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| 50 Years of Porsche 911 |
For five decades, the 911 has been the heart of the Porsche brand.
Few other automobiles in the world can look back on such a long
tradition and with such genuine continuity as the Porsche 911. It has
been inspiring car enthusiasts the world over since its debut as the
Type 901 at the IAA International Automotive Show in September 1963.
Today it is considered the quintessential sports car, the benchmark for
all others. The 911 is also the central point of reference for all other
Porsche series. From the Cayenne to the Panamera, every Porsche is the
most sporting automobile in its category, and each one carries a piece
of the 911 philosophy.
More than 820,000 Porsche 911s have been built, making it one of the
most successful sports cars in the world. For each of its seven
generations the engineers in Zuffenhausen and Weissach have reinvented
it, time and time again demonstrating to the world the innovative power
of the Porsche brand. Like no other vehicle, the 911 reconciles apparent
contradictions such as sportiness and everyday practicality, tradition
and innovation, exclusivity and social acceptance, design and
functionality. It is no wonder that each generation has written its own
personal success story. Ferry Porsche best described its unique
qualities: “The 911 is the only car you could drive on an African safari
or at Le Mans, to the theater or through New York City traffic.”
In addition to its classic yet unique lines, the Porsche 911 has
always been distinguished by its advanced technology. Many of the ideas
and technologies that made their debut in the Porsche 911 were conceived
on the race track. The 911 was committed to the performance principle
from the start, and motor racing is its most important test lab. From
the very beginning it has been at home on circuits all over the world,
earning a reputation as a versatile and dependable winner. Indeed, a
good two thirds of Porsche's 30,000 race victories to date were notched
up by the 911.
How Porsche celebrates the anniversary
For Porsche, the 50th anniversary of this iconic sports car is the
central theme of 2013. There will be a wide variety of anniversary
events, starting with the “Retro Classics” automobile show in Stuttgart.
From March 7-10 the Porsche Museum will ring in the anniversary year
with four special exhibits: an early-model 911 Turbo Coupe, a 911
Cabriolet study from 1981, a 1997 street version 911 GT1 and the
pre-series Type 754 T7. This chassis by Professor Ferdinand Alexander
Porsche was a milestone on the way to the 911 design.
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| Ferdinand Alexander Porsche |
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The company is also sending an authentic 1967 model 911 on a world
tour. Over the course of the year, this vintage 911 will travel to five
continents where it will be shown in places like Pebble Beach, Calif.,
Shanghai, Goodwood, U.K., Paris and Australia. As an ambassador for the
Porsche brand, this vintage 911 will be in attendance at many
international fairs, historical rallies and motor sport events. Fans and
interested individuals can follow the car’s progress at
http://porsche.com/follow-911.
The Porsche Museum is celebrating “50 years of the Porsche 911” from
June 4 - Sept. 29, 2013, with a special exhibition featuring the history
and development of the 911. In the spring the museum’s own publishing
house, Edition Porsche-Museum, will publish an anniversary edition
entitled “911x911.”
The generations
The First 911 (1963) - Birth of a Legend
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| The First 911 |
As the successor to the Porsche 356, the 911 won the hearts of sports
car enthusiasts from the outset. The prototype was first unveiled at
the Frankfurt IAA Motor Show in 1963 as the 901, and renamed the 911 for
its market launch in 1964. Its air-cooled six-cylinder boxer engine
delivered 130 hp, giving it an impressive top speed of 131 mph.
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| The First 911, Owned by Jerry Seinfeld |
If you
wanted to take things a little slower, starting in 1965 you could also
opt for the four-cylinder Porsche 912. In 1966 Porsche presented the 160
hp 911 S, which was the first to feature forged alloy wheels from
Fuchs. The 911 Targa, with its distinctive stainless steel roll bar,
made its debut in late 1966 as the world's first ever safety cabriolet.
