet entry-level Carrera 2 to fire-breathing GT2 RS.

The 997 arrived in a blaze. In 2004, Porsche was riding pretty high, backed by its ever-closer relationship with the Volkswagen Group. The aggro over the move away from water-cooling had long since been silenced and Porsche’s designers produced a cleaner, prettier car than the 996.

A new approach to both ends of the car – while maintaining the instantly recognisable profile – created a much less blobby and more resolved look. The car rew again by 44mm, which is a fair bit on a car that size and the rear end came in a whopping 88mm wider.

Most notable was the exit of the smashed crab headlights, replaced with oval units set at a steeper angle so the car didn’t look like it was a limbo champion in the making all the time.

Over the 997’s lifetime, you could choose from 24 different variants on the theme, with a 2008 facelift to the engines thrown into the mix. As the market demanded more, Porsche offered more and made money like it was going out of fashion.

Which it did with the Global Financial Crisis that could have killed the sports car maker had the Cayenne SUV not been there printing cash.

Flat-sixes everywhere

The evergreen threat of the 911 dropping to four-cylinders reared its head but didn’t eventuate. Out of the blocks, you could have a 911 with a 240kW (325PS)/370Nm 3.6-litre. For the S, the engineers bored the cylinders out a bit for 3.8-litres, producing 265kW (360PS) and 400Nm.

The 3.8 also had the X51 power kit option, which boosted grunt to 280kW (381PS) and 405Nm.

The Turbo dropped back to 3.6-litres and ripped out 305kW (415PS) and 620Nm. An overboost function slung you an extra 60Nm on full throttle for a short time for a whopping 680Nm. The Turbo was the first production car engine to feature variable vane geometry.

The Phase 2 came in 2008, bringing more power and more general equipment like bi-xenon headlights.

The dry-sumped 3.6 went up to 254 kW (345 PS) while the 3.8 in the S rose to 283 kW (385 PS). The Turbo came a little later but it was worth the wait, with the now-3.8-litre twin-turbo knocking out a nice round 500 PS or 368kW. A Turbo S would arrive late in the 997 cycle, with 390kW (530 PS) and 700Nm.

The Turbo S also introduced everyone to the idea of a seven-speed PDK (Porsche Doppelkupplung) twin-clutch, replacing the five-speed auto from 2009.

Versions, versions everywhere

You could have a Carrera, Cabriolet, Targa (2006 onwards) or Speedster (2011) and you could have “basic”, S or Turbo in most of them. You could also have Carrera 2, Carrera S, Carrera 4 and Carrera 4S. The Turbo was, of course, all-wheel drive.

In early 2011, the GTS arrived to plug the small gap in the range, with a wider body and rear-wheel drive. The 3.6-litre served up 304 kW (413PS). The Carrera 4 GTS went on sale a few months later.

The GT3 and GT3 returned as well. The GT3’s engine was turned up 305kW (415PS) while the GT2’s turbo unit made 390kW 530PS. The Phase II versions ripped out 320 kW (435PS) and the GT2 RS 456 kW (620 PS).

Phase II also saw the introduction of the GT3 RS 331 kW (450 PS) and the GT2 RS had a whopping  456kW (620 PS).

Then there was the nutcase GT3 RS 4.0. That thing spun up 368 kW (500PS) at a spectacular 8500rpm from the naturally-aspirated 4.0-litre engine. Along with that wild engine and bits of racing cars in the engine and aero, the RS 4.0 weighed 1370kg. It was damn fast and the last hurrah for the 997. A fully-laden Turbo was nearly 200kg heavier.

Porsche’s fifth 911, the 996, re-wrote big chunks of the rule book. Longer, wider and with fried egg headlights, it also had – gasp – a watercooled flat-six. Did the 996…dilute the brand? (I am not sorry)

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The 996 was a bit of a mixed bag. The company was on a bit of an efficiency drive, both in a financial and engineering sense. The former forced the same nose as the entry-level Boxster on to the 911 while the latter meant the end of air-cooling for the flat six. That’s where the money went.

The financial pressures seemed to mean that the 911 grew for just the second time in 34 years. Wheelbase and overall length increased for more space. As humans got bigger and buyers got wealthier, they demanded more room in the classic sports car. And you need more room for luxury kit.

