gt family affair

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FAMILY AFFAIR H ere’s a challenge for you. Other than Mohammed Ali, the Coca-Cola bottle and a Manchester United strip, think of something more instantly recognisable worldwide than the 911’s profile. It’s practically impossible, a fact that h as led the 91 1 to be one of the top five products ever.  What makes it such an achievement is the staying power of those sleek lines. First penned in 1959 by Butzi, the direct visual link between the earliest and latest incarnations is still obvious to even the untrained eye. Simple, clean and aerodynamic, anybody with even the most basic artistic skills can draw an identifiable representation of the icon with just one stroke. In this time-travelling feature, GT Purely Porsche brings an example from each of the six readily defined styling generations together and charts the unique history of the greatest tarmac-bound transport of them all  The 911’s progress through motoring history has not always been the smoothest, but its development has led to a spectacularly polished product. GT Purely Porsche traces the rise, fall and rise of the greatest sports car ever. Words: Jason Simms Photography: Dominic Fraser

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FAMILY AFFA

Here’s a challenge for you. Other than

Mohammed Ali, the Coca-Cola bottle

and a Manchester United strip, think 

of something more instantly 

recognisable worldwide than the 911’s profile.

It’s practically impossible, a fact that h as led

the 911 to be one of the top five products ever.

 What makes it such an achievement is the

staying power of those sleek lines. First penned

in 1959 by Butzi, the direct visual link 

between the earliest and latest incarnations is

still obvious to even the untrained eye. Simple,

clean and aerodynamic, anybody with even

the most basic artistic skills can draw an

identifiable representation of the

just one stroke.

In this time-travelling feature, G

Porsche brings an example from e

readily defined styling generation

and charts the unique history of t

tarmac-bound transport of them a

 The 911’s progress through motoring history has not alwthe smoothest, but its development has led to a spectacpolished product. GT Purely Porsche traces the rise, fall athe greatest sports car ever. Words: Jason Simms Photography: D

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FAMILY

MAR60  GT MAGAZINE

First Encounters – 1963 to 1973 Appearing for the first time at t he Frankfurt 

International Auto Show in September 1963

bearing a 901 badge, the 356 replacement 

didn’t go into full production until the

following year. Available until 1967 solely as a

130bhp two-litre coupé, innumerable changes

 were implemented over successive years as

Porsche developed the 911 in the marketplace.

Fundamentally a well groomed product, the

continuous development was required as its

disproportionate weight distribution at the

rear meant only the best drivers could hope to

keep it on the tarmac when driving in anger.

 Attempts to rectify this were initially crude, weights and two batteries in the front boot 

being two examples of embarrassingly 

low-tech attempts to solve the problem. For 

the 1969 model year, a 57mm increase in

 wheelbase offered a more satisfactory solution.

In the meantime, two significant derivatives

had appeared, the first being the ‘poor man’s

911’, the 912, in 1966. Launched to replace the

last surviving 356 (the SC), it housed the

outgoing model’s 90bhp 1.6-litre four-cylinder 

engine in the 911’s body. Despite its inferior 

image, the 912 out-sold the 911 globally at a

ratio of nearly 3:1.

However, the 911 range continued to

expand. In 1967, deliveries of Butzi’scompromised cabriolet, the Targa (Italian for 

shield) started to arrive with its brushed

stainless steel rollover bar and zippered rear 

screen. In the same year, a taster for the

ultimate Porsche also rolled into the

showrooms in the form of the 911 S. Higher 

revving than the rest of the range with triple-

choke Weber carbs, a longer wheelbase, Koni

shocks, ventilated front discs and Fuchs alloys,

it was a fantastic enthusiasts car.

Five years later, the 911 line-up boasted

2.4-litre engines and Porsche decided it was

time to fully realise the niche market for an

even more focussed product than the S. The

result was the Carrera 2.7 RS, arguably thegreatest 911 ever. The 911 S was the real driver’s car from the 911 range before the Carrera 2.7 RS came on the scene. Although it was built i n the late ’60s and early ’70s,a 996 owner wouldn’t get los

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FAMILY

MAR

The Second Coming – 1974 to 19 The ‘70s were a crucial time for P

now had to deal more seriously th

the real-world problems of selling

globally. To fully exploit the finan

of producing its most famous spo

Porsche had to be able to sell the s

around the globe without any spe

concessions being made for any o

It was a dream that wasn’t realise

later but moves towards this goal

made. The compromises this forc

 why Porsche couldn’t continue as

 These were most graphically illu

the efforts Porsche went to in ordallowed into its largest market, th

result of ever more stringent safet

shock-absorbing bumpers were fo

the 911’s front and rump in 1974

that affected all Porsche’s worldw

Ride height, too, needed to be rai

Stateside models. But even worse

tighter emissions controls, lower

engines were fitted.

