From the November 2013 Issue of Car and Driver

JAMES LIPMAN, MICHAEL SIMARI, THE MANUFACTURER

2012 Porsche 911 Carrera S vs. Chevrolet Corvette Z06, Nissan GT-R: A refreshed 996, the 997 brings back many of the air-cooled 993’s design cues. Adaptive dampers and variable-ratio steering launch the 911 into the technological era. A mid-cycle refresh for 2009 adds direct injection, a quick-shifting dual-clutch PDK gearbox, and active engine mounts a year later.

JAMES LIPMAN, MICHAEL SIMARI, THE MANUFACTURER

2005 Porsche 911 Carrera S: The first new 911 platform since 1965 is larger in every dimension; no major body panels or structural parts are shared with its predecessor. In fact, many parts are obviously common to the Boxster. Increasingly stringent emissions and fuel-efficiency requirements bring an end to the air-cooled engine.

JAMES LIPMAN, MICHAEL SIMARI, THE MANUFACTURER

1999 Porsche 911 Carrera vs. 1999 Chevrolet Corvette: The last of the air-cooled Porsches, known as the 993, receives new bodywork, but the multilink rear suspension is the great leap forward. Smaller leaps include the six-speed manual, hydraulic valve lifters, more power, flush windows, and a simplified four-wheel drive for the Carrera 4.

JAMES LIPMAN, MICHAEL SIMARI, THE MANUFACTURER

1995 Porsche 911 Carrera: Known internally as the 964, a new, four-wheel-drive 911 Carrera 4 arrives in 1989. The rear-drive Carrera 2 follows a year later, along with a new optional automatic transmission. Easier to drive, quicker, and more aerodynamic than its predecessors, the 964 is a major step in the 911’s evolution.

JAMES LIPMAN, MICHAEL SIMARI, THE MANUFACTURER

1990 Porsche 911 Carrera 4: With the advent of the front-engined 928, the 1978 3.0-liter SC generation with 172 horsepower is meant to be the last 911, but happy customers, strong sales, and sparkling performance keep the rear-engined Porsche alive. Instead of dying, the SC blossoms into the quick and reliable 3.2-liter Carrera.

JAMES LIPMAN, MICHAEL SIMARI, THE MANUFACTURER

1978 Porsche 911 SC: The 1974 cars represent a major evolution with their regulation-required aluminum bumpers, Bosch K-Jetronic fuel injection, and larger 2.7-liter engines.

JAMES LIPMAN, MICHAEL SIMARI, THE MANUFACTURER

1974 Porsche 911 vs. 911S Targa, 911S Carrera: To improve the 911’s handling, Porsche lengthens the wheelbase with longer semi-trailing arms. Fuel injection and increases in displacement culminate in the 210-hp 1973 Carrera RS 2.7, which isn’t officially sold to U.S. buyers.

JAMES LIPMAN, MICHAEL SIMARI, THE MANUFACTURER

1969 Porsche 912 vs. 911T Targa, 911E, 911S: In the early 1960s, the Porsche 356 is seen as yesterday’s car, obviously the product of another era. Its successor needs to be thoroughly modern without deviating from the small, lightweight, rear-engine ethos that built Porsche’s reputation. Fifty years later, it’s clear that Porsche hit the mark.

1963 Porsche Type 901: Yes, 33 years ago in the pages of this magazine, I called the 911 an “ass-engined Nazi slot car.” I apologize. Not that the 911’s powerplant doesn’t loom behind its transaxle. And not that the 911’s progenitor, Ferry Porsche, wasn’t a utility infielder on the wrong team during the last World War. And not that a mistaken lift of a 911’s throttle won’t result in Aurora Plastics model-racetrack ess-bend behavior, except in 1:1 scale taking out the whole back wall of the hobby shop. Besides, to be precise, I was referring to a 930 Turbo, with love-handle fenders and looking like it had backed into a cocktail waitress and driven off with her serving tray. But I’m sorry.

I’d never driven a 911. I wasn’t a real automotive journalist. David E. Davis Jr. found me wandering the halls at National Lampoon. I’d had about three assignments, such as trying to pilot a Formula Ford around Sears Point, with hobby-shop results.

