Decades of Driving Glory: My 5 All-Time Favorite Porsche 911s
For over 40 years, I’ve been fortunate enough to experience the evolution of the Porsche 911, arguably the most iconic sports car ever built. Every generation brings new engineering marvels, but only a select few truly etch themselves into my memory. While the 911 has constantly refined its formula, these five models stand out as the most memorable and impactful across the decades.
The Origin of the Legend: The 1975 Porsche 930 Turbo
Before I drove one, the original Porsche 911 Turbo was spoken of in hushed, reverent tones among veteran road testers. They painted a picture of a car that demanded the utmost respect, where the shift from understeer to oversteer was as binary as flicking a light switch. This was a car that punished laziness and rewarded skill with exhilarating performance.
After 35 years, I finally got to test one of the first 30 production Turbos ever built, now part of Porsche’s prestigious classic collection. Aware of its fearsome reputation, I started gently, easing into the throttle and listening to the turbocharger spool up. The engine was surprisingly tractable at low revs, humming along smoothly at 2,000 rpm. But once the needle hit 3,500 rpm, the turbocharger kicked in, delivering a noticeable surge of power. Yet, the jarring, sledgehammer blow I expected never materialized.
The secret to smooth, rapid progress in this icon? Keep the engine spinning above 4,000 rpm. Yes, the turbo lag is significant by modern standards, but it’s manageable. This 50-year-old machine is still staggeringly fast on the road. First gear tops out at 50 mph, second at 90 mph, and third reaches nearly 130 mph, meaning you can cover most winding roads in just second and third. While it only produces 256 hp, weighing in at just 2,513 pounds, it corners with impressive agility. In its day, this car’s performance felt otherwordly.
The Purist’s Last Stand: The 1996 Porsche 911 (993)
For Porsche purists, the 993 generation is considered the last of the true 911s. It’s the car you drive with your knuckles brushing the dashboard, the raw, snarling metallic clatter of the air-cooled flat-six a constant presence behind you. But when I first drove it in 1994, the 993 was the 911 of the future, a car that challenged Isaac Newton’s laws of physics.
Admittedly, the 993 still possessed that characteristic front-end feel that required loading the nose to hit the apex, and the rear end still swayed through bumps. However, there was a newfound harmony between the front and rear. The 993 still did all the things you expect from a 911, but within a much safer margin.
The key to this improvement was a new rear suspension. The traditional semi-trailing arms were replaced with a sophisticated multi-link setup. This design allowed for slight initial toe-out on corner entry, then progressive toe-in as lateral loads increased, all while significantly reducing the camber change that had plagued 911s since 1963. Combined with a new six-speed manual transmission and 16 percent quicker steering, the front end felt far more decisive. The 3.6-liter flat-six also offered increased power, reaching 268 hp at 6,100 rpm thanks to lighter internals, a Bosch Motronic 2.0 engine management system, and a new dual exhaust.
Compared to the 964 it replaced, the 993 was a revelation. This wasn’t just about engineering upgrades led by Ulrich Bez (later CEO of Aston Martin). The exterior redesign by Harm Lagaay, who felt the 964 was too tall at the front and too low at the rear, corrected the visual issues. The interior was cleaner, with fewer buttons in random locations. The 993 was faster, more forgiving, and, most importantly, even more desirable.
The Savior: The 1996 Porsche 911 (996)
Porsche’s decision to switch to a water-cooled flat-six for the 996 generation was heresy to many purists at the time, equivalent to Bob Dylan trading his acoustic guitar for an electric Stratocaster at the 1965 Newport Folk Festival. But the 996, the first clean-sheet redesign of Porsche’s unstoppable sports car in 34 years, was a hero car to me. It saved Porsche.
Engineered under the leadership of R&D chief Horst Marchart, the 996 was a clever 911. It shared 38% of its parts with the all-new, less expensive mid-engine roadster that would become known as the Boxster. Iconoclastic boss Wendelin Weideking understood that the Boxster was essential to provide dealers with a new model when the aging 928 and 968 were discontinued. As design boss Lagaay famously quipped, “We did two cars for the price of one-and-a-half.”
But beyond its relationship with the Boxster and the water-cooled engine, the 996’s real story was its transformation into a modern sports car. In 1994, it took Porsche 130 hours to build a 993; the 996 took just 60 hours. The modern 911 had arrived. It was roomier and featured the amenities expected of a late 20th-century sports car, yet it remained unmistakably a 911. Most importantly, it still drove like a 911—only better. While it offered new sophistication, it retained the delicious tactility and urgent response that defined the 911 experience. Along with the original Boxster, it pulled Porsche back from the brink.
The People’s Champion: The 2017 Porsche 911 Carrera (991.2)
Of all the 911s I’ve driven, a base 991.2 Carrera truly stole my heart. And it stole everyone else’s too, judging by the feedback I received from colleagues who tested it. Press fleets are usually stacked with high-spec cars loaded with options, as if we automotive journalists are impressed by such things. So, Porsche Cars North America’s decision to include a base Carrera in the new 991.2 lineup for our 2017 MotorTrend Car of the Year testing seemed brave. In truth, though, it was brilliant.
The 991.2 introduced a new 3.4-liter turbocharged engine, offering 370 hp in the base Carrera or 420 hp in the Carrera S. Even in the 370 hp trim, it provided a broad torque curve and impressive efficiency. This Carrera also proved that even with base wheel and tire sizes, the chassis remained staggeringly communicative and adjustable. Visually, the 991.2 was a subtle refresh of the larger, skillfully proportioned 991.1—a superb modern interpretation of classic 911 themes that was both beautiful and functional. Inside, the new infotainment system looked great and worked flawlessly.
Porsche’s PDK dual-clutch automatic transmission remains a benchmark for smooth, precise shifting. But the seven-speed manual on the no-frills Carrera had a slick, rifle-bolt action that made us all fall in love with driving again. MotorTrend’s testing director at the time, Kim Reynolds, perfectly summed up the Carrera’s visceral appeal: “When all cars but one are autonomous, please let this be it, the last human-driven car. For posterity’s sake.” It’s been a decade since I drove it, but I vividly remember it: Guards Red over black, with just one option—red seat belts. I still scour the classifieds occasionally, looking for one. I do the math, dream a little… and then I look for another 911 to drive.
The Track Dominator: The 2023 Porsche 911 GT3 RS (992)
RS. It stands for RennSport—German for “racing sport.” These initials first appeared on a Porsche 911 50 years ago with the legendary Carrera RS 2.7, a homologation special built to allow Porsche to race in Group 4 GT racing. Since then, they have designated only the most driver-focused 911s. And road-going 911s don’t come much more driver-focused than the 992-series GT3 RS. What makes today’s GT3 RS the most significant RS of all is its sheer intensity of purpose. All previous RS 911s are road cars engineered to excel on the track. This one is essentially a race car you can drive on the road.
A handful of laps on Britain’s fast and famous Silverstone Formula 1 circuit were all I needed to confirm that this Porsche attacks a circuit like no other road-going 911. The only other road-legal car that matches its jaw-dropping speed through high-speed corners and the sheer violence of its braking is the McLaren Senna. The biggest mental shift when driving the GT3