Porsche took the brave pills with this car’s big engineering changes even if it didn’t show on the outside. The 996’s front end upset quite a few people who weren’t Boxster owners and later in the model’s life, the front end tweaks distanced the 911 from its little sister.

Being brutally honest, the styling hasn’t aged well on the early and base cars. The most mystifying thing to me about this car is its popularity – if I had a dollar for every person who said they were thinking about buying a 996, I could buy a 996. And the time machine to go to back and buy one new.

Water-cooling the 911

The greatest source of controversy was the end of the air-cooled flat-six. I’m still stunned it lasted as long as it did, especially in the Turbo. Thermal dynamics caught up with the 911 and air-cooling just wasn’t an option anymore.

The old air-cooled engine was noisy and rough by contemporary standards. Reliability might have been good, but 911 buyers expected more. Stringent emissions regulations – particularly in the US market – meant the variations in power outputs were becoming more and more unacceptable to premium buyers.

The new power unit started the bidding at 3.4-litres and 221 kW (300 PS).

Power rose in 2001 to 224 kW (305 PS) which was also the final year of the narrowbody Carrera 4. Finally, the 3.4 became a 3.6 and the 996 finished with the 235kW (320PS) and for the 40th Anniversary 40 Jahre edition, a whopping 254kW (345PS).

996 Turbo and Turbo S

In 2000 the Turbo joined the Carrera and Cabriolet. With 3.6-litres and two turbos, owners could play with 313 kW (426 PS) and streak too 100km/h (62mph) in 4.2 seconds.

From 2002 you could order the X50 option with a remapped ECU, bigger turbos for 336 kW (457 PS). The 996 Turbo became the first roadgoing 911 to blow past 300km/h.

That engine was standard in the end-of-model 2005 Turbo S, along with carbon composite brakes.

GT2 and GT3

Porsche really got to work on its GT variants with the 996. Thankfully the front and rear styling changes massively improved the wobbly blobbiness.

The GT3 was based on the widebody Carrera 4 and featured a naturally-aspirated 3.6-litre engine which was good for 268 kW (364 PS). It was the Turbo’s engine without the, er, turbos. Both the GT2 and GT3 used a dry sump system and an aluminium crankcase and the cylinders were Nikasil lined to make them extra slippy.

Porsche’s engineers stripped the car of nice, soft things like the back seat, added adjustable suspension, bigger brakes and some wild-looking aero. And a roll cage, if you please.

The second iteration of the GT3 had 283kW (385PS) and was actually available to deprived American buyers. With all-wheel drive, it cracked 1.03g on the skidpan.

Turbo fans were offered the GT2. Like the GT3, all the nice things were tossed out. The rear-wheel drive GT2 had an even more aggressive aero package to help keep 355kW (483PS)/640Nm flat-six from sending you into orbit.

The extra power came from bigger turbos, engine management tweaks and new intake and exhaust systems. A proper riot, then, setting the scene for every GT2 and GT3 to come.

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In the fourth edition of the run-up to the 911’s eighth generation, we have a look at the last of the air-cooled 911s, the 993.

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You know Porsche kept saying things were 80-percent-plus new in the G and 964 and you couldn’t really believe it because they looked so similar. Well this time, you can believe it. A bit. Apparently the only thing that stayed the same was the roof. And even then, if you bought a Targa, the roof style changed.

When the car first launched in 1994, you could choose between the Carrera and the Cabriolet. The reason for just two bodystyles would later become clear – the Targa’s roof was re-engineered into a glass canopy that slid down under the rear window.

The Carrera 4S and S introduced the wide-boy turbo rear guards to naturally-aspirated 911s and you could again choose between rear and all-wheel drive.

The new body feature the new layback headlights, possible through new lens technology known as polyellipsoidal. The design looked pretty fresh, actually and is probably the nicest mix of old and new, with better integrated bumpers, flush glass but that same iconic silhouette.

Interestingly, the 911 became the Formula One Safety Car after it was discovered that perhaps a clapped-out Alfa 75 wasn’t quite up to the job.

