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40 Years Behind the Wheel: The 5 Porsches That Changed Everything For four decades, I’ve had the privilege of driving the pinnacle of automotive engineering. Since that first test of a white 3.0-liter Carrera with black Fuchs alloys, the 911 has evolved dramatically, but its essence has remained. It’s a car that demands respect, rewards finesse, and still, today, makes me wonder if I’d spend my own hard-earned cash on it. The journey began with a head-to-head against a 944 Turbo—a car that, at the time in Australia, cost the same and offered more raw power and torque. The 944 was faster and easier to master, no doubt. But as I wrote back then, “I know the 944 Turbo is the better car. But I also know that if it came to the crunch… I’d take the 911 Carrera home.” That’s the magic of the 911. It’s not about pure numbers; it’s about the connection you forge with the machine. It’s a sports car of a different era, one that doesn’t cater to the masses. It demands understanding, attention, and respect. And that, perhaps, is why it endures. Over the years, I’ve tested every iteration—barring the 964, which briefly hinted that the 911’s relevance might be fading. But today, the 911 remains one of the few new cars that consistently captivates me. Of the countless 911s I’ve driven, these five stand out as the most unforgettable. The Legend: The Original 1975 Porsche 930 Turbo In the early days, veteran road testers spoke of the first 911 Turbo with reverence and trepidation. They called it a “widowmaker,” a car that demanded the utmost precision. You had to walk the traditional 911 tightrope—navigating the delicate balance between corner-entry understeer and the often-sudden corner-exit oversteer—with lightning-fast hands and absolute confidence. It didn’t forgive mistakes. It didn’t tolerate sloppiness. It took me 35 years to finally get behind the wheel of one and discover the truth. The car I tested was one of the first 30 production Turbos ever built, a gem in Porsche’s spectacular classic fleet. Walking up to it, I felt the weight of its legend. Out on the road, I took it very easy at first, dipping into the throttle, feeling the boost build, and watching the tach to calibrate my senses. The engine surprised me with its tractability. At 2,000 rpm, it happily purred along, the 930 cruising at a relaxed 45 mph in top gear. But once the engine reached 3,500 rpm, the boost arrived. It wasn’t the brutal, sledgehammer blow I’d braced myself for, but a palpable surge as the turbo spooled up to 0.8 bar. I learned the secret to smooth progress in the original 930: keep the 3.0-liter flat-six spinning above 4,000 rpm to keep the turbo primed. Yes, the turbo lag is significant by modern standards, but it’s manageable. Even after 50 years, this 911 is still an astonishingly fast car on the road. First gear pulls to 50 mph, second to 90 mph, and third to nearly 130 mph—plenty to conquer any winding two-lane using only second and third. And while it produces a mere 256 hp, it weighs just 2,513 pounds, allowing it to accelerate into and out of corners with agility. Back in 1975, its performance would have seemed otherworldly. The original 930 Turbo remains a benchmark for driver engagement—a visceral experience that modern cars, despite their technological advancements, struggle to replicate. The Purist’s Choice: The 993-Generation Porsche 911 For purists, this is the last of the line. The last air-cooled 911. The one you drive with knuckles grazing the dashboard, the snarling metallic symphony of the flat-six echoing behind you. But back in 1994, when I first drove it, the 993 was the 911 of the future—the first to truly challenge Isaac Newton’s laws of physics. The 993 still had the signature 911 character—that pattering front end that required precise loading on corner entry, and the rear end that still danced through rougher turns. But for the first time, the front and rear felt harmonious. The 993 still felt like a 911, but it operated within a much safer margin. The game-changer was the new rear suspension. It ditched the old semi-trailing arms for a sophisticated multilink setup that allowed for subtle initial toe-out on corner entry, followed by progressive toe-in as lateral loads increased. This minimized the camber change that had plagued 911s since 1963. The steering was quicker, too, locking at 2.5 turns, making the front end feel far more decisive. And then there was the new six-speed manual transmission, which made the most of the 3.6-liter flat-six. Lighter internals, Bosch Motronic 2.0 management, and a new dual exhaust boosted power to 268 hp at 6,100 rpm. Compared to the 964 it replaced, the 993 was a revelation. It wasn’t just the engineering under Ulrich Bez (later head of Aston Martin); the exterior redesign by Harm Lagaay corrected visual flaws. The 964 was too tall at the front and too pulled down at the rear, but the 993 featured a lower, sleeker profile. The interior was cleaner, too, with buttons organized logically rather than scattered randomly. The 993 was faster, more forgiving, and significantly more desirable. It set the stage for the modern 911 era, providing the engineering foundation that paved the way for the 996 revolution. The Lifesaver: The 996-Generation Porsche 911 At the time, it was sacrilege. Porsche’s decision to switch to a water-cooled engine in the 996 was, to the purists, the automotive equivalent of Bob Dylan swapping his acoustic guitar for a Fender Stratocaster at the 1965 Newport Folk Festival. But the 996, the first clean-sheet redesign in 34 years, was a hero car for me. It saved Porsche. Engineered under the direction of R&D chief Horst Marchart, the 996 was a masterpiece of efficiency. It shared 38% of its components with a new, more affordable mid-engine roadster—the Boxster. Porsche’s iconoclastic boss, Wendelin Weideking, knew the Boxster was crucial. It provided dealers with something else to sell after the aging 928 and 968 models were discontinued. “We built two cars for the price of one-and-a-half,” design chief Harm Lagaay once said with a smile. But while media attention fixated on the water-cooled engine and its relation to the Boxster, the 996’s true significance runs deeper. In 1994, building a 993 took Porsche 130 hours. The 996 took just 60 hours to build. The modern 911 had arrived. It was roomier, equipped with all the technology expected in the late 20th century, but still unmistakably a 911. Most importantly, it still felt like a 911. Better, even. There was a new layer of sophistication, but it retained the delicious tactility and urgent response that made the 911 unique. Along with the original Boxster, the 996 pulled Porsche back from the brink of extinction. The Heart Stealer: The 991.2-Generation Porsche 911 Carrera Of all the 911s I’ve driven, it was a base 991.2 Carrera that truly stole my heart. And judging by the feedback from colleagues who drove it, it stole theirs too. Press fleets are usually loaded with high-spec models, ostensibly because PR departments think we’re impressed by such things. So Porsche Cars North America’s decision to include a base 911 Carrera in the 2017 MotorTrend Car of the Year testing roster seemed brave. In truth, it was inspired. The 991.2 introduced a new 3.4-liter turbocharged engine, producing 370 hp in the base Carrera or 420 hp in the Carrera S. Even in 370-hp trim, it offered a broad torque curve and impressive efficiency. This Carrera demonstrated that even on base wheels and tires, the chassis was staggeringly communicative and adjustable. Visually, the 991.2 was a subtle refresh of the larger, skillfully proportioned 991.1—a beautifully executed interpretation of classic 91