Decades of Delight: My Five Most Memorable Porsche 911 Experiences
For over 40 years, I’ve had the privilege of putting Porsche 911s through their paces on some of the world’s best roads and racetracks. It’s a career highlight that never gets old, and with every new generation, Porsche manages to surprise and impress me yet again. The 911 is more than just a car; it’s a continuously evolving legend that maintains a core DNA that keeps me coming back.
I remember my very first encounter with a 911 vividly. It was a 1975 white 3.0-liter Carrera, adorned with black Fuchs alloys. No rear wing, no power steering, just a five-speed manual. It was raw and unapologetic—the kind of pure driving experience that defined the early days of this icon. I was initially skeptical, especially when pitted against the 944 Turbo, a car that offered more power and torque for the same price. But the 911, despite its quirks, had an undeniable charm that won me over.
As I wrote at the time, “After two days and 600 miles, I’m certain. I know the 944 Turbo is the better car. But I also know that if it came to the crunch, that if it were me agonizing over how to spend my money, I’d take the 911 Carrera home.” The 944 Turbo was competent, capable of making even average drivers look good. But the 911 tugged at the heartstrings in a way no other car could. It was a machine that demanded understanding and respect—a true driver’s car through and through.
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Decades of Delight: My Five Most Memorable Porsche 911 Experiences
For over 40 years, I’ve had the privilege of putting Porsche 911s through their paces on some of the world’s best roads and racetracks. It’s a career highlight that never gets old, and with every new generation, Porsche manages to surprise and impress me yet again. The 911 is more than just a car; it’s a continuously evolving legend that maintains a core DNA that keeps me coming back.
I remember my very first encounter with a 911 vividly. It was a 1975 white 3.0-liter Carrera, adorned with black Fuchs alloys. No rear wing, no power steering, just a five-speed manual. It was raw and unapologetic—the kind of pure driving experience that defined the early days of this icon. I was initially skeptical, especially when pitted against the 944 Turbo, a car that offered more power and torque for the same price. But the 911, despite its quirks, had an undeniable charm that won me over.
As I wrote at the time, “After two days and 600 miles, I’m certain. I know the 944 Turbo is the better car. But I also know that if it came to the crunch, that if it were me agonizing over how to spend my money, I’d take the 911 Carrera home.” The 944 Turbo was competent, capable of making even average drivers look good. But the 911 tugged at the heartstrings in a way no other car could. It was a machine that demanded understanding and respect—a true driver’s car through and through.
In the four decades since that first drive, I’ve encountered numerous 911 models. With every iteration—save for the 964, which suggested the 911 concept might be fading—I’ve marveled at how Porsche has refined its icon. It has remained relevant, exciting, and engaging. Even today, the 911 is one of the few new cars I would happily spend my own money on. Of all the 911s I’ve driven, these five stand out as the most unforgettable.
The Original 911 Turbo: A Masterclass in Old-School Precision
When I first tested the 3.0-liter Carrera, the original 911 Turbo was already a legend among road-test journalists. They spoke of it with reverence, describing a car that demanded utmost respect. Its binary boost nature meant that walking the traditional 911 tightrope between corner-entry understeer and corner-exit oversteer required quick hands and nerves of steel. This was a car that punished sloppiness and didn’t forgive mistakes. They called it a “widowmaker,” but I had to experience it for myself.
It took me 35 years to finally get behind the wheel of an original 911 Turbo, and I was both nervous and excited. This particular car was one of the first 30 production Turbos ever built, now proudly part of Porsche’s impressive classic fleet. Aware of its fearsome reputation, I started slow, carefully testing the throttle, feeling the boost, and trying to map the power delivery in my mind.
To my surprise, the engine was remarkably tractable. At 2,000 rpm in top gear, it hummed along comfortably, cruising at 45 mph without a complaint. But once the engine hit 3,500 rpm, the turbocharger, pushing out 0.8 bar, unleashed a noticeable surge of acceleration. I expected a sledgehammer blow, but it felt more like a firm shove than a violent slam.
