Ric Unexpectedly Attacks Sonny, And His Next Target Is Dante. General Hospital Spoilers

The Icons: 5 Porsche 911s That Defined 40 Years of Driving Excellence For forty years, the Porsche 911 has been a constant benchmark—an icon that has consistently pushed the boundaries of sports car engineering while retaining that undeniable, unmistakable soul. As a road-test journalist, I’ve been fortunate enough to drive dozens of these legendary machines, witnessing firsthand how Porsche has refined and redefined its flagship model time and again. My journey with the 911 began in the 1980s with a classic 3.0-liter Carrera—a pure, analog experience that, despite its challenges, captured my imagination. The raw connection to the road, the precise manual gearbox, and the unmistakable engine note were intoxicating. It was in that moment I realized the 911 wasn’t just a car; it was an emotion. Through the years, I’ve watched Porsche evolve, from the groundbreaking 993 to the game-changing 996, and finally to the hyper-focused 992. Each iteration represents a chapter in automotive history, a testament to Porsche’s relentless pursuit of performance and driving pleasure. After four decades of putting Porsches through their paces, there are five models that stand out in my memory—cars that not only pushed the limits of what a 911 could do but also touched my heart. The Original Beast: 1975 Porsche 930 Turbo The original 911 Turbo, known affectionately as the “Widowmaker,” has always existed in myth and legend. Veteran road-test journalists spoke of it with a mixture of awe and terror, warning of a car that demanded the utmost respect—a machine where a single miscalculation at the limit could lead to catastrophic consequences. For years, I’d heard the stories. These were cars with binary boost, creating a sudden, explosive surge of power that made the classic 911 tightrope walk between corner-entry understeer and corner-exit oversteer feel less like a dance and more like a duel. It wasn’t until 35 years after I first heard these warnings that I got behind the wheel of one of the original 930s. As part of Porsche’s prestigious classic collection, this car represents a pivotal moment in 911 history—the moment Porsche decided to take the naturally aspirated platform and give it a turbocharged heart, creating a monster that would set the standard for performance cars for decades. Aware of its fearsome reputation, I approached it with caution. The engine, a 3.0-liter flat-six, was surprisingly tractable at low revs, murmuring happily at 2,000 rpm. But once the needle hit 3,500 rpm, the turbocharger kicked in, pushing 0.8 bar of boost into the induction system. That legendary turbo lag was definitely present—very noticeable by modern standards—but it was manageable. What surprised me most was the lack of the expected sledgehammer blow between the shoulder blades. Sure, there was a significant surge in acceleration, but the 930 felt controllable and surprisingly balanced, even when driven aggressively. The trick to smooth, fast progress in the 930 is keeping the engine spinning above 4,000 rpm to keep the turbocharger energized. This isn’t a modern 911 with all the electronic aids to smooth out the experience; it’s raw, unfiltered driving. Even today, this car is incredibly fast on the road. First gear reaches 50 mph, second hits 90 mph, and third closes in on 130 mph. This means you can blitz through winding two-lane roads using only second and third. While it produces only 256 hp, the car weighs just 2,513 pounds, making it nimble and responsive in corners. Back in the day, this level of performance was otherworldly. Modern hypercar performance is light-years ahead, but the 930’s raw intensity is something you don’t often find in today’s world of sophisticated driver aids. The End of an Era: 993-Generation Porsche 911 For Porsche purists, the 993 is the last of the real 911s. It’s the 911 you drive with your knuckles grazing the dash, the air-cooled flat-six engine snarling behind you, and the pure essence of the original design preserved. But back in 1994, when I first drove it, the 993 was the 911 of the future—the first to challenge Isaac Newton’s laws of physics with its revolutionary engineering. Sure, the 993 still had that pat-pat-pattery front end that demanded careful loading on corner entry, and the rear end could still “rhumba” through rough turns. But there was a newfound suspension stability and predictability that was absent in previous generations. The 993 still felt like a 911, but with a much wider margin for error. The key to this transformation was a new rear suspension design. Porsche replaced the antiquated semi-trailing arms with a modern multilink setup. This allowed for slight initial toe-out on corner entry and progressive toe-in as lateral loads increased, all while drastically reducing the camber change that had been the Achilles’ heel of the 911 since 1963. Combined with a new six-speed manual transmission and steering that was 16% quicker (2.5 turns lock-to-lock), the front end felt much more decisive. The 3.6-liter flat-six engine was also revised, with lighter internals and a Bosch Motronic 2.0 management system, helping it rev higher to its 268-hp peak at 6,100 rpm. Compared to the 964 it replaced, the 993 was a revelation. It wasn’t just the engineering—led by Ulrich Bez, who would later head Aston Martin. The exterior redesign, helmed by Harm Lagaay, corrected visual issues with the 964, which he thought was too tall at the front and too pulled down at the rear. The interior was cleaner, too, with fewer buttons in random locations. The 993 was a faster, more forgiving, and more desirable 911. It’s no wonder that Porsche purists still value this generation above all others. It strikes a perfect balance between classic air-cooled charm and modern performance engineering. If you’re searching for a classic Porsche that still feels relevant today, the 993 is a top choice. The Savior: 996-Generation Porsche 911 At the time of its release, it was heresy. Porsche’s decision to install a water-cooled flat-six in the tail of the 996-series 911 was, to the purists, the automotive equivalent of Bob Dylan ditching his acoustic guitar for a Fender Strat at the 1965 Newport Folk Festival. But the 996, the first clean-sheet redesign of Porsche’s indefatigable sports car in 34 years, was a hero car to me. It was the 911 that saved Porsche. Engineered and developed under the direction of Porsche R&D chief Horst Marchart, the 996 was a masterclass in engineering innovation. It was a clever 911 not least because it shared 38 percent of its parts with an all-new, less expensive mid-engine roadster the world would come to know as the Boxster. Iconoclastic Porsche boss Wendelin Weideking knew the Boxster was needed to give dealers something else to sell when the aging 928 and 968 models went out of production. “We did two cars for the price of one-and-a-half,” design boss Lagaay said with a smile after the company unveiled the 996. But while the media fixated on its relationship with the Boxster and the controversial water-cooled engine, the 996’s real story ran much deeper. In 1994, it had taken Porsche 130 hours to build a 993-series 911; the 996 took just 60 hours to build. The modern 911 had arrived: roomier and equipped with all the features expected of a late 20th-century sports car, yet still recognizably Porsche’s icon. Most importantly, it still drove like a 911. Only better. Yes, there was a new veneer of sophistication to the way it went about its business, but the 996 retained the delicious tactility and urgent response that had made the 911 a sports car like no other. And along with that original Boxster, it saved Porsche from extinction. Despite initial controversy, the 996 has aged remarkably well. Its engineering is solid, and its performance is still exhilarating. As Porsche purists begin to look back with more appreciation, the 996 is proving to be a fantastic value in the used market, offering a taste of modern 911 performance without the premium price tag. The Everyman Hero: 991.2-Generation Porsche 911 Carrera Of all the 911s I’ve driven, it was a base 991