Air-cooled flat-six for the win

The last of the air-cooled flat-sixes sat behind the rear seats. The 3.6-litre M64/05(06) (great name) chuff-chuffed 200 kW (272PS) at launch. The snappy titles continued a year later when Porsche added VarioRam technology to make the M64/21(22). Power rose to 210kW (285PS) and top speed to 270km/h. Later you could option a 221kW (300PS) unit.

A six-speed manual was standard and Tiptronic made a return though still with just four forward speeds.

The 911 Turbo shipped with twin KKK turbochargers (not that kind of KKK) known as K16s. Power rose to a wild 300 kW (408PS), then 316kW (430PS) and finally 331kW (450PS) in the GT2.

Chassis

Underneath was an aluminum chassis and the rear suspension was an all-alloy multi-link arrangement. The latter came from the 989 project which has always fascinated me.

The 959’s three-differentialled all-wheel drive system was replaced with a simpler system. The centre diff went and was replaced with a viscous coupling, knocking off some of the previous system’s weight.

Bigger brakes, improved power steering and a new exhaust system completed the picture.

The 993 sold almost 65,000 units in its four years on sale to 1998.

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The third 911 is known by the fans as the 964. At the time, Porsche said that 85% of the car was new despite having the same shell as the G Series with integrated plastic bumpers.

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The 964 arrived under a cloud. In 1989 Porsche was in a fair bit of economic trouble (foreshadowing the near-flameout two decades later) and the 964 had to perform on the dealer floor.

Yeah, it did pretty well. Nearly 100,000 over the five years it was on sale from 1989 to 1994.

The flat-six remained, of course, now at 3.6-litres and producing 184kW (250PS), driving all four wheels. The Carrera 4 lead the launch of the car, before rear-wheel drive returned in 1990 Carrera 2. The 3.6-litre also featured twin-spark ignition, a result of the company’s work with aircraft engines.

There was indeed a lot of new stuff. A retractable rear wing eliminated (scary) rear aero lift, you could specify an automatic transmission with Tiptronic and power steering was standard. And twin airbags followed in the Carrera 2, a few years after their introduction in the 924.

964 911 Turbo – 3.3 to 3.6

The 911 Turbo returned with the old car’s  235 kW (320PS) 3.3-litre before moving to the 3.6-litre base engine from the other 964s in 1994. The latter spun up a handy 265 kW (360 PS). These are rare given the fourth-generation 993 was just around the corner.

In 1992 you could buy the 964 in RS guise again and American buyers could get RS Americas, of which just 71 were built.

911 Speedster

Amusingly, you could buy a 911 Speedster from 1993. This featured a chopped windscreen, double bubble behind the seats and a modified roof. Based on the Carerra 2 Cabriolet, Porsche built 930 Speedsters and a further 15 with the fat-bottomed turbo bodywork.

I don’t know about you, but I think they look horrific.

Thankfully the 993 was a little more tasteful. Mostly.

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Porsche’s second-generation of the decade-old 911 was really just a big facelift. Known as the G model, its growing popularity in the US and the big changes in the global market meant big changes for Porsche’s 2+2.

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The G-Series was half-rationalisation – you could only get the 2.7-litre flat-six from the start – and half regulatory. The US had brought in rules that fundamentally ruined the looks of a lot of cars, most famously the MGB. Most American cars were already too ugly to ruin with rubber bumpers.

The new shell featured front and rear bumpers that could deal with 8kmh impacts. The deformable structure behind it meant the bumper could shift up to 50mm before important things started breaking.

The cabin featured three-point seatbelts and integrated headrests to help stop whiplash in rear-enders. In a frontal collision, the new steering wheels featured impact-absorbing materials that were slightly kinder to your face.

Bosch K-Jetronic fuel injection made an appearance in two of the three models, including the S, with power ranging from 110kW (150PS) to 129kW (175PS).

From 1976 the 2.7-litre became 3.0-litres, with an attendant boost in power to 121kW (165PS) for the standard 911.

Outside of the US, the MFI-engined 2.7 had 150kW (210PS).

The G-Series also saw the introduction of Porsche’s famous whale-tail rear wing. Germany’s TUV road authority wasn’t best pleased with the duck tail wing, so the replacement made up for that in Porsche’s home market.