Then I drove a 911. It didn’t seem sinister. Although there was the excitement of a slight threat even when the car was conducting itself peacefully—an armed neutrality to its handling. And it tempted me to believe I could drive. The 911 was permissive with my short-shrift shifting, added a dragster chute to my tardy braking, and cornered like it knew where the apex was while I was having apoplexy looking for it.

Contributor P.J. O’Rourke owns and continues to be charmed by his own 911, a 964 from 1990. JAMES LIPMAN, MICHAEL SIMARI, THE MANUFACTURER

The 911 is the race car that can be driven by someone who can’t. Me, for instance—so I bought a 1990 Carrera with 3000 miles on it from a dentist in Illinois who had scared the bejabbers out of himself and got a Lexus coupe.

The 911 doesn’t scare me. Much. The evil genius suspension managing the 911’s rear weight bias makes false promises of immunity to the potholes, frost heaves, and moose-carcass remains that litter New England highways. I’m lured into racetrack behavior on dogtrot roads.

The moose-crossing signs say slow down. “Speed up,” the 911 coaxes in a voice so seductive I don’t notice that 140 mph has turned the lazy bends of I-89 into the Nouvelle Chicane at Monte Carlo.

And it’s such a comfortable car. Too quiet and cushy inside to let you feel like you’re violating every traffic injunction in America. Climate control is Cadillac-worthy. The seats beguile my aging back. The interior is as cozy as a visit home to mom. She has a meth lab in my old bedroom.

JAMES LIPMAN, MICHAEL SIMARI, THE MANUFACTURER

Porsche showed the landmark Type 901 at the 1963 Frankfurt show, yet the production 911 didn’t roll off the Zuffenhausen assembly line until 1964. Ford had just introduced the Mustang. By comparison the 911 looked like the product of NASA’s Apollo program.

A pristine early 911 can be a six-figure collectible today. As such, many enthusiasts have never had the opportunity to slide behind the thin, wooden wheel of a short-wheelbase 911 or discover just how contemporary is its performance, especially the 180-hp S model. In theory, its 6.5-second zero-to-60 mph time is barely quick enough to outrun a four-cylinder Honda Accord, but in today’s world, a 911S is eminently capable of dicing with traffic.

Advances: 148-hp 2.0-liter SOHC flat-six, five-speed transmission, rack-and-pinion steering, four-wheel disc brakes, optional Fuchs forged aluminum wheels (1966); the not-quite-a-convertible Targa debuts (1967); 180-hp 911S arrives in 1967 Problem Areas: Rust in battery tray, shock towers, torsion-bar mounts, and unibody; fussy Solex carburetors; fragile camshaft-chain tensioners.

Used Values

1965 Porsche 911 Excellent: $52,500

1966-68 911 Excellent: $33,250

Targa, +15%; L, +16%; L Targa, +33%;

S, +279%; S Targa, +336%

The original 911 has enough suspension travel to be comfortable. You sit up straight in the roomy cockpit, the disciplined posture dictated by manual steering and brakes that take more effort than we’re accustomed to today. There is a heightened sense of awareness in driving an early 911, as if the chassis were tuned by Timothy Leary. The car is alive, writhing beneath you as felt through the well-padded seat bottom and even the car’s floorpan. The narrow, 15-inch radials broadcast their arias and arpeggios from the front end to the steering wheel in full-fidelity stereophonic sound. Shifting the dogleg five-speed is as satisfying as a well-struck hammer blow, the long throws of this instrument providing ample opportunity to savor the pitch of the floor-mounted clutch and gas pedals.

An original 911 does not feel like an old car, but rather a young one—an immature version of the 911 that still amazes today.

JAMES LIPMAN, MICHAEL SIMARI, THE MANUFACTURER

It’s an unfiltered Camel, a hitchhiker in front of a prison, a lump of steak tartare with a raw egg on top. It is pure and it is dangerous, this second iteration of the 911.

