The 5 Most Enduring 911s: An Insider’s Journey Through 40 Years of Driving Icons
Forty years. It feels simultaneously like a blink and a lifetime since the first Porsche 911 I ever drove—a crisp white 3.0-liter Carrera with classic black Fuchs alloys. No rear wing, no power steering, just a five-speed manual gearbox. It was elemental, raw, and undeniably fast, but in that moment, it felt flawed. I remember thinking about the 944 Turbo I had driven recently. It was arguably the better car by modern benchmarks—more torque, more power, effortless speed. Yet, when it came down to spending my own money, I didn’t hesitate. I chose the 911. It was a car that demanded respect, understanding, and an appreciation for imperfect beauty.
Since that first encounter, I’ve piloted dozens of 911s. Every generation, bar the awkward 964 that momentarily convinced me the icon was losing its way, has refined the formula. Porsche has managed to keep the 911 relevant, exciting, and profoundly engaging. Four decades later, it remains one of the few new cars I would still buy with my own money. Narrowing down the decades of driving history into a definitive list is a daunting task, but here are the five Porsche 911s that have etched themselves most deeply into my memory.
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The 5 Most Enduring 911s: An Insider’s Journey Through 40 Years of Driving Icons
Forty years. It feels simultaneously like a blink and a lifetime since the first Porsche 911 I ever drove—a crisp white 3.0-liter Carrera with classic black Fuchs alloys. No rear wing, no power steering, just a five-speed manual gearbox. It was elemental, raw, and undeniably fast, but in that moment, it felt flawed. I remember thinking about the 944 Turbo I had driven recently. It was arguably the better car by modern benchmarks—more torque, more power, effortless speed. Yet, when it came down to spending my own money, I didn’t hesitate. I chose the 911. It was a car that demanded respect, understanding, and an appreciation for imperfect beauty.
Since that first encounter, I’ve piloted dozens of 911s. Every generation, bar the awkward 964 that momentarily convinced me the icon was losing its way, has refined the formula. Porsche has managed to keep the 911 relevant, exciting, and profoundly engaging. Four decades later, it remains one of the few new cars I would still buy with my own money. Narrowing down the decades of driving history into a definitive list is a daunting task, but here are the five Porsche 911s that have etched themselves most deeply into my memory.
The Original Firestarter: The 1975 Porsche 930 Turbo
Before I got my hands on the original 930 Turbo, the old guard of road-test journalists spoke of it in hushed, almost fearful tones. They called it a “widowmaker,” a car that punished mistakes with unforgiving brutality. It was said to be a demanding beast that required quick hands and a strong nerve to manage the violent binary nature of its boost. For years, I waited for a chance to experience this legendary machine, and when I finally did, after 35 years of waiting, I was prepared for the worst.
The car was one of the earliest production Turbos ever built, now part of Porsche’s coveted classic fleet. Stepping behind the wheel, I was acutely aware of its reputation. I began gently, experimenting with the throttle, feeling the turbos spool up, and trying to build a mental map of the power delivery. I was bracing for a sledgehammer blow, but what I found was surprisingly civilized. The 3.0-liter flat-six was remarkably tractable at low RPM, chugging along happily at 45 mph in top gear. But as the revs climbed past 3,500 rpm, the boost hit, and the acceleration surged like a punch to the gut.
The secret to controlling this car isn’t to fight it; it’s to keep the 3.0-liter flat-six spinning above 4,000 rpm. Yes, the turbo lag is palpable by today’s standards, but it’s manageable. Even after more than fifty years, this 911 remains blisteringly fast on the road. First gear rockets past 50 mph, second hits 90 mph, and third sails past 130 mph. That means you can dominate most twisty roads using just second and third gear. And while it has “only” 256 horsepower, weighing in at a mere 2,513 pounds, it changes direction with an agility that defies its age. In its era, its performance was nothing short of otherworldly.
The Perfect Hybrid: The 1996 Porsche 911 (993)
For purists, the 993 generation represents the last true Porsche 911. It’s the one you drive with your knuckles grazing the dash, feeling the visceral snarl of an air-cooled flat-six reverberating through the cabin. But back in 1994, when I first drove it, the 993 was the 911 of the future, a machine that finally broke ties with its air-cooled past and embraced the laws of physics. While it still possessed the classic 911 handling characteristics—that slightly nervous front end that demanded aggressive loading into corners and a rear that danced in the rough—there was a newfound sophistication and harmony between the axles. It still did 911 things, but within a much safer margin.
