Porsche 911 models. Specifications. History of the automobile legends

Everything about Porsche is extraordinary! Starting from the eponymous founder of the company, Ferdinand Porsche, who made the world’s first hybrid electric vehicle…in 1899. He was also one of the first to actually demonstrate smaller cars in a race could be faster than bigger, more powerful automobiles. Good thing he did, because now we are lucky to behold the beauty of Porsche 911. 

You can ask which one exactly and it’s an appropriate question because the 911 model has a huge history. Let’s dive a bit deeper and see how Porsche 911 has changed over the years. Not only the design changes but also specifications and pricing. Now let’s go back to 1964…

The first 911 model which was actually a 901

In June 1934, Ferdinand Porsche, got a contract from Adolf Hitler to design a people’s car. That car became the Volkswagen Beetle. Later on, because of components lacking, Ferdinand used some parts from the iconic Volkswagen to create the Porsche 356. Over the course of 15 years more than 75,000 were produced. 

It all came to 1964, when the most popular car made by this company was designed and created. All Porsche 911s have been produced in just one place since 1964 — Porsche’s Stuttgart factory, Germany.

Funny thing is that, thanks to France, it became 911, but not 901. Peugeot decided to protest on the basis that it had unique rights in France to car names made up of three numbers with a zero in the centre. But Porsche didn’t sweat it, they just changed the name. 

From Carrera to Turbo. How many models are there? 

Porsche constructed 16 Porsche 911 versions, along with the 911 GT3 which sports a 435 horsepower engine.Each 911 has around 5,000 welds. Nowadays you can buy six types of 911: 911 Carrera S, S4, S Cabriolet, 4S Cabriolet and the two Turbo models (more on them a bit later).  

One million 911s have been built since its debut at the Frankfurt Motor Show in 1963, and Porsche claims that 70 per cent of these are still safe to drive. Porsche has kept the millionth 911, and will reside after a world tour in its collection. 

The company has used the race track as a laboratory test; 2/3 of Porsche’s 30,000 race wins were in a 911.

The Porsche 911 upgrades through the years 

Originally, the 911 had a 2.0-liter air-cooled six-engine flat, mounted in the back of the car, of course. Ultimately, Butzi’s 901 design lasted until 1993.

The 911 Classic was finally replaced by the 964 in 1988, the most drastically altered 911 since its creation. The 964 adopted the same 911 formula with a more modern design, before it was replaced by the 993 in 1993.
Design of the car has been modified in four decades to just five times, culminating in six generations. The 911 then returned to its signature headlights ‘bug-eye,’ as the headlighted 996 ‘teardrop’ was replaced by the 997 in 2004. It had impressive longevity, lasting eight years though slightly broken up by a facelift in 2009. 

The 991 generation Porsche, launched in 2011, was one of the largest redevelopments in the history of the 911. Built on a modern design, it is just the third in the 50-year history of 911. In 1975, the first 911 Turbo was unveiled with a comparatively large 3.0-liter engine, spoiler ‘whale tail’ and wide bodywork trademark. In 1993 a further turbocharger and a four-wheel drive was given to the 993 generation 911 Turbo. The current Porsche 911 Turbo sports three turbochargers when released later in 2013.

Here is a short video with a test-drive on all seven generations. 

The latest Turbo S 911

And now, if you are feeling a bit fed up with the history of past days, here is something special for you! The last Turbo S model, presented in April 2020. Truly a mechanical masterpiece. It’s a symbios of all the good 911 traditions. The 911 Turbo S packs 640 horsepower and 590 pound-feet torque, up 60 hp and 37 lb-ft torque over the 991.2 Turbo S and 197 hp, and 200 lb-ft over the current Carrera 4S. 

That extra oomph results in a blistering zero-to-60 time of just 2.6 seconds (two-tenths faster than the last Turbo S) and a top speed of 205-mile-per-hour.

Credit not only the 3.8-liter flat-six 911 but its particular all-wheel-drive system.

Porsche already made some significant aerodynamic improvements when it launched the 992, but the 911 Turbo S, unsurprisingly, goes further. The extendable rear wing is bigger and modifies both its height and angle of attack between four different driving mode configurations. The rear wing also acts atop heavy braking as an air brake.

Indeed Porsche got it all thought through. The car even has a “wet mode”, that detects water spray and automatically makes adjustments to the drive systems, although once the car reaches a certain threshold, it suggests the driver switch to the full-tilt Wet mode. 

The prices start at $203,500 for a Coupe or $216,300 for the Cabriolet. Add $1,350 to that sum for the destination charge. So it’s a good motivation for those who love Porsche’s work, but yet can’t afford it. 

Specification comparison of the 1965 Porsche 911 and 2020 Porsche Turbo S 911

Why is Porsche still so popular?

Its popularity isn’t hard to explain, but it was Ferdinand Porsche who best described its qualities: “The 911 is the only car you could drive on an African safari or at Le Mans, to the theatre or through New York city traffic.” Maybe that’s why even the Dutch police used to drive them. 

If one thing is certain, it’s that when one person does his job with passion, it lasts and triggers inspiration for generations ahead. Genius creations are relevant almost forever!