There’s a widely held belief among Porschephiles that Stuttgart’s cars only start becoming great on their second take. Look at the 928S versus the first 928, or the second water-cooled 911, the 997, versus the 996. Perhaps it’s the old racer’s notion permeating this competition-obsessed company that there’s never enough time to do it right the first time but there’s always time to do it again. The second 911 is when the car begins to turn knuckles white when it begins scaling the Alps of performance.

Advances: Bosch fuel injection, Sportomatic semi-automatic transmission, 5.5-inch wheels (one inch wider), "ducktail" spoiler, front spoiler, optional glass rear window on Targa, magnesium crankcase, optional hydro-pneumatic shocks Problem Areas: Rust (everywhere), oil leaks, camshaft-chain tensioners fail, unreliable Sportomatic transmission, cylinder-head studs break.

Used Values

1969-71 Porsche 911T Excellent: $59,375

T Targa, +15%; E, +56%; E Targa, +79%;

S, +119%; S Targa, +154%

1972-73 Porsche 911T Excellent: $74,100

T Targa, +7%; E, +42%; E Targa, +52%;

S, +84%; S Targa, +97%

Here the 911 first strained against the physical limits of its power-packed fundament, using muscles developed on racetracks and rally stages. Porsche stretched the car’s wheelbase, beefed up the brakes, flared the fenders to house wider wheels, and began bumping engine displacement year by year, folding in fuel injection for the entire range of T, E, and S models. It was evolving toward something that would only be fully expressed in the Turbo, but you can feel it here, in this car. The drum-tight structure with its roll axis a hand’s height off the pavement. The way your feet summon heavy cosmic forces. The fierce metallic wail of the thing. It’s not hard to see why these are the 911s everyone wants. It’s not easy or without consequence, that feeling.

JAMES LIPMAN, MICHAEL SIMARI, THE MANUFACTURER

Despite the modernized appearance—basically unchanged through 1989—and plusher interior finish, these mid-’70s 911s retained the elemental sensations of the earlier “long-nose” cars. And even with their upgrades, the 1974 to 1977 models still had unassisted controls and few creature comforts. The windows cranked by hand and, despite fuel injection, you had to adjust a hand throttle to keep a cold engine running. You were involved with the machinery whether you wanted to be or not.

With a mere 143 horsepower, this base 911 can hit 60 in 6.1 seconds with a wheel-spinning clutch drop. Such wonders are enabled by a curb weight of 2470 pounds, but the car doesn’t feel quick compared with most modern cars. If you’re in a hurry, you need to row the gearbox to keep the engine above 4000 rpm. The feel of the large steering wheel constantly changes as you drive, from fairly dead at low speeds to an on-center springiness on the highway. It’s surprisingly heavy in hard cornering.

Advances: 2.7-liter six with Bosch K-Jetronic fuel injection, new styling with 5-mph bumpers, aluminum rear-suspension arms, "whale-tail" spoiler and staggered tires become options, galvanized body from '76 on, 14-inch-wheel option offers a soft ride, power brakes arrive in '77 Problem Areas: Oil leaks, head studs fail, camshaft-chain tensioner fails, rust (until 1976), weak first- and second-gear synchros, leaky fuel lines and brake master cylinder, engine may run hot with five-blade fan used on certain models.

Used Values

1974-77 Porsche 911S Excellent: $25,200

911, -36%; 911 Targa, -32%;

S Targa, +6%; Carrera, +51%;

Carrera Targa, +60%

You don’t have to push hard to find the lift-throttle oversteer. If you’re making the tires howl in a corner, even a quarter-inch lift of the gas will kick out the tail. Experienced drivers learned to start their countersteering correction as they lifted. Though the throttle wants a delicate touch, the unassisted brakes require a heavy push.

The combination of the upright driving position and tall greenhouse makes for great all-around visibility. Ergonomically, the car is a mess, with randomly placed buttons and switches, an uneven bump in the floor for a dead pedal, and a shifter that hits the seat cushion in second gear. But this 911 never lets you forget that it’s a machine that forces you to be fully committed before it will deliver its best.

JAMES LIPMAN, MICHAEL SIMARI, THE MANUFACTURER

The air-cooled heart of the ’84 Carrera paired the 911 Turbo’s longer stroke with the SC’s existing bore. Porsche added Bosch Motronic engine management to the 3.2-liter, which made it incredibly reliable. In the U.S., the engine’s output was 200 horsepower, later bumped to 214.