The semiautomatic Sportomatic four-speed transmission joined the lineup
in 1967. With the 911T of the same year, and the later E and S variants,
Porsche became the first German manufacturer to comply with strict US
exhaust emission control regulations. The Porsche 911 became more and
more powerful as displacement increased, initially to 2.2 liters (1969)
and later to 2.4 (1971).
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| Porsche RS 2.7 at Beverly Hills Porsche |
The 911 Carrera RS 2.7 of 1972 with 210 hp
engine and weighing less than 1000 kg remains the epitome of a dream car
to this day. Its characteristic “ducktail” was the world's first rear
spoiler on a production vehicle.
The G-Series (1973) - The Second Generation
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| Porsche 930 Turbo at Sloan Cars |
Ten years after its premiere, the engineers at Porsche gave the 911
its first thorough makeover. The G model was produced from 1973 to 1989,
longer than any other 911 generation. It featured prominent bellows
bumpers, an innovation designed to meet the latest crash test standards
in the United States. Occupant protection was further improved by
three-point safety belts as standard equipment, as well as integrated
headrests. One of the most important milestones in the 911 saga was the
1974 unveiling of the first Porsche 911 Turbo with a three-liter 260 hp
engine and enormous rear spoiler. With its unique blend of luxury and
performance, the Turbo became synonymous with the Porsche mystique. The
next performance jump came in 1977 with the intercooler-equipped 911
Turbo 3.3. At 300 hp it was the best in its class. In 1983 the naturally
aspirated 911 Carrera superseded the SC; with a 3.2 liter 231 hp
engine, it became a favorite collectors’ item. Starting in 1982, fresh
air enthusiasts could also order the 911 as a Cabriolet. The 911 Carrera
Speedster, launched in 1989, was evocative of the legendary 356 of the
fifties.
The 964 (1988) - Classic Modern
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| Porsche 964 RS America in Beverly Hills |
Just when automotive experts were predicting the imminent end of an
era, in 1988 Porsche came out with the 911 Carrera 4 (964). After 15
years of production, the 911 platform was radically renewed with 85
percent new components, giving Porsche a modern and sustainable vehicle.
Its air-cooled 3.6 liter boxer engine delivered 250 hp. Externally,
the 964 differed from its predecessors only slightly, in its aerodynamic
polyurethane bumpers and automatically extending rear spoiler, but
internally it was almost completely different. The new model was
designed to captivate drivers not only with sporty performance but also
with enhanced comfort. It came with ABS, Tiptronic, power steering, and
airbags, and rode on a completely redesigned chassis with light alloy
control arms and coil springs instead of the previous torsion-bar
suspension. A revolutionary member of the new 911 line right from the
start was the all-wheel drive Carrera 4 model. In addition to Carrera
Coupé, Cabriolet and Targa versions, starting in 1990 customers could
also order the 964 Turbo. Initially powered by the proven 3.3 liter
boxer engine, in 1992 the Turbo was upgraded to a more powerful 360 hp
3.6 liter power plant. Today, the 964 Carrera RS, 911 Turbo S, and 911
Carrera 2 Speedster are in particularly high demand among collectors.
The 993 (1993) - The Last Air-Cooled Models
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| Last and First 911 Air Cooled from the Jerry Seinfeld Collection |
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The 911 with the internal design number 993 remains the one true love
of many a Porsche driver. The remarkably pleasing design has much to do
with this. The integrated bumpers underscore the smooth elegance of its
styling. The front section is lower-slung than on the earlier models,
made possible by a switch from round to polyellipsoid headlights. The
993 quickly gained a reputation for exceptional dependability and
reliability. It was also agile, as the first 911 with a newly designed
aluminum chassis. The Turbo version was the first to have a bi-turbo
engine, giving it the lowest-emission stock automotive powertrain in the
world in 1995. The hollow-spoke aluminum wheels, never before used on
any car, were yet another innovation of the all-wheel drive Turbo
version. The Porsche 911 GT2 was aimed at the sports car purist who
cherished the thrill of high speeds. An electric glass roof that slid
under the rear window was one of the innovations of the 911 Targa. But
the real reason dyed-in-the-wool Porsche enthusiasts still revere the
993 is that this model, produced from 1993 to 1998, was the last 911
with an air-cooled engine.