The forgettable 912E also arrived in 1976 for the US market. Powered by a VW four-cylinder (the same as the 1969 engine) from the 914, it only lasted until the 924 arrived on the scene in 1977.

Hello 911 Turbo

The first turbo 911 was the 3.0-litre from 1974. Initially developing 191kW (260PS), the 3.3-litre intercooled machine raised that to 221kW (300PS).

The latter could sprint from 0-100km/h (0-62mph) in a then-astonishing 5.2 seconds. I remind you, it did all this on 1970s tyre technology.

The Eighties

Porsche seemed a little distracted around the end of the 1970s. The 911 had been the company’s mainstay, but changes were coming. The 924, 944 and 928 were all supposed to replace the old timer, but it never happened. Buyers stuck with the 911, preferring it to the V8-powered 928 the company expected them to move to.

The G Series kept on keeping on, with a Cabriolet, Targa and a growing reputation in racing.

In 1978 the standard engine was a 3.0-litre flat-six with 130kW (177PS), the “new” model crowned the 911 SC or Super Carrera. Engine power rose again to 140kW (191PS) and then in 1981 to 150kW (204PS).

Porsche changed from magnesium to aluminium for the engine and even teased the idea of all-wheel drive for the 1981 Cabriolet concept at the Frankfurt Show, but it didn’t make production.

Carrera 3.2

From 1984, the Carrera name returned with an increase in power to 154kW (210PS) for the US market and 172 kW (234 PS) for the rest of civilisation. The 3.2-litre was supposedly 80% new, with tons of changes to the guts for more power and reliability.

The 911 also scored revised underguts like brakes and suspension.

In 1986 a new Bosch system increased power for American-delivered cars, which was cause for some celebration.

The G Series bowed out in 1989 after 15 years in production and in the 25th year of 911 production.

Up next is the 964  in Part 3 of Know Your 911.

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We’re counting down the 911s as launch day for the eighth-generation moves closer. Here we start with the original 911, released fifty-five years ago.

Porsche intended the 356 successor to be called 901 but pesky old Peugeot got in the way. After some no doubt tense discussions – things are rather rosier between the two countries today – Porsche settled on 911.

A hit in the US, the car quickly took hold. Porsche introduced a drop top and in response to US concerns about that style of car’s safety record, the Targa arrived. Billed by Porsche as the safety cabriolet, the Targa’s 20cm wide rollover hoop made it hard to argue the point.

With a rear-mounted engine slung out behind the rear axle, this is proof that Germans have a rich sense of humour.

While those first cars launched with a monstrous 96kW (130PS), the 1966 S brought 118kW (160PS) to the table along with the debut of the Fuchs forged alloy wheel.

If all that power was a bit much, an 81kW (110PS) T might have been more to your liking. Californians in the grip of these new-fangled emissions laws could choose the 911 E (E for injection).

The first cars were absolutely tiny, which meant all that power could get the little machine along at a very decent clip. But, customers being what they are, expected a 2+2 to actually carry +2.

Bigger, calmer, faster.

In 1968 Porsche lengthened the wheelbase by a whopping 57mm to increase interior space. Happily, the change reduced the rear end’s propensity to pass the front-end, a small but important change.

Changes and new models continued apace. In 1969 the air-cooled flat-six went from 1991cc to 2195cc. In 1974 the engine got bigger again, out to 2.4-litres. Power outputs ranged from 96kW (130PS) to 140kW (190PS) and the 911 could now run on standard unleaded.

911 Carrera RS 2.7

In 1973 a second icon was born – the 911 Carrera RS 2.7. The last hurrah for the first-generation, 1525 went out into the wild. As the name suggests, the engine grew again for more power, 154kW (210PS) and a top speed of 245km/h. On 1973 tyres. If you’ll excuse me, I have to throw up.

Styling changes included that super-subtle duck tail wing, red wheels and even more subtle Carrera graphic. The car weighed just 1000kg and went like stink for the day.

These days a Carrera RS in excellent shape will cost you well north of US$1.1m.  A concours 911 from the day is easily worth US$1m.

The G came next.

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