The All-Time Greatest Porsche 911s: An Expert’s Journey Through Four Decades of an Automotive Legend
For four decades, I’ve been behind the wheel of Porsches, from the raw, unfiltered machines of the early 1970s to the hyper-advanced marvels of today. Along the way, I’ve experienced the evolution of the 911—a car that has constantly transformed yet somehow always remained true to its soul. Looking back, there are certain models that stand out not just as milestones, but as the benchmarks of what this iconic rear-engine sports car is all about.
It’s hard to believe it’s been 40 years since I first experienced the 911. I remember it vividly: a white 3.0-liter Carrera with black Fuchs wheels, a narrow body, no rear wing, no power steering, and a five-speed manual. It was as pure as a 911 could be. It was fast, yes, but flawed in a way that made you work for it. To be honest, when I first drove it, I wasn’t entirely sure what the hype was about. Perhaps that’s because I tested it alongside the 944 Turbo, a car that cost roughly the same in Australia at the time. The 944 Turbo was quicker, easier to drive, and more powerful. But the 911 just had something different about it. I found myself falling in love with it anyway.
After spending two days and 600 miles with the 911, I finally understood. I knew the 944 Turbo was technically the better car. It was a precision instrument that could make a novice driver feel like a hero. But if I had to choose, if I had to spend my hard-earned money on one car, it would be the 911 Carrera. The 944 Turbo was capable, but the 911 Carrera was special. It was a sports car from a different era, demanding respect and understanding. It wasn’t made for everyone, and that’s what made it so intoxicating.
Over the years, I’ve driven dozens of 911 variants. While some models—like the 964, which seemed to hint that the 911 idea might be past its expiration date—were disappointing, the majority of iterations have impressed me. Porsche has managed to refine its icon, keeping it relevant, exciting, and engaging. Four decades after my first drive, the 911 is still one of the few new cars I’d buy for myself. Of all the 911s I’ve driven, here are five that have left the deepest impression.
The Original 911 Turbo: A True Widowmaker’s Legacy
Before I drove the 3.0-liter Carrera, veteran journalists often spoke of the original Porsche 911 Turbo in hushed, reverent tones. They described it as a car that demanded absolute respect when pushed hard. Its signature turbocharged power, characterized by a binary “on-or-off” surge, made navigating the 911’s classic tightrope between corner-entry understeer and corner-exit oversteer a skill requiring quick reflexes and nerves of steel. It didn’t tolerate mistakes; it didn’t excuse carelessness. It was, they said, a widowmaker.
It took me 35 years to get behind the wheel of an original 911 Turbo and find out if the legends were true.
The car was one of the first 30 production Turbos ever built, now part of Porsche’s legendary classic collection. Aware of its formidable reputation, I approached it cautiously at first, delicately playing with the throttle, feeling the boost build and watching the tachometer, trying to map out the power delivery in my mind. The engine was surprisingly tractable, humming contentedly at 2,000 rpm in top gear, allowing the 911 Turbo to cruise effortlessly at 45 mph. Once the engine hit 3,500 rpm, however, there was a noticeable surge of acceleration as the turbocharger forced 0.8 bar into the intake system. Yet, the sledgehammer blow between the shoulder blades I had braced myself for never materialized.
I discovered the secret to smooth and fast driving in the original 911 Turbo was to keep the 3.0-liter flat-six spinning above 4,000 rpm to keep the turbocharger energized. Yes, there is significant turbo lag—noticeable even by modern standards—but it’s manageable. Although it’s over 50 years old, this 911 is still remarkably fast on the road. First gear reaches 50 mph, second to 90 mph, and third to almost 130 mph. This means you can devour most winding two-lane roads using only second and third gear. And while it only produces 256 horsepower, it weighs just 2,513 pounds, allowing it to accelerate into and out of corners with ease. Half a century ago, its performance would have seemed otherworldly.
The 993-Generation Porsche 911: The Perfect Blend of Air-Cooled Heart and Modern Engineering
For Porsche purists, the 993 is the last of the line—the final, true 911. It’s the car you drive with your knuckles grazing the dash, the snarling metallic clatter of an air-cooled flat-six echoing behind you. But back in 1994, when I first drove it, the 993 was the 911 of the future. It was the first in the lineup to truly challenge the laws of physics. Oh, sure, the 993 still had that twitchy front end that demanded to be loaded on corner entry to hit the apex, and the rear end still had that signature rhumba through rough corners, but there was a new sense of synergy between the front and rear. The 993 still did all the things a 911 should do, but within a much tighter margin for error.
The key to this transformation was a new rear suspension system. It replaced the semi-trailing arms of old with a sophisticated multilink setup that allowed very slight initial toe-out on corner entry and then progressive toe-in as lateral loads increased. This eliminated the significant camber change that had been the Achilles’ heel of 911s since 1963. This improvement was coupled with steering that was 16% quicker, with just 2.5 turns lock-to-lock, making the front end feel much more decisive. A new six-speed manual transmission also made the most of the 3.6-liter flat-six engine. Lighter internals, Bosch Motronic 2.0 engine management, and a new dual exhaust system helped the engine produce 268 horsepower at 6,100 rpm.
Compared to the 964 model it replaced, the 993 was a revelation. It wasn’t just the engineering upgrades, completed under the leadership of Ulrich Bez, who would later become the head of Aston Martin. The exterior redesign, directed by design chief Harm Lagaay, corrected the visual problems of the 964, a car he felt was too tall at the front and too raked at the rear. The interior was also cleaner, with fewer buttons in random locations. The 993 was a 911 that was faster, more forgiving, and—most importantly—more desirable than ever before.
The 996-Generation Porsche 911: The Water-Cooled Icon That Saved the Brand
At the time, it was nothing short of heresy. Porsche’s decision to install a water-cooled flat-six in the tail of the 996-series 911 was, to the aficionados, the automotive equivalent of Bob Dylan trading his acoustic six-string for an electric Fender Strat 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 to me. It was the 911 that saved Porsche.
Engineered and developed under the direction of Porsche R&D chief Horst Marchart, the 996 was a masterpiece of clever engineering. Not least because it shared 38% of its components with an all-new, less expensive mid-engine roadster the world would come to know as the Boxster. Iconoclastic Porsche boss Wendelin Weideking knew the Boxster was essential to give dealers something else to sell when the aging 928 and 968 models went out of production. “We built two cars for the price of one and a half,” design boss Lagaay said with a smile after the company unveiled the 996.
But while the media focused on its relationship with the Boxster and the water-cooled engine, the 996’s true significance runs much deeper. In 1994, it took Porsche 130 hours to build a 993-series 911; the 996 took just 60 hours. The modern 911 had arrived. It was roomier and equipped with all the features expected of a late 20th-century sports car, yet it remained recognizably Porsche’s icon. Most importantly, it still drove like a 911. Only better. Yes, there was a new veneer of sophistication to