When new in 1984, the 149-mph 3.2 Carrera was the fastest production car we tested that year (not counting the 160-mph gray-market Lamborghini Countach 5000S) and delivered 60 mph in an eye-opening 5.3 seconds.

Sliding into a 3.2 Carrera is a backward glance to an earlier time. The pillars are mere toothpicks next to a modern 911’s, and the doors close with a solid thunk that a new 911 can’t duplicate. A compact cabin is a reminder of the 911’s 1960s roots, but even today, a 3.2 Carrera such as this 1986 Turbo-bodied convertible has the acceleration of a modern sports car.

Advances: '78 SC: Receives a 172-hp 3.0-liter flat-six, catalytic converter, aluminum replaces magnesium for the crankcase, Sportomatic discontinued, optional staggered 16-inch Pirelli P7 tires, convertible arrives in 1983 '84 Carrera: Flat-six enlarged to 3.2 liters and 200 horsepower, later 214 horsepower; Motronic engine management and fuel-injection system; M491 option adds Turbo's body and chassis; M505 option adds slant nose; the more durable G50 five-speed transaxle debuts in '87 Problem Areas: Oil leaks, weak first- and second-gear synchros up to '87, fuel-line leaks, brake master-cylinder leaks, 85-mph speedometers (1980-82), alternator fails (1982-89).

Used Values

1978-83 Porsche 911SC Excellent: $23,650

$26,000 Targa, +4%; Cabriolet, +10%

1984-89 911 Carrera Excellent: $26,000

$26,375 Targa, +3%; Cabriolet, +10%;

Speedster, +304%

In this 27-year-old 911, the firm brakes feel nearly perfect. Each nanometer of travel brings a corresponding amount of stopping power, though the rest of the controls take some adjustment. Steering these unassisted, fat-tired 911s is an arm-wrestling match. As the limit approaches, you either have the muscle to keep steering or you concede to the car and back off your pace. The shifter and awkwardly mounted pedals also feel unfamiliar. Rushing a shift will only make you and the gearbox unhappy, and a casual heel-toe downshift is simply not happening.

These 911s have the same learning curve and long list of don’ts as their forebears, but the speeds and the handling limits are higher. You’re left to rely on your wits, muscles, and coordination to master them. These cars are from a time just before the effects of regulations and computer assistance began making life safer and easier for sports-car drivers. The 964 would usher in the next era.

JAMES LIPMAN, MICHAEL SIMARI, THE MANUFACTURER

Beware the purists; they will always steer you wrong. They will tell you that the Porsche 964, the result of the first major mechanical modernization of the 911, was a heretic. It was, the legend goes, a bastardization of the 911 concept, with power steering, four-wheel drive, and—gasp!—an available automatic transmission. The purists are dead wrong. The bug-eyed, trim-rumped 964 is, in fact, a sweet spot, roughly halfway between the charming, clattering vintage 911s and the modern car the model has become. And the later 964s didn’t even leak very much engine oil on owners’ driveways.

The power-assisted steering bristles with life, buzzing and vibrating and feeling positively fabulous by modern standards. The brake pedal is firm underfoot. The flat-topped shift lever demands a firm shove. Nothing you touch in this car could be described as lightweight. Nothing is sanitized for your protection. It doesn’t seek to hide its mechanical nature. It celebrates it. Even the door handle “ka-chunks” in a satisfying way.

Advances: 247-hp 3.6-liter flat-six; restyled exterior; Tiptronic four-speed automatic transmission; four-wheel drive; anti-lock brakes; coil springs; power steering; front airbags; electric spoiler; special-edition RS America sheds weight, price, and power steering Problem Areas: Oil leaks, cylinder-head leaks, twin distributor and dual-mass flywheel failures.

