BB Thursday, June 18 Full | The Bold and the Beautiful 6-18-2026 Spoilers Full

The Enduring Enigma of the Porsche 911: A 40-Year Legacy of Evolution and Emotion For four decades, I’ve had the privilege of testing and assessing the evolution of the Porsche 911. My earliest memory involves a white 3.0-liter Carrera with black Fuchs alloys. It was raw, unassisted, and possessed a distinct character that set it apart. While it was undeniably fast, it wasn’t perfect. At the time, it was evaluated alongside the 944 Turbo, a car that cost nearly the same in my native Australia. The 944 Turbo was quicker, smoother, and easier to drive, yet something about the 911 captured my imagination. In my assessment, I wrote, “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.” It wasn’t a decision I took lightly. The 944 Turbo was exceptionally competent and forgave driving errors, but the 911 represented a different era and set of values. It demanded respect and understanding, which is why it won my affection. Over the years, I have driven countless 911 models, with the exception of the 964, which seemed to suggest that the 911 idea had reached its peak. Each iteration has consistently impressed me with how Porsche has managed to maintain the 911’s relevance, excitement, and engagement. Even after 40 years, the 911 remains one of the few new cars that I would choose to buy with my own hard-earned money. From the extensive list of models I’ve driven, here are the five that stand out in my memory. The Original 911 Turbo: The Widowmaker? When I first encountered the 3.0-liter Carrera, veteran road-test journalists spoke of the original Porsche 911 Turbo in hushed, almost reverent tones. They described it as a car that demanded absolute respect when driven with intent, a machine where the sharp distinction between understeer and oversteer required quick reflexes and courage. The original 911 Turbo was unforgiving and tolerated no sloppiness. It was, they claimed, a widowmaker. It took me 35 years to actually get behind the wheel of one and see for myself. The car I drove was one of the first 30 production Turbos ever made, and now it’s part of Porsche’s exquisite classic fleet. Driving it, acutely aware of its fearsome reputation, I started very cautiously. I experimented with the throttle, monitored the turbo boost, and watched the tachometer, trying to internalize the power and torque characteristics. The engine was surprisingly tractable, able to cruise at 45 mph in top gear with the engine humming at 2,000 rpm. Once the engine hit 3,500 rpm, however, there was a distinct surge of acceleration as the turbocharger injected 0.8 bar into the induction system. Yet, the sledgehammer effect I expected didn’t materialize. The key to driving the original 911 Turbo smoothly and quickly is to keep the 3.0-liter flat-six spinning at 4,000 rpm or higher to maintain consistent turbo boost. Yes, there’s noticeable turbo lag by today’s standards, but it’s manageable. Even after more than 50 years, this 911 is still incredibly fast on the road. First gear reaches 50 mph, second gear reaches 90 mph, and third gear reaches almost 130 mph. This means you can tackle most winding roads using only second and third gears. And while it might only have 256 hp, it weighs only 2,513 pounds, which allows it to handle corners with agility. Half a century ago, its performance would have seemed otherworldly. The 993-Generation Porsche 911: The Purist’s Choice For Porsche purists, the 993-generation 911 is the end of an era. It’s the last air-cooled 911, the one you drive with your knuckles brushing the dash and the metallic chatter of the air-cooled flat-six roaring behind you. However, back in 1994, when I first drove it, the 993 represented the future of the 911. It was the first generation to challenge Isaac Newton’s laws of physics. While the 993 still had the distinctive front end that required precise throttle application to hit the apex and the rear end that danced through bumps, the connection between the front and rear was significantly improved. The 993 continued to behave like a 911 but with a much better margin for error. The key improvement was the new rear suspension system, which replaced the traditional semi-trailing arms with a multilink setup. This allowed for slight initial toe-out during corner entry, followed by progressive toe-in as lateral loads increased, all while reducing the camber change that had been the weak point of 911s since 1963. This was combined with a new six-speed manual transmission that made the most of the 3.6-liter flat-six engine, which delivered 268 hp at 6,100 rpm. This was achieved through lighter internals, a Bosch Motronic 2.0 engine management system, and a new dual-exhaust system. The steering, with its 2.5-turn lock-to-lock ratio, was 16 percent quicker and gave the front end a more decisive feel. Compared to the 964 model it replaced, the 993 was a revelation. It wasn’t just the engineering advancements under the leadership of Ulrich Bez, who later led Aston Martin. The exterior redesign by design chief Harm Lagaay corrected the visual imbalances of the 964, a car he felt was too tall at the front and too pulled down at the rear. The interior was also cleaner, with fewer buttons in random locations. The 993 was faster, more forgiving, and, most importantly, more desirable than ever. It was the ideal combination of classic 911 feel with modern performance. The 996-Generation Porsche 911: Saving the Brand The decision to switch the 996-series 911 to a water-cooled flat-six engine was controversial at the time. To traditionalists, it was like Bob Dylan abandoning his acoustic guitar for an electric one at the 1965 Newport Folk Festival. But the 996, the first complete redesign of Porsche’s iconic sports car in 34 years, was a hero for me. It was the 911 that saved Porsche from financial ruin. Engineered and developed under the direction of Porsche R&D chief Horst Marchart, the 996 was an ingenious piece of engineering. It shared 38 percent of its components with an all-new, less expensive mid-engine roadster that became known as the Boxster. Porsche boss Wendelin Weideking understood that the Boxster was essential for dealers, as the aging 928 and 968 models were being discontinued. “We built two cars for the price of one and a half,” design boss Lagaay recalled with a smile after the company unveiled the 996. While the media focused on its relationship with the Boxster and the new water-cooled engine, the 996’s true significance ran much deeper. In 1994, it took 130 hours to build a 993-series 911; the 996 took only 60 hours to build. The modern 911 had arrived: it was roomier, equipped with the amenities expected of a late 20th-century sports car, but still unmistakably a 911. Most importantly, it still drove like a 911, only better. While it had a new layer of sophistication, the 996 retained the delicious tactility and urgent response that made the 911 unique. It, along with the original Boxster, saved Porsche from extinction. The 991.2-Generation Porsche 911 Carrera: Pure Driving Emotion Out of all the 911 models I’ve driven, it was a base 991.2 Carrera that truly captured my heart. And according to the feedback I received from my colleagues at the time, it won them over too. Press fleets are usually filled with high-specification vehicles loaded with optional extras, perhaps because automotive PR firms think we are impressed by such things. So, Porsche Cars North America’s decision to include a base 911 Carrera among the roster of new 991.2 models for our 2017 MotorTrend Car of the Year testing was a bold move. In fact, it was an inspired one. The 991.2 introduced a new 3.4-liter turbocharged engine, offering 370 hp in the base Carrera or 420 hp in the Carrera S. Even in the 370-hp trim, it provided a wide torque band and impressive fuel efficiency. This Carrera proved that even with standard wheels and tires, the chassis was staggeringly communicative and adjustable. Visually, the 991.2 was a subtle