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5 Porsche 911s That Defined the Modern Era: A 40-Year Journey Through the Icon For four decades, I’ve had the privilege of driving some of the most exhilarating machines to ever roll out of Stuttgart. The Porsche 911, in particular, has been a constant companion, evolving yet remaining uniquely itself. It’s a testament to German engineering that after 40 years and countless miles, the 911 is still one of the few cars I’d actually spend my own money on. From the raw, unforgiving beast of the original Turbo to the track-ready intensity of the GT3 RS, the journey has been incredible. I’ve driven dozens of 911s over the years, and while mostiterations have impressed, a select few stand out—not just as great Porsches, but as benchmarks for automotive performance and driver engagement. Here are the five Porsche 911s that have left the most lasting impression during my time on the road. The Original 911 Turbo (1975-1977) Back in the mid-1970s, veteran road-test journalists spoke of the original Porsche 911 Turbo in hushed, almost fearful tones. “Widowmaker” was a word that frequently came up in these conversations. It was a car that demanded absolute respect, a machine where the line between corner-entry understeer and corner-exit oversteer was razor-thin. For an inexperienced driver, one wrong move could lead to disastrous consequences. For years, I had heard the legends of the 930, the Ur-Turbo. But despite my access to Porsches, the specific car I needed to test—one of the first production models—was elusive. I spent 35 years chasing that legend before finally getting behind the wheel of one of the first 30 Turbos ever built, now part of Porsche’s breathtaking classic fleet. Out on the road, the weight of its reputation was palpable. I drove with extreme caution at first, carefully modulating the throttle, feeling the massive turbocharger spool up, and trying to build a mental map of the power delivery. What struck me was how incredibly tractable the engine felt at low revs. The 3.0-liter flat-six would happily pull the car along at 45 mph in top gear with the engine barely whispering below 2,000 rpm. But once the engine reached 3,500 rpm, the character changed dramatically. There was a visceral surge in acceleration as the turbocharger pushed 0.8 bar of boost into the intake system. It wasn’t the blunt, sledgehammer impact I’d anticipated, but rather a smooth, overwhelming wave of power. The trick to managing this power was to keep the engine spinning above 4,000 rpm, ensuring the turbo was constantly energized. While there is noticeable turbo lag by modern standards, it is entirely manageable. Even 50 years on, the original 911 Turbo is staggeringly fast. First gear chirps up to 50 mph, second hits 90 mph, and third can push past 130 mph. This means you can dispatch twisty two-lane roads using only second and third gear. With only 256 hp, the car is remarkably agile, weighing just 2,513 pounds, which allows it to slice through corners with ease. In its day, this performance was otherworldly, and even now, it’s a thoroughly compelling driving machine. The 993-Generation Porsche 911 (1994-1998) For Porsche purists, the 993-generation Porsche 911 is often considered the last of the true, air-cooled 911s—the raw, visceral experience that defines the iconic silhouette. It’s the car you drive with your knuckles grazing the dashboard, the snarling metallic clatter of the air-cooled flat-six echoing behind you. However, when I first drove the 993 in 1994, it represented the 911 of the future. It was the first model in the lineage to truly challenge Isaac Newton’s laws of physics. While it still possessed the familiar pat-pat-pattery front end that demanded precise loading through corners, and the rear still danced on the edge of control through rough turns, there was a newfound harmony between the axles. The 993 still behaved like a 911, but within a vastly improved safety margin. The key to this transformation was a revolutionary new rear suspension. The old semi-trailing arms were replaced with a multi-link setup that allowed for minuscule initial toe-out during corner entry, then progressive toe-in as lateral loads increased. This not only maintained the car’s agility but also significantly reduced camber change, which had been the Achilles’ heel of 911s since 1963. This groundbreaking suspension was combined with a new, quicker steering rack—2.5 turns lock-to-lock, 16 percent faster than previous models—making the front end feel more decisive. A new six-speed manual transmission allowed drivers to exploit the 3.6-liter flat-six, which reached its 268 hp peak at 6,100 rpm thanks to lighter internals, Bosch Motronic engine management, and a redesigned dual exhaust system. The 993 was a revelation compared to the 964 it replaced. It wasn’t just the engineering upgrades, spearheaded by Ulrich Bez (later the CEO of Aston Martin); it was the holistic redesign. Design chief Harm Lagaay corrected the proportions that he felt made the 964 look too tall at the front and slightly droopy at the rear. The interior was refined, too, with a cleaner layout and fewer oddly placed buttons. The 993 was a faster, more forgiving 911, and perhaps more importantly, it was significantly more desirable. The 996-Generation Porsche 911 (1997-2004) When Porsche unveiled the 996-series 911 with its water-cooled flat-six, the motoring world was in uproar. To aficionados, it was sacrilege, the automotive equivalent of Bob Dylan swapping his acoustic guitar for an electric Fender at the 1965 Newport Folk Festival. But to me, the 996 was a hero car. It was the 911 that single-handedly saved Porsche. Engineered and developed under the leadership of Porsche R&D chief Horst Marchart, the 996 was an audacious engineering feat. It shared 38 percent of its components with the all-new, more affordable mid-engine roadster that would become known as the Boxster. Porsche’s visionary CEO, Wendelin Weideking, recognized the necessity of the Boxster to give dealerships a viable product to sell once the aging 928 and 968 models were retired. “We built two cars for the price of one and a half,” design boss Harm Lagaay quipped after the unveiling. However, while the media focused on its relationship with the Boxster and the controversy of the water-cooled engine, the 996’s true genius lay much deeper within the vehicle. In 1994, it took Porsche 130 hours to build a 993-series 911. By contrast, the 996 required only 60 hours to assemble. The modern 911 had arrived: it was roomier, equipped with the premium features expected of a late 20th-century sports car, yet it remained unmistakably a Porsche 911. Most importantly, it still felt like a 911—but a better one. There was a new veneer of sophistication to its performance, but the 996 retained the sublime tactility and urgent response that had made the 911 a sports car like no other. Along with the original Boxster, this 911 truly saved Porsche from extinction, proving that the icon could evolve without losing its soul. The 991.2-Generation Porsche 911 Carrera (2016-2019) Of all the 911s I have driven, it was a base 991.2 Carrera that truly captured my heart. Looking back, it seems the car stole everyone else’s hearts too, judging by the enthusiastic feedback from my colleagues who tested it at the time. Press fleets are notoriously filled with high-spec vehicles, presumably because automotive PR teams think we are impressed by carbon-ceramic brakes and fancy interior stitching. So, Porsche Cars North America’s decision to include a base-spec 911 Carrera among the roster of new 991.2 models for our 2017 MotorTrend Car of the Year testing seemed daring. In truth, it was an inspired move. 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 370-hp trim, this engine delivered a broad spread of torque and impressive fuel efficiency. The base car proved that even on standard wheel and tire packages, the chassis was staggeringly communicative and responsive. Visually, the 991.2 was a subtle refresh of the larger, skillfully reproportioned 991