Used Values

1989-1993 Porsche 911 Carrera 4 Excellent: $27,700

$27,875 C2, -6%; C2 Targa, -4%; C4 Targa, +2%;

C2 Cab, +3%; C4 Cab, +13%; RS America,

+49%; America Roadster, +64%

1994 911 Carrera 4 Excellent: $35,500

C2, -6%; C2 Targa, -3%; C2 Cab, +3%; RS

America, +16%; Speedster, +135%

Isolation was not part of the comprehensive overhaul. Sometimes that was to the detriment of the car, as is the case with the re-worked semi-trailing-arm rear suspension. The coil springs, which replaced the venerable torsion bars front and rear, turned the body shell into a telegraph wire for noise. Or, as we described it in a 1989 road test, “the rear suspension wolly-knocks like crazy . . . ”

But thanks to the whirring 247-hp air-cooled flat-six, enlarged to 3.6 liters and fitted with two spark plugs per cylinder to forestall detonation with a 11.3:1 compression ratio, the Carrera 4 could wolly-knock to 60 mph in 5.1 seconds; the Carrera 2 was even quicker. It could be hauled down to a stop from 70 mph in 159 feet, not far off what a current 911 will do. And the 964 maintained the upright seating, haphazard ­placement of the secondary controls, and tall-window silhouette considered central to the 911 mystique. Some of that would change with the release of the next generation, the roundly adored 993.

JAMES LIPMAN, MICHAEL SIMARI, THE MANUFACTURER

Snick, click, “sproing!” Opening the door in the last of the air-cooled 911s, the 993, is but the first of many gratifying sounds the car makes. After the 993, many of the original 911’s distinctive sounds went silent.

The door closes—“tunngg.”

The key slides into the left-side ignition—“shhick.”

A distant whiney whir gives way to a mellow bark and settles into a “whuff, whuff, whuff” idle. Dab the gas and the engine wails in response—“vrrrreeee.”

The engine is a refined version of the 964’s 3.6-liter six. Rated at 270 horsepower for ’95, a variable-geometry intake bumped output to 282 horsepower a year later. With a brutal launch, it’s possible to achieve a zero-to-60 time in the mid-fours. Push less hard, and the 993 feels about as quick as a new Toyota Camry V-6.

Advances: Multilink rear suspension, hydraulic valve lifters, six-speed manual, variable-geometry intake (199698), larger cross-drilled brakes, refreshed body, glass-roof Targa (199698), optional traction control, S models add Turbo bodywork, optional Litronic xenon headlights Problem Areas: Oil leaks, valve-guide wear leads to excessive oil consumption, clogged secondary air-injection ports cause emissions headaches, front control-arm bushings crack.

Used Values

1995-97 Porsche 911 Carrera Excellent: $33,275

Targa, +2%; 4, +7%; Cab, +10%;

4 Cab, +21%; S, +60%; 4S, +76%

1998 911 Carrera S Excellent: $52,500

Targa, -35%; Cab, -29%; 4 Cab, -22%;

4S, +10%

As in every previous 911, the driver’s and passenger’s shoulders nearly touch. It feels as though you can lean forward and flatten your nose against the upright windshield, it’s so close. The brake and clutch pedals swing from the floor, but you can heel-and-toe downshift in the 993. The 964 introduced a perfectly placed shifter that slots into gears instead of conjuring them; the 993’s ’box added a sixth gear.

Softer than you might expect, the 993 isn’t as harsh or as crisp as a modern 911. But the power steering delivers a highly tactile experience, and the engine whirs contentedly as air rustles over the coupe’s rain gutters. A low-rpm whine gives way to a high-rpm snarl that gets deeper as you approach the 6800-rpm redline. And for all its magical sounds, the 993 is quieter than its predecessors. Tire and road noise is muted, which leaves only the joyful noise of tradition. Ferry Porsche died on March 27, 1998. The final air-cooled 911 was built four days later. Its replacement proved to be a very different car.

