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40 Years of Porsche Perfection: The 5 911s That Define My Career It’s hard to believe four decades have passed since I first gripped the wheel of a Porsche 911. I still remember that first encounter vividly: a crisp, white 3.0-liter Carrera, clad in sleek black Fuchs alloys. It was as pure a 911 as Porsche had ever crafted—no rear wing, no power steering, just a five-speed manual transmission and a chassis that demanded respect. It was fast, thrilling even, but it wasn’t perfect. In fact, in those early days, it made me question what the fuss was all about, especially when tested alongside a 944 Turbo—a car that cost roughly the same in my native Australia at the time, but offered significantly more power and torque with far less drama. I wrote about it extensively back then, admittedly calling the 944 Turbo the superior car. Its performance was a marvel, a masterclass in effortless speed and stability. But the 911 tugged at something deeper. It was a sports car of a different era, a machine that didn’t cater to every whim but instead demanded understanding and engagement. It wasn’t a car designed to flatter the driver; it was a challenge, a partnership. And in the end, it was the 911 I wanted to take home. Over the past 40 years, I’ve driven dozens of 911s, each iteration representing Porsche’s relentless pursuit of refinement and engagement. The 964 was a rare misstep, a moment where the 911 idea seemed to be losing its way. But every other iteration has been a masterclass in evolution, keeping the icon fresh, relevant, and thrilling. Even now, after four decades, the 911 remains one of the few new cars I’d happily spend my own money on. Out of all the incredible Porsches I’ve had the privilege of testing, five stand out as the most memorable. The Original 911 Turbo (1975) When I started my career, seasoned road-test journalists spoke of the original Porsche 911 Turbo in hushed, reverent tones. They called it the “widowmaker,” a car that demanded absolute respect and surgical precision. It was a machine whose power delivery was legendary, a binary surge of boost that transformed the 911’s inherent handling characteristics. Forget the forgiving predictability of the standard Carrera; the 911 Turbo demanded a different level of skill, quick hands, and the courage to handle a car that simply didn’t forgive mistakes. For 35 years, I only experienced it vicariously through others’ accounts. Finally getting behind the wheel of one—a rare, early production model from Porsche’s coveted classic fleet—was a surreal moment. Aware of its fearsome reputation, I approached it with extreme caution. I started slowly, feathering the throttle, trying to map the power delivery in my mind. To my surprise, the engine was remarkably tractable. At 2,000 rpm in top gear, it hummed along at a relaxed 45 mph, a far cry from the savage beast I’d been warned about. But the moment the needle nudged past 3,500 rpm, the turbocharger hissed to life, injecting 0.8 bar of boost into the intake. The expected sledgehammer blow between the shoulder blades never materialized. Instead, I found a linear surge of acceleration that was exhilarating without being terrifying. The secret to driving the original 911 Turbo smoothly, I discovered, was to keep the 3.0-liter flat-six spinning at 4,000 rpm or higher. Yes, the turbo lag was noticeable by modern standards, but it was manageable. Despite being over 50 years old, this 911 remains devastatingly fast. First gear runs to 50 mph, second to 90 mph, and third to nearly 130 mph. This means you can traverse most winding roads using only second and third gears. And while it packs only 256 horsepower, its light weight of just 2,513 pounds allows it to dive into corners with an agility that surprises even today’s benchmarks. It’s a testament to its pure, analog character that a car from half a century ago can still feel so exhilarating and relevant. The 993-Generation Porsche 911 For many Porsche purists, the 993 is the last true 911. It’s the car you drive with your knuckles brushing the dashboard, the air-cooled flat-six a symphony of metallic clatter behind you. But back in 1994, when I first drove it, the 993 was the 911 of the future, the first to fundamentally challenge Isaac Newton’s laws. While it retained the characteristic 911 traits—the “pat-pat-pattery” front end requiring careful loading into corners and that rear-end rhumba through rougher turns—the 993 offered a level of refinement that made it feel worlds apart from its predecessors. The game-changer was the new rear suspension. Replacing the outdated semi-trailing arms with a multi-link setup was nothing short of revolutionary. This architecture allowed for minimal initial toe-out on corner entry, progressively shifting to toe-in as lateral loads increased, all while reducing the camber change that had been the 911’s Achilles’ heel since its inception. This advancement was coupled with a razor-sharp steering ratio—just 2.5 turns lock-to-lock—that made the front end feel incredibly decisive. The addition of a new six-speed manual transmission allowed drivers to extract maximum performance from the updated 3.6-liter flat-six. Thanks to lighter internals, Bosch Motronic 2.0 engine management, and a new dual exhaust system, the engine revved harder, delivering 268 horsepower at 6,100 rpm. Compared to the 964 model it replaced, the 993 was a revelation. Ulrich Bez, the man later appointed head of Aston Martin, led the engineering overhaul. Meanwhile, design chief Harm Lagaay revised the exterior, correcting what he saw as visual flaws in the 964—a front end that was too tall and a rear that felt pulled down. The interior was cleaner, too, with a more logical button layout. The 993 was faster, more forgiving, and, most importantly, more desirable than ever. It was the 911 refined to its peak without losing its soul. The 996-Generation Porsche 911 When Porsche unveiled the 996-series 911, it was heresy. Installing a water-cooled engine in the tail of the legendary air-cooled icon felt like a betrayal to the purists—the automotive equivalent of Bob Dylan swapping his acoustic guitar for a Fender Stratocaster at the 1965 Newport Folk Festival. But the 996, the first clean-sheet redesign of Porsche’s indefatigable sports car in 34 years, was a hero car in my eyes. It was the 911 that saved the company. Engineered and developed under the leadership of Porsche R&D chief Horst Marchart, the 996 was a masterclass in engineering pragmatism. It shared 38 percent of its components with an all-new, mid-engine roadster that would soon become known as the Boxster. Porsche boss Wendelin Wiedeking knew the Boxster was essential; it gave dealers something else to sell when the aging 928 and 968 models were discontinued. “We did two cars for the price of one-and-a-half,” design chief Lagaay quipped after the unveiling. But while the media focused on the water-cooling and the Boxster connection, the 996’s real significance ran much deeper. In 1994, it took Porsche 130 hours to build a 993-series 911. The 996 reduced that to just 60 hours. The modern 911 had arrived. It was roomier, equipped with all the features expected of a late 20th-century sports car, and yet it was still unmistakably a Porsche. Most importantly, it still drove like a 911—only better. There was a new veneer of sophistication, yes, but the 996 retained the delicious tactility and urgent response that had defined the 911 for decades. Alongside the original Boxster, it wasn’t just an improvement; it was a lifeline. It saved Porsche from extinction by proving the icon could evolve and adapt to the demands of a new era without losing its identity. The 991.2-Generation Porsche 911 Carrera Out of all the 911s I’ve ever driven, it was the base 991.2 Carrera that truly stole my heart. Looking back, it’s incredible to think that a production-spec, no-options base model could leave such a lasting impression. Porsche press fleets are typically stacked with high-spec vehicles loaded with options—automotive PRs seem convinced we’re 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