The trick to taming this beast, I learned, was to keep the 3.0-liter flat-six spinning at 4,000 rpm or higher to keep the turbo energized. There is definitely turbo lag—more pronounced than anything we see in modern cars—but it’s manageable. Despite its age, this 911 remains blisteringly fast on the road. First gear reaches 50 mph, second hits 90 mph, and third crosses the 130 mph mark. This means you can absolutely dominate winding country roads using just second and third gears.
While it only boasts 256 horsepower, the 911 Turbo weighs just 2,513 pounds. This low weight allows it to corner with agility, making it easy to accelerate into and out of turns. If this performance was available 50 years ago, it would have been considered otherworldly. It’s a brutal, beautiful machine that proves the old adage: there’s no substitute for cubic inches and forced induction.
The 993-Generation Porsche 911: The End of an Era, Perfected
For Porsche purists, the 993 represents the last of the “real” 911s. It’s the car you drive with your knuckles brushing the dash, listening to the snarling metallic clatter of an air-cooled flat-six behind you. But back in 1994, when I first drove it, the 993 was the 911 of the future—a machine that finally bent the laws of physics.
Sure, it still had that classic 911 trait of needing to be loaded on the corner entry to ensure you hit the apex, and the rear end still did its dance through rougher turns. But the connection between the front and rear was far more simpatico than ever before. The 993 still felt like a 911, but within a much wider margin of error.
The secret ingredient was a revolutionary rear suspension. Porsche ditched the old semi-trailing arms for a new multi-link setup. This allowed for a slight initial toe-out on corner entry and then progressive toe-in as lateral loads increased. Crucially, it also reduced the camber change that had been the Achilles’ heel of 911s since their inception in 1963.
Combined with a quicker steering system (2.5 turns lock-to-lock, 16% faster than its predecessor) that made the front end feel sharper and more decisive, the 993 was a revelation. It also featured a new six-speed manual transmission that helped the 3.6-liter flat-six flex its muscles. Thanks to lighter internals, Bosch Motronic 2.0 engine management, and a new dual-exhaust system, the engine revved harder, delivering 268 hp at 6,100 rpm.
Compared to the 964 it replaced, the 993 was a massive leap forward. It wasn’t just the engineering improvements, led by Ulrich Bez (who would later head Aston Martin). The exterior redesign, guided by Harm Lagaay, corrected visual imbalances like the 964’s tall front end and pulled-down rear. The interior was cleaner, too, with fewer buttons in random places. The 993 was faster, more forgiving, and most importantly, more desirable than ever before. It’s a fitting farewell to the air-cooled era, a machine that represents the pinnacle of mechanical perfection and timeless design.
The 996-Generation Porsche 911: The Hero Car That Saved a Legend
At the time of its release, the 996 was heresy. Porsche’s decision to install a water-cooled flat-six in the rear of the 996-series 911 was, to the aficionados, the automotive equivalent of Bob Dylan switching from acoustic to electric guitar at the 1965 Newport Folk Festival. But the 996—the first clean-sheet redesign of the 911 in 34 years—was a hero car to me. It was the 911 that saved Porsche.
Engineered and developed under the leadership of Porsche R&D chief Horst Marchart, the 996 was a stroke of genius. Not least because it shared 38 percent of its parts with the all-new, less expensive mid-engine roadster known as the Boxster. Iconoclastic Porsche boss Wendelin Weideking knew the Boxster was essential to keep dealers busy after the aging 928 and 968 models were discontinued. As design boss Lagaay later remarked with a smile, “We did two cars for the price of one-and-a-half.”
But while media attention focused on its relationship with the Boxster and the controversial water-cooled engine, the 996’s true significance ran far deeper. In 1994, it took Porsche 130 hours to build a 993. The 996 cut that time down to just 60 hours. The modern 911 had arrived: roomier, equipped with all the features expected of a late-20th-century sports car, and still undeniably a 911.
Most importantly, it still drove like a 911. Only better. There was a new layer of sophistication to the way it handled its business, but the 996 retained the delicious tactility and urgent response that defined the 911 experience. Along with the original Boxster, it single-handedly pulled Porsche back from the brink of financial collapse. It’s a testament to Porsche’s ability to innovate without compromising the soul of its legendary sports car.
The 991.2-Generation Porsche