JAMES LIPMAN, MICHAEL SIMARI, THE MANUFACTURER

History judges the 996 harshly. It is thought of as the first 911 built to a cost instead of a standard. It was larger, roomier, and quieter, and the interior looked like it was pulled straight out of a Boxster. The outside looked like a Boxster, too. The round headlights and swollen fenders were gone. Understeering instead of reflexively hip-checking the nearest guardrail (or ditch or mailman—you get the idea), its steering reported fewer details of the road surface. Its shifter—effecting gearchanges via cables instead of a rod—was ropey, and water smothered the flat-six’s trademark manic rasp. Yet it was as quick as the 993 in a straight line and quicker through corners and around racetracks. In an early encounter with the car, we foreshadowed our ­feelings toward today’s 991, concluding: “Can we really argue against a bigger, more comfortable, but similarly priced GT that outperforms its purebred sports-car forebear in every objective contest? Not really.”

Advances: New larger platform, 3.4- and 3.6-liter water-cooled flat-six, four-valve, DOHC heads, VarioCam (variable valve timing), optional five-speed automatic, stability control, side-impact airbags, optional carbon-ceramic brakes Problem Areas: Oil leaks, intermediate-shaft bearing failure, door-lock assembly breaks, window regulators fail, ignition coil cracks.

Used Values

1999-2001 Porsche 911 Carrera Excellent: $26,200

$30,475 4, +7%; Cab, +11%; 4 Cab, +21%

2002-04 911 Carrera Excellent: $32,625$37,425

Targa, +0%; Cab, +11%; 4 Cab, +19%;

4S, +21%; 4S Cab, +31%; GT3, +33%

2005 Carrera 4S Excellent: $47,550

GT3, +10%

The thing with those old complaints is that, unless you climb into the 996 directly from an earlier 911, they seem a little baseless. Yes, the shifter feels a little loose, and it’s odd being in a 911 that turns without a heart-stopping sashay of its hammy hindquarters. But the steering is still uncommonly precise, the relationship between accelerator response and clutch takeup is flawless, and the brake pedal’s feel is the nicest thing anyone has ever done for your feet. We might wish for less understeer, but sometimes it’s nice to keep thrills and terror separate. It might have treaded on the sacred by running water through the flat-six, but the 996 is a 911 and is still an absolute blast to drive.

JAMES LIPMAN, MICHAEL SIMARI, THE MANUFACTURER

The 997 silenced the critics who said the 911 had lost its way. With its adaptive shocks, the 997 continued the march toward civilization while taking a step back in the right direction in terms of athleticism, driver involvement, and sportiness. Leave the dampers—called Porsche Adaptive Suspension Management, or PASM—in their normal setting and the 997 is a serene highway cruiser with a supple ride, a subdued whir from behind the back seat, and only the occasional impact ring from its tires. But call up sport mode, and it does its best RS impersonation. Body roll disappears, and the 997 fuses itself to the road. The variable-ratio steering dials in precision strikes while writhing in your hands. Oversteer is like the secret menu at In-N-Out Burger: It doesn’t appear to be available at first glance, but if you know how to ask, you’ll get it. Porsche even tightened up the shift linkage. The 997 did what all vehicle redesigns seek to accomplish but few actually do: It addressed all of its predecessor’s shortcomings without introducing any new ones. We called it “the best Carrera Porsche has ever built,” and attributed that to Stuttgart’s “reversing the car back to better days of styling and attitude.”

Advances: 3.6- and 3.8-liter water-cooled flat-six, direct fuel injection and optional dual-clutch automatic (200912), electronically controlled shocks, variable-ratio steering rack, optional active engine mounts (201012) Problem Areas: Oil leaks, intermediate-shaft bearing failure.

Used Values

2005-11 Porsche 911 Carrera Excellent: $39,775

$77,400 Cab, +7%; 4, +7%; Targa 4, +8%;

4 Cab, +12%; S, +13%; 4S, +18%;

GTS, +19%; Targa 4S, +19%; S Cab,

+20%; GTS Cab, +25%; 4S Cab, +25%;

GT3, +42%; GT3 RS, +59%; Speedster, +189%

2012 Porsche 911 Carrera 4 Excellent: $91,450

Targa 4, +1%; GTS, +5%; 4 Cab, +5%;

4S, +8%; Targa 4S, +10%; GTS Cab, +11%;

4S Cab, +13%; GTS 4, +17%; GT3, +20%;

GTS 4 Cab, +22%; GT3 RS, +30%;

GT3 RS 4.0, +68%; Speedster, +157%

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