The magic ingredient was the all-new rear suspension. Porsche replaced the age-old semi-trailing arms with a modern multilink setup. This new geometry allowed for subtle initial toe-out on turn-in, which then progressively transitioned to toe-in as lateral forces increased. More importantly, it dramatically reduced the camber change that had been the Achilles’ heel of the 911 platform since 1963. This was coupled with a new steering rack that was 16 percent quicker, making the front end feel significantly sharper. And then there was the new six-speed manual transmission, which perfectly capitalized on the 3.6-liter flat-six’s increased grunt, 268 hp that arrived at a thrilling 6,100 rpm thanks to lighter internals, Bosch Motronic 2.0 engine management, and a dual exhaust.
Compared to the 964 it replaced, the 993 was a revelation. It wasn’t just the engineering, masterminded by Ulrich Bez (later the head of Aston Martin); it was the design, led by Harm Lagaay, that finally corrected the awkward proportions of the 964—a car he felt was too tall at the nose and too squat at the rear. The interior was cleaner, too, with logical button placement rather than random clutter. The 993 was faster and more forgiving, but most importantly, it was more desirable than ever. It was the 911 as it should have been.
The Savior: The 1996 Porsche 911 (996)
In the mid-90s, the decision to install a water-cooled flat-six into the 996-series 911 was considered sacrilege by the faithful. To the traditionalists, it felt like Porsche had sold its soul—the automotive equivalent of Bob Dylan abandoning his acoustic guitar for a Stratocaster at the 1965 Newport Folk Festival. But the 996, the first complete redesign of the 911 in 34 years, was, for me, a hero car. It was the 911 that saved Porsche.
The engineering and development were spearheaded by Dr. Horst Marchart, and the 996 was a stroke of genius, primarily because it shared 38 percent of its components with a new, lower-cost mid-engine roadster that would soon be known as the Boxster. The audacious Porsche CEO, Wendelin Wiedeking, understood that the Boxster was crucial for dealers to have something else to sell once the aging 928 and 968 models were discontinued. As design chief Harm Lagaay once quipped with a smile, “We essentially built two cars for the price of one-and-a-half.”
But while the media and the purists fixated on the new engine and the Boxster partnership, the 996’s true legacy runs far deeper. In 1994, it took Porsche 130 hours to hand-build a 993-series 911; the 996 took just 60 hours. The modern 911 had arrived. It was roomier, packed with the advanced features expected of a late 20th-century sports car, but it remained undeniably Porsche. Most importantly, it still drove like a 911. Better. There was a new veneer of sophistication, but the 996 retained the delicious tactility and urgent response that made the 911 unique. Along with the original Boxster, it pulled Porsche back from the brink of extinction.
The Modern Masterpiece: The 2017 Porsche 911 Carrera (991.2)
Of all the 911s I’ve had the privilege of driving, it was a base-model 991.2 Carrera that truly stole my heart. It stole everyone else’s too, judging by the reactions from my colleagues at the time. Most press fleets are packed with high-spec cars loaded with options, as if automotive PR teams believe we are more impressed by extravagant extras than pure driving pleasure. So when Porsche Cars North America decided to include a base 911 Carrera in the lineup for our 2017 MotorTrend Car of the Year testing, it seemed like a bold gamble. In reality, it was a stroke of pure genius.
The 991.2 introduced a new 3.0-liter turbocharged engine, delivering a potent 370 hp in the standard Carrera or 420 hp in the Carrera S. Even in the 370-hp configuration, it offered a broad torque curve and impressive efficiency. This Carrera proved that even on the base wheel and tire package, the chassis was staggeringly communicative and adjustable. Visually, the 991.2 was a subtle refresh of the larger, skillfully reproportioned 991.1, a superbly executed interpretation of classic 911 themes—both modern and beautiful. Inside, a new infotainment system was introduced that looked great and worked flawlessly.
Porsche’s PDK dual-clutch automatic transmission remains the benchmark for smooth,