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The 5 Most Memorable Porsche 911s I’ve Driven in 40 Years of Road Testing For nearly half a century, I’ve had the privilege of driving some of the most incredible machines Porsche has ever engineered, tracing the lineage of the iconic 911 from the raw purity of the 1970s to the high-tech aero marvels of the modern era. Each generation has brought its own blend of challenge, exhilaration, and pure driving pleasure. After four decades behind the wheel of these German icons, a few stand out above the rest—not just for their performance, but for how they make you feel. These are the 911s that have etched themselves into my memory, the cars I’d still spend my own hard-earned money on today. The Original 911 Turbo (1975-1977) – The Widowmaker Masterpiece Back in the mid-1970s, veteran road testers spoke in hushed tones about the original Porsche 911 Turbo. They described a car that demanded absolute respect when pushed, a machine where the binary nature of turbo boost made the classic 911 tightrope walk between corner-entry understeer and corner-exit oversteer a skill requiring both quick hands and unyielding nerve. They called it a “widowmaker.” It took me 35 years to get behind the wheel of one and discover the truth. The 1976 Porsche 930 Turbo in the Porsche museum is one of the first 30 production Turbos ever built. Walking up to it, aware of its fearsome reputation, I felt a nervous excitement. For the first few miles, I drove very gently, easing into the throttle, monitoring the boost gauge, and trying to build a mental map of the power and torque curves. What I found surprised me. The 3.0-liter flat-six was remarkably tractable at low revs, happy to hum along at 2,000 rpm in top gear, making 45 mph feel like a casual cruise. But once the engine hit 3,500 rpm, the surge of acceleration arrived—a noticeable push as the turbocharger sent 0.8 bar of boost into the intake. It wasn’t the brutal, sledgehammer blow I’d been warned about, but it was undeniably powerful. I learned the trick to smooth progress in the original 930 Turbo: keep the engine spinning above 4,000 rpm to keep the turbocharger energized. Yes, there’s noticeable turbo lag by modern standards, but it’s manageable once you adapt to it. Even after 50 years, this 911 is blisteringly fast on the road today. First gear tops out at 50 mph, second hits 90 mph, and third reaches nearly 130 mph, meaning you can clear most winding two-lane roads using only second and third. And while it might only have 256 hp, it weighs just 2,513 pounds, allowing it to accelerate into and out of corners with ferocity that felt otherworldly half a century ago. The 993-Generation Porsche 911 – The End of an Era For many Porsche purists, the 993 generation remains the last of the true 911s. It’s the car you drive with your knuckles grazing the dashboard, the mechanical symphony of an air-cooled flat-six roaring behind you. But when I first drove it in 1994, the 993 was the 911 of the future, the first to directly challenge the laws of physics. While the 993 still possessed the somewhat lively front-end feel that demanded early steering input and a rear end that communicated every ripple in the pavement, the harmony between the front and rear axles had dramatically improved. The 993 still did all the things that made a 911 a 911, but it did so with a much tighter margin of error. The key innovation was a groundbreaking rear suspension upgrade. Porsche replaced the aging semi-trailing arms with a new multilink setup that allowed for a subtle initial toe-out during corner entry, followed by progressive toe-in as lateral loads increased. This engineering feat effectively eliminated the camber sensitivity that had been the Achilles’ heel of 911s since 1963. It was combined with steering that was 16% quicker, transforming the front end into a sharp, decisive tool. Additionally, a new six-speed manual transmission optimized the use of the 3.6-liter flat-six, which now produced 268 hp at 6,100 rpm thanks to lighter internals, Bosch Motronic 2.0 engine management, and a new dual-exhaust system. Compared to the 964 model it replaced, the 993 was a revolution. It wasn’t just the engineering improvements, led by Ulrich Bez (who later became the head of Aston Martin). The exterior redesign, under the direction of design chief Harm Lagaay, corrected what he viewed as visual flaws in the 964—specifically, the perception of a taller front end and a disproportionately lowered rear. The interior was also cleaner, with fewer buttons scattered randomly. The 993 was faster, more forgiving, and—most importantly—even more desirable than ever before. The 996-Generation Porsche 911 – The Hero That Saved a Company At the time of its launch, the decision to install a water-cooled flat-six in the tail of the 996-series 911 was nothing short of heresy to Porsche aficionados. It was the automotive equivalent of Bob Dylan swapping his acoustic guitar for a Fender Strat at the 1965 Newport Folk Festival. However, the 996, the first clean-sheet redesign of Porsche’s iconic sports car in 34 years, was a hero car to me. It was the 911 that saved the company. Engineered and developed under the direction of Porsche R&D chief Horst Marchart, the 996 was a masterclass in engineering efficiency. It shared 38% of its components with an all-new, less expensive mid-engine roadster known as the Boxster. Porsche’s visionary CEO, Wendelin Weideking, knew the Boxster was essential to provide dealers with something new to sell as the aging 928 and 968 models phased out. As design boss Lagaay later said with a smile, “We did two cars for the price of one-and-a-half.” But while much of the media attention focused on the Boxster relationship and the switch to water cooling, the 996’s true significance runs much deeper. In 1994, it took Porsche 130 hours to build a 993-series 911. The 996, however, could be built in just 60 hours. The modern 911 had arrived: roomier, equipped with all the features expected of a late 20th-century sports car, yet still unmistakably Porsche’s icon. And most importantly, it still drove like a 911. Only better. There was a new level of sophistication in its execution, but the 996 retained the delicious tactility and urgent response that had made the 911 a unique driving machine. Together with the original Boxster, it pulled Porsche back from the brink of extinction. While the 996’s “fried egg” headlights are now a defining feature of its era, the car’s raw talent and importance to Porsche’s legacy remain undeniable. The 991.2-Generation Porsche 911 Carrera – The Pure Driving Experience Out of all the 911s I’ve driven, it was a base 991.2 Carrera that truly stole my heart. It seems I wasn’t alone—the feedback from my colleagues at the time was overwhelmingly positive. Most press fleets are filled with high-spec vehicles loaded with options, presumably because PR teams assume we are impressed by such things. So, Porsche Cars North America’s decision to include a base 911 Carrera among the 991.2 models available for our 2017 MotorTrend Car of the Year testing seemed brave. In truth, it was inspired. The 991.2 introduced a new 3.4-liter turbocharged engine, delivering 370 hp in the base Carrera or 420 hp in the Carrera S. Even in the 370-hp configuration, it produced a broad torque band and impressive fuel efficiency. This base model demonstrated that even on the standard wheel and tire package, the chassis was staggeringly communicative and adjustable. Visually, the 991.2 was a subtle refresh of the larger, skillfully proportioned 991.1, itself a superbly executed interpretation of classic 911 themes that remained both modern and beautiful. The interior also featured a new infotainment system that looked great and was easy to use. Porsche’s PDK dual-clutch automatic remains a benchmark transmission, known for its smooth, precise shifts. However, the seven-speed manual transmission in the no-frills Carrera delighted with a precise, rifle-bolt action that made us all fall in love with driving again. MotorTrend’s testing director at the time, Kim Reynolds, perfectly summed up the Carrera’s visceral appeal: “When all cars