Gunther Werks, the coachbuilder for potential Singer buyers who want their retro 911s to have a little more Hot Wheels flair, have unveiled their latest piece: the Project F-26.
If that name evokes thoughts of fighter jets, looking at it will probably have the same effect. The number in the name is pulling double duty, however, representing the build volume. And, no, you probably shouldn’t expect to see one in Australia.
The rapidly beating heart of the F-26 is a 4.0-litre twin-turbocharged air-cooled flat-six co-developed with Rothsport Racing, and the numbers are appropriately unhinged: 745kW and 1017Nm of torque, thanks in part to a race-derived flat fan for enhanced cooling.
All of this is channelled through a six-speed manual gearbox to the rear wheels. It’s a purist’s drivetrain combination mated to a level of power that requires a healthy dose of courage to fully exploit.
The entire car is a comprehensive re-engineering exercise, tipping the scales at just 1224kg thanks to a full carbon fibre body.
The chassis is reworked with a 30mm longer wheelbase, a new double-wishbone front suspension, and adaptive JRZ dampers to try and tame the power. The aggressive Slantnose-inspired bodywork, massive rear wing, and widened arches aren’t just for show; they’re necessary to house the massive 295-front and 335-rear tyres.
While Singer has cornered the market on understated, OEM-plus perfection, Gunther Werks clearly understands the commercial reality of the high-end restomod scene: there’s a segment of buyers who want more visual drama and outrageous performance.
The F-26 is a calculated and extreme answer to that demand, a true hypercar in a classic 911 silhouette built for the shock-and-awe theatre of Monterey Car Week.
The price? A lazy $2.4 million AUD. Get after it. Or, if you want something that’s actually sold locally… there’s always Singer.
PS… am I the only one seeing a little NC MX-5 in the front end? 😂
The 2019 Porsche 911 Carrera 4S might be the eighth-generation 911 but it’s the first time Peter Anderson has driven one.
Like the Lotus Elise, the 911 is a car I have only ever admired from afar. Almost everybody I’ve ever met has at least had a ride in one or a mate had one who let him drive it. It wasn’t until 2017 that I had the chance to ride in one – a 991 Targa around, of all places, Circuit Paul Ricard. He wasn’t pushing very hard and got rounded up by, well, everything.
But it’s now 2019 and we’ve got a new 911, the 992. Lots of new technology, new cabin, changes, changes, changes.
This isn’t going to be one of those self-indulgent, “Ah, yes, but is it still a 911?” stories. I’m not qualified to tell you that.
I am qualified to tell you if it stands up against the best from Germany and Britain, whether it’s a match for an Audi R8, an M850i or maybe a McLaren 540C. So let’s get cracking.
Look and Feel
Okay, there is a bit where I can tell you if it’s a 911. There is no other car on earth that looks anything like it and this one, I think, is extremely difficult to fault. Almost impossible, actually.
The 996 was the nadir – flabby-looking with those awful headlights, the world’s obsession with it is endlessly mystifying to me. The 992 is the best modern iteration since the lithe 993. To my eyes, anyway – everyone has a strong opinion about the 911 and you’re entirely welcome to be wrong, I mean, you know what I mean.
The 992 takes back the clean look of the 993. The full width light bar at the rear is fantastic, as is the high-level stop lights integrated into the grille. The wing sits flush into the rear section and the badging is just right. The clean lines of the bumper and the huge exhausts flanking the number plate really work.
In profile there’s a lovely curve from A-pillar to tail and the 20-inch wheels are just right. And the front is a cleaner version of the 991, which was almost there. Add in the funky four LED daytime running lights and you’ve got a proper, 21st-century design. Yes, it’s way bigger but it seems like it has taken almost 25 years for the 911 to work out how to carry its girth.
The interior is – thankfully – devoid of the button festival of the 991. Regular Redline co-pilot Mark Dewar says he prefers the button explosion, but I am not a fan.
The Porsche PCM system runs on the huge central screen and the dash is the traditional five dial layout. Like the Cayenne, you can’t see the dials on the edges so they don’t have to tell you much. One thing I can’t get anybody to like – including me – is the weird shifter paddle thing poking out of the dash like a toddler’s tongue.
It’s all beautifully built – more so than the Cayenne, which is a bit ordinary – but everything fits just right and looks the business. The rear seats are ludicrous, but they’re there for emergencies. I crammed one bloke in who is maybe 175cm and he wasn’t super-pleased. He forgot about it when I gave it a boot full.
Chassis
The bad news is that the 992 is 55kg heavier. The good news comes in two parts.
Firstly, there’s even more aluminium in this car, with steel now making up just 30 percent of the body. That’s down by over half. Most of the body parts are aluminium and the extra 20mm is mostly at the front to house a new crash structure. It’s worth the flab for more safety, I reckon – these things are damn fast and things can go wrong.
All 911s are now wide bodied, with an extra 45mm accommodating a wider track, which is an excellent thing.
