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Here is a fresh article in English, about 2000 words long, written from the perspective of a long-time Porsche expert, while keeping the original idea intact and avoiding plagiarism. The 911 Pantheon: 5 Milestones in Four Decades of Driving Porsche’s Icon For automotive journalists, the Porsche 911 isn’t just a car; it’s a benchmark. It’s the yardstick against which every other sports car is measured. Forty years ago, I first got behind the wheel of a 911, and four decades later, it’s still one of the few cars I’d genuinely buy myself. In that time, Porsche has somehow managed to reinvent this icon without breaking it, keeping it relevant, exciting, and utterly engaging. I recall my first 911 well—a stark white 3.0-liter Carrera with those unmistakable black Fuchs alloys. It was raw: no rear wing, no power steering, and a five-speed manual. At the time, I was testing it alongside a 944 Turbo. In Australia, the 944 Turbo cost almost the same as the Carrera, and frankly, it was faster. It was easier to drive quickly and more confidence-inspiring over a winding road. But even then, I felt the allure of the 911. “I know the 944 Turbo is the better car,” I wrote back then, “but if I had to spend my own money, I’d take the 911 home.” The 944 was competent, making any driver look good, but the 911 was different. It demanded respect and understanding. It was a sports car from a different era, imperfect but thrilling. Since that first encounter, I’ve driven dozens of 911s. Barring the 964, which felt like a slight misstep in the early ’90s, Porsche has consistently polished this legend. But out of all the 911s that have graced my driveway over the past 40 years, only a handful have truly stood out. Here are the five most memorable Porsche 911s I’ve ever driven. The 1975 Porsche 930 Turbo: The Widowmaker Myth Debunked When I first experienced the original Porsche 911 Turbo, veteran road-testers spoke of it in hushed, fearful tones. The word “widowmaker” was often used, suggesting a car that demanded absolute respect and punished mistakes severely. It wasn’t until about 35 years after its debut that I got behind the wheel of the original Turbo and found out the truth. I drove one of the very first 30 production Turbos ever built, now a prized exhibit in Porsche’s classic fleet. Aware of its daunting reputation, I started cautiously. I was trying to understand the power delivery, gently testing the throttle and watching the tachometer. The engine was surprisingly tractable at low RPMs. Cruising at 45 mph in top gear, it felt smooth. But when the engine hit 3,500 RPM, the turbocharger would spool up and deliver a solid surge of torque. It was certainly noticeable, but it wasn’t the violent shove I’d been warned about. The key to driving the original 911 Turbo smoothly is to keep the engine revving above 4,000 RPM. Yes, there’s turbo lag—and it’s obvious by today’s standards—but it’s manageable. Even now, this 911 is blisteringly fast. First gear takes you to 50 mph, second to 90 mph, and third to nearly 130 mph. This means you can destroy a winding country road using only second and third gear. And while its 256 hp might not sound like much on paper, it weighs only 2,513 pounds, allowing it to corner with agility. Back in its day, this performance was simply otherworldly. The 1996 Porsche 911 (993): The Last of the Air-Cooled Kings For purists, the 993 is the definitive 911. It’s the car that truly embodies the spirit of the air-cooled era. It’s the car you drive with your knuckles grazing the dashboard as the raw, metallic roar of the engine fills the cabin. But when it launched in 1994, the 993 was anything but retro. It was Porsche pushing the boundaries of what was possible with rear-engine engineering. The front end still had that classic 911 feel, requiring you to load the suspension on corner entry to hit the apex, and the rear end still danced through bumpy turns. However, there was a much better sense of harmony between the front and rear. The 993 still performed 911 duties, but within a much safer margin. The real revolution was the new rear suspension. Porsche replaced the semi-trailing arms with a new multi-link setup. This allowed for subtle initial toe-out during corner entry and then progressive toe-in as lateral forces increased, while dramatically reducing the camber change that had plagued 911s since 1963. This was paired with a quicker steering ratio—2.5 turns lock-to-lock, 16% faster than the previous model—making the front end feel much sharper. A new six-speed manual transmission handled the revised 3.6-liter flat-six, which now revved higher thanks to lighter internals, a Bosch Motronic 2.0 engine management system, and a new dual exhaust. Compared to the 964 model it replaced, the 993 was a revelation. It wasn’t just the engineering, led by Ulrich Bez, who would later head Aston Martin. The redesign, overseen by Harm Lagaay, fixed the visual shortcomings of the 964, a car Lagaay felt was too tall at the front and “pulled down” at the rear. The interior was cleaner, too, with fewer buttons scattered haphazardly. The 993 was faster and more forgiving than ever before. And most importantly, it was more desirable. The 1999 Porsche 911 (996): The Water-Cooled Heresy that Saved Porsche At the time of its launch, the decision to switch to a water-cooled flat-six in the 996-series 911 was seen by many as heresy. For Porsche enthusiasts, it felt like Bob Dylan ditching his acoustic guitar for a Fender electric at the 1965 Newport Folk Festival. However, the 996—the first ground-up redesign of Porsche’s iconic sports car in 34 years—was, to me, a hero car. It was the 911 that saved Porsche. Developed under the leadership of R&D chief Horst Marchart, the 996 was a clever piece of engineering. It shared 38% of its components with a new, less expensive mid-engine roadster known as the Boxster. Porsche CEO Wendelin Wiedeking understood that the Boxster was essential to give dealers something to sell after the aging 928 and 968 models were discontinued. “We built two cars for the price of one-and-a-half,” design director Harm Lagaay noted with a smile after the reveal. But while the media focused on the Boxster connection and the water-cooled engine, the 996’s true story was about efficiency and modernity. In 1994, building a 993-series 911 took 130 hours; the 996 took just 60. The modern 911 had arrived. It was roomier, equipped with all the features expected of a late 20th-century sports car, yet still recognizably a 911. Most importantly, it still drove like a 911. Only better. It had a new veneer of sophistication in how it handled business, but the 996 retained the tactile feel and urgent response that made the 911 unique. Along with the original Boxster, it pulled Porsche back from the brink of financial ruin. The 2017 Porsche 911 Carrera (991.2): The Perfect Base Model Out of all the 911s I’ve driven, a base-spec 991.2 Carrera truly stole my heart. It seems it stole everyone else’s too, judging by the feedback from colleagues at the time. Press fleets are often loaded with high-spec vehicles laden with options, which manufacturers mistakenly believe impress us. So Porsche Cars North America’s decision to include a base 911 Carrera among the roster for our 2017 MotorTrend Car of the Year testing was a bold move. In reality, though, it was an inspired one. The 991.2 introduced a new 3.4-liter turbocharged engine, offering 370 hp in the base model or 420 hp in the Carrera S. Even in its 370-hp trim, the engine delivered a broad torque band and impressive fuel efficiency. This Carrera also proved that even on the standard wheel and tire setup, the chassis was staggeringly communicative and adjustable. Visually, the 991.2 was a subtle refinement of the larger, skillfully proportioned 991.1—a superb interpretation of classic