 The latter meant that after just

availability, the ground-breaking T

seen in the US in 1976, was disco

didn’t return for six years. Thankf

Porsche, the rest of world was eag

driving gloves on the steering wh

most brutal road-rocket, and early

prompted a second generation, th

packing a 300bhp 3.3-litre power

Despite having a f our-speed ‘box,

considered it good enough to conunchanged until 1989.

For the rest of the range, though

 was a constant. Despite the nome

Super Carrera (SC) the three-litre

 year 911 actually represented a co

the old 2.7-litre 911’s parts with th

the ‘Carrera’. It also gave rise to the

cabrio in 1983. Despite not being

greats, it helped Porsche on its qu

unified ‘world car’.

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64  GT MAGAZINE

The Third Degree – 1984 to 1989 As anybody who has just binned one will tell

 you, it’s all too easy to get carried away with

the 911. And that’s not a fault that lies with

just its owners and drivers either. During the

‘80s, the record sales figures that came in

conjunction with the new 3.2-litre Carrera

 were fuelled more by economic forces than

any other factor, and Porsche took its eye off 

the ball.

It’s a well-documented fact that Porsche

now moved into a period of scant product 

development and, towards the decade’s end,

die-hard followers began to loose faith. That 

 was all very well when queues of people moreconcerned with having the ‘right’ badge on

their cars were lining up at the dealerships, but 

 when they dried up, it left a precariously weak 

model range for the real fans.

 That’s not to say th e 911 hadn’t moved on.

 The 3.2-litre engine now teased its owners

 with a 231bhp output, thanks not only to its

larger bore but also the introduction of the

now obligatory Motronic engine management 

system. Bigger brakes, anti-roll bars and

torsion bars made the SC body handle the

bends a little better.

For the 911, these were hardly massive

strides forward, and Porsche was intent on

releasing gimmicky models rather than

substantially better ones. Speedster, Turbo-

look and flat-nose 911s deflected attention

from where it was really needed and it was not 

until late in the Carrera’s production life that a

significant development occurred. Thereplacement of the long-serving 915

transmission was replaced with the Getrag 

G50 in 1987, accompanied by a 240mm

clutch, the same as the Turbo.

It was a deeply frustrating time for Porsche

fans, as the 1986 959 proved that the Stuttgart 

factory was still more than capable of taking 

the 911 and, using technology, making it an

ever-more impressive performer.

This 1989 3.2 Carrera was fitted with the superior Getrag G50

gearbox and that was one of the reasons its owner bought it.

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Huge thanks are due to the follow,who

and assitance this featured would not h

Karan Ruggles at Autofarm 01865

01484 425944,Colin Baigent,Steve Ca

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FAMILY

MAR66  GT MAGAZINE

The Fourth Dimension – 1989 to 1993 When it was launched, press releases told usthat the 964 (or Carrera 2 or Carrera 4, if 

 you’d rather) was 87 per cent new: enough for 

some to mark the 964 down as the beginning 

of a second generation of the 911. It proved, if 

little else, that Porsche was taking the 911

seriously again, and was looking to produce it 

for sometime into the future.

Despite this, the 964 was by no means a

sales success. The recession that the world wasplunging into restricted the potential market.

On top of that Porsche had to convince its old

followers that this was a 911 they could put 

their trust in. Although the 964 was far better 

than its predecessor and excellent in its own

right, reversing Porsche’s fortunes was simply 

too big a task for any one model to overcome.

It did, however, start the resurgence and

exemplified the combination of old and newthat a 911 of the future would have to embody.

Keeping much of the Carrera 3.2’s body 

panels, visually it was clear this was a 911

 whose shape still harked back to Butzi’s

original design. The fact that these were bolted

onto an all-new structure beneath made it 

clear serious thought had gone into the car’s

on-road talents. The arrival of an automatically 

activated rear wing that raised itself at 50mph was an innovative solution to improving high

speed stability.

