The Porsche 911 Hall of Fame: My 5 All-Time Favorites
It’s hard to wrap my head around it, but 40 years have flown by since I first slid behind the wheel of a Porsche 911. I remember that day like it was yesterday: a gleaming white 3.0-liter Carrera, black Fuchs alloys, narrow body, no rear wing, no power steering, and a stick shift. It was as pure a 911 as Stuttgart ever built. Back then, in my home country of Australia, this icon sat at the same price point as the 944 Turbo. But the 944 had more power, more torque, and was faster—effortlessly so—on any road than its famous cousin. Yet, somehow, I fell head over heels for the 911 anyway.
I wrote that after two days and 600 miles, I was certain. “I know the 944 Turbo is the better car,” I admitted. “But I also know that if I had to choose, if I were agonizing over how to spend my money, I’d take the 911 Carrera home.” It wasn’t an easy decision. The 944 Turbo was so competent, it could make even an average driver look good. Its soaring performance was balanced by an astounding chassis. But the 911 spoke to something deeper. “The gloriously imperfect 911 Carrera is a sports car of a different era, reflecting different values,” I noted. “It’s not tailored for the average driver. It demands understanding and respect. That’s why I’d take it home.”
Since then, I’ve driven dozens of 911s, and with every iteration—except for the 964, which back in the early 1990s felt like a worrying sign that the 911 concept might be obsolete—I’ve marveled at how Porsche has refined its icon. It remains relevant, exciting, and engaging. Four decades later, it’s still one of the few new cars I’d buy with my own money. Out of all the 911s I’ve driven over the years, these five stand out as the most unforgettable.
The OG Widowmaker: The Original Porsche 930 Turbo
Back when I drove that 3.0-liter Carrera, veteran road-test journalists spoke of the original Porsche 911 Turbo in hushed, reverent tones. They called it a car that demanded the utmost respect when driven hard—a beast whose binary boost characteristics turned the traditional 911 tightrope between corner-entry understeer and corner-exit oversteer into a heart-stopping tightrope walk requiring quick hands and pure nerve. They said the 911 Turbo forgave no mistakes and tolerated no sloppiness. It was the original “widowmaker.” It took me 35 years to get behind the wheel of one and discover the truth for myself.
This specific car was one of the first 30 production Turbos ever built, now part of Porsche’s legendary classic fleet. Out on the road, fully aware of its fearsome reputation, I started cautiously, easing into the throttle, sensing the boost build and watching the tach needle climb. I was trying to build a mental map of the engine’s power delivery. To my surprise, the engine was remarkably manageable. It happily hummed along at 2,000 rpm in top gear, keeping the 911 Turbo cruising at a relaxed 45 mph.
However, once the engine hit 3,500 rpm, there was a definite surge as the turbocharger pushed 0.8 bar of boost into the induction system. But the sledgehammer blow to the back of the neck I expected never materialized.
The secret to smooth, quick progress in the original 911 Turbo, I discovered, is to keep the 3.0-liter flat-six spinning above 4,000 rpm. This keeps the turbocharger spooled up and ready. Yes, there’s turbo lag—noticeable lag by today’s standards—but it’s manageable. Even half a century later, this 911 is an incredibly fast road car. First gear hits 50 mph, second reaches 90 mph, and third tops out near 130 mph. That means you can devour most twisting country roads using only second and third gears. And while it might have only 256 horsepower, it weighs just 2,513 pounds, allowing it to dart in and out of corners with ease. Fifty years ago, its performance would have felt like science fiction.
The Modern Icon: The 993-Generation Porsche 911
For Porsche purists, the 993 is the last of a dying breed, the final true 911. It’s the Porsche you drive with your knuckles practically touching the dash, the snarl 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, the first generation to truly challenge Isaac Newton’s laws of physics.
Oh, sure, it still had that pattering front end that needed to be loaded into corners to ensure you hit your marks, and the rear end still danced through rough turns. But there was a newfound harmony between the front and rear axles. The 993 still performed quintessentially 911 maneuvers, but within a much wider margin of error.
The key to this transformation was a revolutionary rear suspension. Porsche replaced the old semi-trailing arms with a new multilink setup. This allowed for very slight initial toe-out on corner entry, which then transitioned into progressive toe-in as lateral loads increased. Crucially, this design drastically reduced the camber change that had been the Achilles’ heel of 911s since their debut in 1963.
This engineering feat was complemented by a new steering system that was 16 percent quicker, clocking in at 2.5 turns lock-to-lock. It made the front end feel far more decisive. A new six-speed manual transmission extracted every drop of performance from the 3.6-liter flat-six, which now sang to a peak of 268 hp at 6,100 rpm, thanks to lighter internals, Bosch Motronic 2.0 engine management, and a new dual exhaust system.
Compared to the 964 it replaced, the 993 was a revelation. It wasn’t just the engineering upgrades, implemented under the leadership of Ulrich Bez (who later went on to head Aston Martin). The exterior redesign, led by design chief Harm Lagaay, corrected visual issues he felt plagued the 964, which he considered too nose-high and tail-down. The interior was cleaner, too, with buttons finally located in logical places. The 993 was a 911 that was faster, more forgiving, and, most importantly, more desirable than ever.
The Hero That Saved Porsche: The 996-Generation Porsche 911
At the time, it was pure heresy. Porsche’s decision to bolt a water-cooled flat-six to the tail of the 996-series 911 was, in the eyes of the faithful, the automotive equivalent of Bob Dylan switching from his acoustic six-string to a Fender Stratocaster at the 1965 Newport Folk Festival. But the 996, the first clean-sheet redesign of Porsche’s indefatigable sports car in 34 years, was nothing short of heroic to me. It was the 911 that saved the company.
Engineered and developed under the direction of Porsche R&D chief Horst Marchart, the 996 was a stroke of genius. Not least because it shared 38 percent of its components with an all-new, less expensive mid-engine roadster that the world would come to know as the Boxster.
Porsche’s iconic boss, Wendelin Weideking, knew the Boxster was essential. It gave dealers something else to sell once the aging 928 and 968 models were phased out. “We built two cars for the price of one and a half,” design chief Lagaay quipped with a smile after Porsche unveiled the 996.
But while the media fixation was on its relationship with the Boxster and the water-cooled engine, the 996’s real significance ran much deeper. In 1994, it took Porsche 130 hours to build a 993-series 911. By 1996, the 996 required just 60 hours to assemble. The modern 911 had arrived: roomier, packed with the features expected of a late 20th-century sports car, yet still undeniably Porsche’s icon.
Most importantly, it still felt like a 911. But better. Yes, there was a new layer of sophistication to how it performed, but the 996 retained the exquisite tactility and urgent responsiveness that made the 911 a sports car unlike any other. Along with the original Boxster, it rescued Porsche from the brink of extinction.
The Heart Stealer: The 991.2-Generation Porsche 911 Carrera
Of all the 911s I’ve ever driven, it was a