For the first time in a 911, the front and rear wheel sizes are different. The front rolls on 20-inch wheels wrapped in 245/35s at the front. The rears are massive 21-inch units with 305/30s. If you don’t tick any boxes, the factory-fit tyres are Goodyear Eagle F1 Supersports, which are the tyres I had. Box-fresh they were, too.
You can choose either Michelins or Pirellis from the factory. It would be very interesting to see those numbers.
The car I drove also had Porsche Dynamic Chassis Control Sport (PDCC Sport) with Porsche Torque Vectoring Plus, which Porsche says has active roll stabilisation and the rather vague “enhanced agility”. As you have to also tick the rear-axle steering box to get this, I had that too. I would suggest you tick at least one of these – the four-wheel steer is brilliant.
The Sport Chrono package throws in active engine mounts, a Mercedes C63S-like mode-switching dial on the steering wheel; individual driving mode in addition to Comfort, Sport and Sport Plus; throttle blipping on the downshift; PSM Sport mode; Track Precision App (didn’t use it) and launch control. Do get this option, too.
My car had the standard steel brakes because the carbon ceramics would be utterly ludicrous. The rears are 330mm while the fronts are whoppers at 350mm.
Drivetrain
This is the second part of the good news.
Here in the S, the 991.2’s 3.0-litre twin turbo stays, but now with more power and torque. The engineers shifted the engine further forwards and the mounting points further apart to make it less rear-engine-ey and more mid-engine-ey.
Power is up by 22kW (30PS) to 331kW (450PS). 0-100km/h arrives in 3.6 seconds (0.1 quicker than the Carrera 2), nearly half a second quicker than the 991.
The increase in the engine’s figures come courtesy of bigger turbochargers with cast intake manifolds, new intakes, new piezo injectors that are more controllable and bigger charge air coolers under the grille where they’re supposed to work better. The air filters are now wrapped in the rear guards.
The Sport Chrono Package drops 0.2 seconds off the standard 4S’ 0-100km/h time.
Power reaches all four wheels via an eight-speed PDK transmission. It’s interesting to see Porsche doing this – my immediate thought was, “Why not go with the ZF eight-speed?” but
a) the purists would lose their minds and
b) I don’t think it would fit the 911’s unique installation.
With an extra gear to play with, first is shorter than the 991’s seven-speeder and eighth longer than the old car’s seventh. If you’re giving it a hiding, there is also a fast-shift program which I can tell you works a treat.
The new gearbox is also designed to go with the new hybrid powertrains destined for the 911, so that’s going to be interesting.
Other things of note on this car were the sports exhaust system, which made it a little bit more vocal when switched into higher modes. Not sure if it was worth the extra, but there you are.
As for those modes, you have Wet, Comfort, Sport and Sport Plus. Amusingly, when the car works out it’s wet, it suggests switching to Wet mode. That’s kind of cute, even if the message is a bit passive-aggressive.
What Did I Do With the 992 911 Carrera 4S?
I have to be careful here. As I write this, the real reason I had the car has to remain a bit of secret. No, really. I can’t wait to see the end result, though and for you to see it too. I’ll post a story when it’s ready.
So here’s how the day went. 4:30am start, drive to Sydney Motorsport Park (SMP). It was dark and cold (for Sydney), but it was dry. Wait around for sunrise, clean the car up, straight out on to the main straight for some high speed runs.
Then we drove back through the under-track tunnel to the relatively new layout of the South Circuit. The day I was there coincided with an EV industry day. While I was haring around in a 3.0-litre turbo flat-six, Teslas and Leafs and all sorts of EVs whirred around the rest of the track.
The South Circuit is a pure delight – it’s basically all corners, with a very short pitlane and pit straight. I grew to love it in the way I don’t really love the main circuit. It has all of the good bits of Eastern Creek without the scary bits.
And after a day with the track pretty much to myself and another 911 (a 991.2 T), I drove home, arriving just before 9pm. A seriously long day.
High Speed Runs
What did it do as soon as I lined up for my first run? It started raining. Those of you who know about SMP know that Turn One is a) very fast (and I was treating it as run-off) and b) dreadful in the wet because there’s standing water everywhere. I was the only person on the track, so there was nobody to clear the water.
It didn’t just rain. It poured. On the first run I just floored it in Sport Plus. The engine bellowed, there was the tiniest of squirms from the rear tyres and we were off. The 911 doesn’t gather speed, it sucks it up as though dragging it in from the air around it. Triple figures appear almost in an instant.
That’s cool, though, I’m “used” to that from other cars. Every car has its own power delivery, but the 911’s is something else again in this turbo era, feeling more like a naturally-aspirated car apart from the burps and whooshes.
The thing that really got me was at turn one. Despite a wet track and the knowledge I was running out of straight road, the change of direction was instant. Combined with all-wheel steer, the car was totally settled. Scarily well settled, actually. The way it turned in gave me a little fright because I wondered if the rear was going to come around (you know how all 911s do that, right?). But it didn’t. By the time I reached the pit blend line, I was able to turn around and do it again and again and again.
The grip in the wet, even on the Goodyears, was phenomenal. And the fact it could blat through 170km/h without drama on a soaking wet track had me shaking my head on every run. Amazing.