 The newly bored and stroked engine now

displaced 3.6 litres, a necessary increase if the

new four-wheel drive Carrera 4 was to be f aster 

than the old 3.2 Carrera. Now pushing out 

250bhp and 228lb/ft torque, it just as

importantly allowed Porsche to realise its

dream of supplying cars around the worldusing one, unadulterated engine.

 The 964 also spawned another great, the

Carrera RS. Backed by some to be the next best 

collectable to the 2.7 RS of the early ‘70s, the

stripped-out street racer had a 260bhp engine

to add to its excellent lightweight package.

Equipped here with an extensive roll-cage,

they’re a fantastic tool on track or road.

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FAMILY

MAR68  GT MAGAZINE

The Fifth Generation – 1994 to 1998 Where the 964 had technologically been a

quantum leap forward for the 911, the 993

represented the first real change to the model’s

profile since its launch 30 years before. It was

sleek, modern looking, and took the

seemingly ages-old design to places it had

never been before. Love it or hate it, the 911

needed this stylistic breath of fresh air if it wasto achieve Stuttgart’s objective. Charged with

attracting customers away from their Mercedes

Benzes and BMWs, the 993 did so by the

stretch limousine-load.

Changes in detail rather than an all-new

exterior characterised its styling. The 964’s

flared rear arches’ lines were softened to make

them more of an integral part of the 993’s

flowing design, while at the front, combined

 with more sharply-raked headlights, the

revised nose gave it an aggressive edge.

Under the skin there were changes, too. Not 

least was the replacement of the semi-rear 

trailing arm suspension with a multi-link 

arrangement and a brand new six-speed

gearbox in 1995. Stuck at 3.6 litres, the engine was, however, more powerful at 272bhp, rising 

to 285bhp with the introduction of VarioCam

in 1996 across the entire model range.

 The system was pioneered on what is

arguably one of the best of the modern 911s,

the 3.8 Carrera RS. Its bored-out engine

delivered 300bhp and enabled a 0-60mph

time of five seconds; but it was more

concerned with the twists than the straights.

 To such ends, the car was significantly stiffer 

than the rest of the model range due to extras

like front strut braces. Created with the track 

equally in mind, the turbo charged, rear-wheel

drive GT2 was another notable addition to the

993 range, as was the introduction of the first 

four-wheel drive 911 Turbo.Just as exceptional in its own way was the

reintroduction of the Targa. Now fitted with an

all-glass roof, it promised the ideal balance

between open-and tin-top motoring (an ideal

solution for UK sun worshippers). Successful

in its ambition or not, it convinced enough

buyers for Porsche to repeat the exercise with

today’s 996 model. The 993 continued to carry the 911 towards the new millennium.Revisions to its front end, especially the headlight cluster,were the most daring styling changes Porsche made to Butzi’s

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FAMILY

MAR

Sixth of the Best – 1997 to date Water-cooling was the heavy artillery purists

traditionally used as ammunition against all

Stuttgart’s attempts to build anything other 

than the 911. Regardless of the fact that one of 

the main reasons Butzi didn’t use this method

to cool the original 911s was purely down to

space in the engine bay and contemporary 

technology, was irrelevant. It simply wasn’t 

Porsche, old boy.

So it could hardly have come as a surprise

to the Stuttgart factory that the announcement 

of the 996’s powerplant was drowned out by the sound of toys being t ossed from prams.

 The last bastion of true Porscheness (is that a

 word? I’ll check my Porschist’s dictionary) had

been tainted by the dreaded H2O. Would it 

ever be worth buying a 911 again? Of course it 

 would, and despite an unnoticeable blip in

sales figures while the overly concerned got 

their head around the change, many have now

been converted.

 There was plenty to attract them

though. Technology really march

3.4-litre engine’s 296bhp (and no

3.6-litre’s 320bhp) is t estament to

fraction of it. VarioCam Plus now

dollops of power and torque are a

across the range while the option

Stability Management makes sure

the straight, twisty and narrow. Ti

possibly the best automatic-derive

transmission available for road caIf more excitement is needed, t

offers two of the f astest road cars

in the Turbo and GT2, the latter b

most powerful and fastest Porsch

Perhaps the only thing the range d

stripped-out-normally-aspirated R

 with sales figures as strong as ever

argue that Porsche hasn’t got it rig

The first water-cooled 911 continues to cause debate, although any concerns can now be put to bed with the lates