The 996 (1997) - Water-Cooled
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| Porsche 996 at Beverly Hills Porsche |
The 996, which rolled off the assembly line from 1997 to 2005,
represented a major turning point in the history of the 911. It retained
all the character of its classic heritage, but was an entirely new
automobile. This comprehensively redesigned generation was the first to
be driven by a water-cooled boxer engine. Thanks to its four-valve
cylinder heads it achieved 300 hp and broke new ground in terms of
reduced emissions, noise, and fuel consumption. The exterior design was a
reinterpretation of the 911's classic line, but with a lower drag
coefficient (cW) of 0.30. The lines of the 996 were also a result of
component sharing with Porsche’s successful Boxster model. Its most
obvious exterior feature were the headlights with integrated turn
signals, at first controversial but later copied by many other
manufacturers. On the inside, drivers experienced an entirely new
cockpit. Driving comfort now also played a greater role alongside the
typical sporty characteristics. With the 996 Porsche launched an
unprecedented product offensive with a whole series of new variations.
The 911 GT3 became one of the highlights of the model range in 1999,
keeping the tradition of the Carrera RS alive. The 911 GT2, the first
car equipped with ceramic brakes as standard, was marketed as an extreme
sports vehicle starting in the fall of 2000.
The 997 (2004) - Classicism and Modernity
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| Porsche 997 GT3 RS at Beverly Hills Porsche |
In July 2004 Porsche unveiled the new generation 911 Carrera and 911
Carrera S models, referred to internally as the 997. The clear oval
headlights with separate blinkers in the front apron were a visual
return to older 911 models, but the 997 offered more than just style. It
was a high-performance vehicle, with a 3.6 liter boxer engine that
turned out 325 hp while the new 3.8 liter engine of the Carrera S
managed an incredible 355 hp. The chassis was also substantially
reworked, and the Carrera S came with Porsche Active Suspension
Management as standard equipment. In 2006 Porsche introduced the 911
Turbo, the first gasoline-powered production automobile to include a
turbocharger with variable turbine geometry. A model update in the fall
of 2008 made the 997 even more efficient thanks to direct fuel injection
and a dual clutch transmission. Never before had the 911 series made
such extensive allowances to suit drivers’ individual preferences, and
with Carrera, Targa, Cabriolet, rear or all-wheel drive, Turbo, GTS,
special models, and road versions of GT racing cars, the 911 family
ultimately comprised 24 model versions.
The 991 (2011) – Refined by Experience
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| The new 991 at Beverly Hills Porsche *photo by Jens Lucking |
This car, known internally as the 991, represents the greatest
technical leap in the evolution of the 911. Already the class benchmark
for decades, the new 911 generation raised performance and efficiency to
new levels. A totally new suspension with a longer wheelbase, wider
track, larger tires and an ergonomically optimized interior – it all
adds up to an even sportier yet more comfortable driving experience.
Technically, the 911 is the epitome of Porsche Intelligent Performance -
even lower fuel consumption, even higher performance. This is due in
part to the smaller 3.4 liter displacement in the Carrera basic model
(yet developing 5 hp more than the 997/II), and to its hybrid
steel/aluminum construction, which significantly reduces curb weight.
Other innovations include Porsche Dynamic Chassis Control (PDCC) and the
world’s first seven-gear manual transmission. The design of the 991 has
likewise met with high critical acclaim. With its flat, stretched
silhouette, exciting contours, and precisely designed details, the
seventh generation of the Porsche 911 Carrera remains unmistakably a 911
that has once again succeeded in redefining the standard for automobile
design. It is the best 911 of all time – until the next generation.
To find out more about the Porsche 911 visit
us at 8425 Wilshire Blvd. Just one block east of La Cienega in the City
of Beverly Hills.
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