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My Top 5 Porsche 911s After 40 Years Behind the Wheel It’s hard to believe four decades have passed since I first put a Porsche 911 through its paces. The car remains etched in my memory: a pristine white 3.0-liter Carrera, fitted with black Fuchs wheels. It was stripped down—no rear wing, no power steering, a five-speed manual transmission. It was arguably one of the most unadulterated 911s Porsche has ever manufactured. At the time, I found it fast but fundamentally flawed. I recall testing it shortly after I drove a 944 Turbo. In Australia, these two cars cost virtually the same amount. Yet, the 944 Turbo outmatched the 911 in terms of sheer horsepower and torque, effortlessly outpacing its celebrated sibling on any road. Despite this, I found myself hopelessly captivated by the 911. The 911: A Love Affair “After two days and 600 miles,” I wrote, “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 conclusion I arrived at lightly, though. “The 944 Turbo is so competent, it can make a bad driver look good,” I said. “Its soaring, searing performance is superbly counterbalanced by a chassis of astounding ability.” But the 911 tugged at the emotions. “The gloriously imperfect 911 Carrera is a sports car of a different age and reflects different values. It’s not tailored to meet the needs of most drivers. It demands understanding and respect. That’s why I’d take it home.” Since that initial encounter, I’ve driven dozens of 911 variants. With every generation—with the notable exception of the 964, which in the early 1990s hinted that the 911 concept might be nearing its expiration date—I’ve marveled at how Porsche has refined its icon, maintaining relevance, excitement, and engagement. Forty years later, it remains one of the few new cars that I would still consider purchasing with my own savings. Out of all the 911 models I have driven over the past four decades, these five are the most indelible. The Original 911 Turbo (930) While I was testing that 3.0-liter Carrera, seasoned road-test journalists spoke of the original Porsche 911 Turbo with a mix of awe and trepidation. They maintained that it demanded absolute concentration when driven assertively. Its binary boost characteristics turned the traditional 911 tightrope walk between corner-entry understeer and corner-exit oversteer into a demanding maneuver requiring lightning-fast reactions and considerable courage. The 911 Turbo did not forgive errors, nor did it tolerate complacency. It was, they claimed, a widowmaker. It took me 35 years to get behind the wheel of an original 911 Turbo and finally determine the truth. The vehicle I drove was among the first 30 production Turbos ever manufactured, now a cherished part of Porsche’s world-class classic collection. Aware of its imposing reputation, I eased into the experience, testing the throttle and monitoring the boost gauge, trying to build a mental map of the power and torque curves. The engine exhibited remarkable tractability, content to purr along at 2,000 rpm in top gear as the 911 Turbo cruises at a modest 45 mph. However, once the engine reached 3,500 rpm, a perceptible acceleration surge occurred as the turbocharger forced 0.8 bar into the induction system. The cataclysmic impact I had anticipated was notably absent. I quickly discovered that the key to smooth and rapid progression in the original 911 Turbo was keeping the 3.0-liter flat-six spinning above 4,000 rpm to maintain turbocharger responsiveness. While turbo lag is present—and significant by modern standards—it remains manageable. Even today, after more than half a century, this 911 remains an impressively fast car on the road. First gear reaches 50 mph, second gear extends to 90 mph, and third gear allows the driver to approach 130 mph. This means that utilizing only second and third gears is sufficient to obliterate most winding two-lane roads. And while it only produces 256 horsepower, its weight is a mere 2,513 pounds, allowing it to navigate corners with relative ease. A half-century ago, its performance would have seemed otherworldly. The 993-Generation Porsche 911 For Porsche enthusiasts, this model represents the pinnacle—the final iteration of the authentic 911 lineage. It is the 911 that places the driver’s knuckles on the dashboard while the roar of an air-cooled flat-six echoes from the rear. However, back in 1994, when I first drove it, the 993 was positioned as the 911 of the future, the first model to challenge the established laws of physics. Undeniably, the 993 still featured the responsive front end that required precise loading during corner entry to ensure accuracy through apexes, and the rear end maintained its lively gait over rougher turns. However, there was a significantly greater degree of harmony between the front and rear. The 993 performed all the signature 911 maneuvers but within a vastly improved performance envelope. The key innovation was a redesigned rear suspension. It replaced the traditional semi-trailing arms with a new multi-link system that enabled minute initial toe-out during corner entry, followed by progressive toe-in as lateral forces increased. This design simultaneously mitigated the camber variation that had been the 911’s Achilles’ heel since its 1963 debut. This improvement was coupled with a revised steering system. With only 2.5 turns from lock to lock, it was 16% quicker, imparting a much more decisive feel to the front end. Furthermore, the 993 introduced a new six-speed manual transmission, effectively utilizing the 3.6-liter flat-six. The engine generated a more vigorous response, reaching its peak power output of 268 hp at 6,100 rpm, thanks to lighter internal components, a Bosch Motronic 2.0 engine management system, and a new dual exhaust system. Compared to the 964 model it replaced, the 993 was a revelation. It wasn’t merely about the engineering improvements, implemented under the leadership of Ulrich Bez, who later headed Aston Martin. The exterior restyling, directed by design chief Harm Lagaay, addressed aesthetic flaws in the 964. Lagaay perceived the 964 as having an overly tall front and a drooping rear. The interior was also more streamlined, featuring fewer buttons scattered erratically throughout the cabin. The 993 was faster and more forgiving than any previous 911. More importantly, it was also significantly more desirable. The 996-Generation Porsche 911 At the time of its release, it was considered heresy. Porsche’s decision to equip the 996-series 911 with a water-cooled flat-six engine was, for aficionados, the automotive equivalent of Bob Dylan abandoning his six-string acoustic guitar and electrifying his sound at the 1965 Newport Folk Festival. Nevertheless, the 996, the first comprehensive redesign of Porsche’s indefatigable sports car in 34 years, was a heroic achievement in my estimation. It was the 911 that saved Porsche. Engineered and developed under the guidance of Porsche R&D director Horst Marchart, the 996 was a masterstroke of efficiency. It shared 38% of its components with an all-new, more affordable mid-engine roadster that the world would come to know as the Boxster. Iconoclastic Porsche leader Wendelin Wiedeking understood the necessity of the Boxster to provide dealers with an additional product to sell when the aging 928 and 968 models were discontinued. “We essentially created two cars for the price of one and a half,” design chief Lagaay noted with a smile after the company unveiled the 996. While media attention focused on the Boxster relationship and the water-cooled engine, the 996’s true significance ran far deeper. In 1994, the production of a 993-series 911 required 130 hours; the 996, in contrast, took only 60 hours to build. The modern 911 had arrived. It was roomier and equipped with all the amenities expected of a late 20th-century sports car, yet it remained unmistakably Porsche’s icon. Most importantly, it still drove like a 911. Only better. There was undoubtedly a new layer of sophistication to its execution, but the 996 retained the exquisite tactility and urgent responsiveness that had established the 911 as a sports car unlike any other. In conjunction with the original Boxster, it effectively saved Porsche from extinction. The 991.2-Generation Porsche