Porsche 911 - Model History (1963 -)

Porsche 911

Porsche 911

Is there anyone in the world today who at least loves cars so much that they haven't heard of the legendary Porsche 911? Certainly not, and there are good reasons for that, because if your "grandfather" is the legendary "VW Beetle" and "older brothers" "Porsche 356" and "550 Spider", is it even possible for you " genetics “be unsuccessful !? First introduced to the public in September 1963 at the Frankfurt Motor Show, the Porsche 911, for its half a century of existence, has not only won the place under the sun, but can also be freely said in history textbooks.

After over 820.000 units produced through the seven generations of this model, the 911 is certainly the most successful and best-selling sports car in the history of motoring. And what is the recipe for success? Well, perhaps best summed up by the statement of a lesser-known designer, Ferry Porsche, son of legendary designer Ferdinand: “The Porsche 911 is the only car you can compete in at the African Safari Rally or at the 24 Hours of Le Mans, dragging it through the traffic jams New York or take it to the theater ... "

Porsche 911

The ever-so-conservative lines, which have been largely retained to this day, the "911" has, however, been characterized by numerous advanced technical solutions throughout its evolution. Often far ahead of time, these avant-garde ideas were put to the test in numerous car races, another glorious chapter in the life of the 911. How can you not be proud of the fact that over two-thirds of Porsche's incredible 30.000 race wins worldwide belong to the "elfer"? And, how did it all begin?

As mentioned earlier, the first copy of this famous car was publicly displayed in Frankfurt in 1963, as the successor to the first Porsche series model - the "356". However, what is interesting and less well known is that the model shown bore the designation "901", and only next year, when it began to sell, would it get its final, much better known name - "911"! What distinguished it at the time, and for a long time was the trademark of the model, is an air-cooled six-cylinder, two-liter, rear-mounted engine behind the rear axle. Despite its relatively modest power output of just 130 hp, the first "911" boasted an excellent top speed during this time, at 210 km / h!

Porsche 911

Interestingly, in parallel with it, Porsche also offered a "tame" version called "912", which looked almost identical, but at the back was a four-cylinder engine with a modest 90 "horses." Even so, at first, sales of this model went even better than the base 911, thanks in large part to the significantly lower price. Two years later, a more powerful 911hp 160 S appeared, most easily recognized by the characteristic alloy wheels of the German company Fuchs, still in high demand today. Of course, it was soon followed by the Targa model, followed by the Sportomatic with a four-speed automatic transmission, to increase its volume to 1969 liters in 2,2, and by 1974 to 2,4 liters. However, the real "jewel" of this generation and an exceptional collectible specimen today is the 2.7 RS 1972 Carer model with 210 hp, weighing less than 1000 kg, characterized by a large tail spoiler, the so-called. duck's tail, first applied to a production car.

The second generation had to wait a full ten years, and it itself remained in production for the longest time of all evolutions - until 1989, or a full 16 years, which from today, is a real eternity! In addition to some safety-related novelties, such as the application of three-point seat belts, head restraints or new bumpers, in line with stricter crash protection regulations, the second generation will remain remembered primarily after the introduction of the Turbo offer (internal 930). Introduced in 1974, the 930 Turbo boasts a 260hp, three-liter engine with a huge tail spoiler and, as such, remains virtually the "featherweight" of the range. Already in 1977, its evolution was displayed, the "911 Turbo 3.3", which, with the help of an intercooler, released 300 hp, the highest in the segment then! Five years later, the first "911 convertible" appeared, and a year later, a new "Career" arrives, with a 3,2-liter naturally aspirated engine and 231 hp.

Porsche 911

After fifteen years on the market, in 1988, a new "911", called "karera 4" appeared, and brought the internal mark 964. The boxer engine "drilled" was 3,6 liters, which allowed 250 hp, and the Turbo version from In 1992, it boasted as many as 360 "horses". Mark 4 referred to the drive, which was now no longer just on the rear, but on all four wheels. But rich equipment is what most will remember - ABS, The Tiptronic transmission, power steering, as well as the driver and front passenger airbags ... The 993, which appeared in 1993 and remained in production for five years, will be remembered, not so much as the first "Porsche 911 "with a completely aluminum chassis, but above all as the last" Elfer "with an air-cooled engine, which is why it is still a big favorite of true fans of this brand. The Turbo version was first equipped with an engine with two turbochargers, and another novelty was the GT2 variant, intended for true racing fanatics.

996

The fifth generation of the "911", also known as the "996", began production in 1997, and as we have already mentioned, this is also the first evolution of an "elfer" whose engine has been water-cooled. Thanks to the use of four valves per cylinder, it was able to release as much as 300 hp, already in the atmospheric version. In terms of appearance, the car has rebounded somewhat from previous evolutions, but it was still within relatively conservative design frames. The "racers" were still offered the GT2, this time as the first car fitted as standard ceramic brake discs, while the "gem" of the offer was the 3 GT1999 version, intended for true sports enthusiasts.

Porsche 911

Porsche 911 997

In the summer of 2004, the sixth generation officially debuted the "careers" and "careers S" models, also known as "997". From a design standpoint, the move from the previous "996" model to the traditional lines and distinctive details of earlier "elves" was made, while technically, the powertrain has progressed and more. With a 3,8-liter boxer at the back and direct fuel injection (full range from 2008, except for the GT3 version), the "Career" boasted 325 hp, while the S version had a total of 355 "horses". In addition, the "S" also came standard with the PASM system (Porsche's Active Suspension), another avant-garde solution. The turbo version appeared in 2006 and became the first gasoline engine with variable geometry turbocharger, and two years later, for the first time, a dual-clutch gearbox was introduced into the Porsche range. The pearl of the offer is certainly the GT2 RS version with its 620 "horses" and a maximum of 330 km / h!

Zoran Zivkov
Photo: Porsche
Retrieved from: topspeed.telegraf.rs


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