The South Circuit
The rest of the day was spent on the South Circuit, with a couple of sounding runs through the tunnel under the track that leads to the pit paddock, just for fun.
The track was drying by then, but there was still plenty of standing water around and some very wet kerbs. Obviously, Sport Plus was the mode I stuck with. Binning a brand new 911 at a race track would have been disappointing for a very large number of people. Chiefly, Porsche Australia, I should imagine, but also the 50-strong film crew there to film me cutting laps.
It’s a grand thing to have a racetrack largely to yourself for a day. The secret project involved filming the car at all speeds, so I got to play with the car. Clipping kerbs (at low speed), different lines, looking for grip. It’s hugely adjustable, even in the Carrera 4 version. It’s so obviously rear-biased it barely needs mentioning, but it also reminds the mouth-breathers that all-wheel drive doesn’t have to feel like it’s on rails.
One shot called for a big tail wag out of a hairpin and the car duly delivered with a fair amount of provocation. What’s even more impressive is how much rope it gave me before gently gathering it all up again. Some systems intervene with a guillotine, this was a far more soft-edged approach, with none of the awkwardness that goes with the dropping blade.
During a day of being absolutely hammered, the brakes never gave up. The South Circuit is hard on brakes – lots of corners, a few of them downhill and given the 911’s propensity to hit warp speed, they were sorely tested despite the lack of long straights.
But what my brain kept coming back to was the way it changes direction – the four-wheel steer certainly helps, but its ability to go left and right, to handle that awkward downhill left-hander. I can’t imagine why you wouldn’t spend the money for a car that’s so gloriously pointy but without the instability.
Redline Recommendation – I Get It.
And then, I drove it home. The tyres were fine after a day’s hammering, the car comfortable and warm and I had some lovely quiet tunes playing on Apple CarPlay to reduce my heart rate and dilute the adrenaline. It had been a huge day but the 992 911 took it all in its stride.
I’ve said it before – good cars stick in your head, but great cars get into your bones. I had pretty much everything but snow to deal with in the 911 and it was ready for more. It’s a massive achievement that few of its ilk can match – ferocious power with a delicate on-road experience that would keep my mother happy.
Like so many fast cars, it feels like ages since we first heard that this car was coming. And now it’s here.
Porsche is starting with the S models, saying that they sell better. The new car looks terrific. If you just think it looks the same as the old car, you are partially wrong and you can skip to the next bit about the engines.
As with the 991, the car is bigger in every direction. A new front crash structure is responsible for most of the 20mm increase in length while the new body is 45mm wider, including some lovely subtle flaring of the front wheel arches. There is now just the one body style, and they’re all the fat-bottomed kind.
The wheels start at 20-inches up front and 21s at the back. Despite the extra length partially offset by a height increase of 2mm, it looks low and fast.
I love it. And I’m not a 911-phile. I just think it looks really clean and mean.
At the rear, the new integrated wing looks the business and rises in two stages so you don’t look too stupid when getting about at moderate speeds. The high-level brake light looks part of the grille until it lights up and the new Porsche signature of full-width taillights is magnificent.
Another nice detail? The flush-fitting doorhandles that pop out when you approach. Snazzy.
Inside looks wider as Porsche takes a more horizontal approach to design. It’s all-new, of course, and looks better, less bitty than the old cabin. While you can see just one cupholder in the image behind the dinky little shifter, there’s another over pop-out jobbie in the dash against the door. In case that’s important.
Engine and Drivetrain
For the S, the 3.0-litre twin turbo remains but now with more power and torque. Plenty of detail changes, too.
Power is up by 22kW (30PS) to 331kW (450PS). 0-100km/h differs between the rear-wheel drive (3.7 seconds) and the 4S (3.6 seconds). That’s 0.4 seconds off the previous marks set by the 991.
If you want to knock another 0.2 seconds off, go for the Sport Chrono Package.
Top speed is 308km/h for the RWD and 306km/h for the 4S.
The new eight-speed PDK twin-clutch transmission is partially responsible for the 55kg weight gain. It’s always going to be a heavy thing when you add another gear to an already complex unit. It’s also interesting that Porsche has stuck with the PDK and not gone with the ZF eight-speed. Not chucking rocks, of course – it’s just an observation.
That new gearbox is meant to handle future hybrid powertrains, so keep an eye out for that in the coming months.
When?
The 992 Carrera S and 4S will start deliveries in the New Year and is on sale now. Most dealers have probably been taking deliveries for months because, you know dealers.
Australian buyers can expect to pay no less than $265,100 for the S and $281,000 for the 4S. UK buyers will be paying in the region of £93,110 and £98,418 respectively.
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.
997 Carrera GTS
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).
The guts. Look away if you’re squeamish.
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)
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
2004 911 Turbo 996 with the less Boxster-ey front end.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Whale tail. You don’t get much more early-90s than that.
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
Still clean: Porsche said the 964 was 85% new.
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
“Turbo look”Speedster. In Retina Ruining Red.This is a good-looking Speedster. The 964 is not.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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