For more than 5 decades,
the Porsche 911 remained
one of the most iconic sports cars in the world.
With its recognizable design,
the 911 became synonymous
with quality and performance.
This is the evolution of the Porsche 911!
Riding on the success of the 356,
Porsche decided to create a more powerful successor.
The 911 maintained the 356’s fastback design,
but the four-cylinder was replaced with a more powerful
rear-mounted six-cylinder “boxer engine.”
Almost 60 years after the first model rolled off the production floor,
more than one million 911 models have been produced
in eight distinct generations!
Each series of the 911 has an internal code number,
but they have been marketed and sold as the Porsche 911.
The original Porsche 911 was unveiled in 1963.
The luxury sports car was notable for having an air-cooled engine in the rear.
It replaced the Porsche 356
and was much more powerful,
larger
and more comfortable.
The 911 had a 2 liter flat-6 Boxer engine
capable of accelerating to 60 miles per hour in 9 seconds.
The production cycle of the 356 ended in 1965,
but there was still a huge market for a four-cylinder car,
especially in the US.
So, the 912 was released the same year to bridge the gap
between the outgoing 356 and the 911.
The 912 wasn’t nearly as fast as the 911.
It had a top speed of 116 miles per hour,
while the 911 could go to 134 miles per hour.
Throughout its production cycle
Porsche kept improving the original 911
increasing the engine from 2 to 2.4 liters
and the output from 128 to 190 horsepower.
In 1973 the Carrera 2.7 RS was released,
and considered by many collectors to be
the greatest classic 911 of all-time.
The name "Carrera" comes from the 356 Carrera
which had been named after Porsche’s victories
in the Carrera Panamericana races
in Mexico in the 1950s.
While RS stands for Rennsport in German,
meaning “racing sport.”
The car had a characteristic “ducktail”
which was the world’s first rear spoiler on a production vehicle.
The Carrera had a large 2.7 liter engine generating 210 horsepower.
The sports car was much faster than the original 911
with a top speed of 150 miles per hour!
In total 81,100 units of the original 911 model were made.
Fun Fact
The original Porsche 911 was
initially designated as the “Porsche 901”.
However, Peugeot claimed an exclusive right to
three-number vehicle names with “0” in the middle.
Porsche, not willing to engage Peugeot in a legal conflict,
simply replaced the number “0” with “1”.
In 1973 Porsche gave the 911 its first thorough makeover
and produced the “G model”.
This generation of the Porsche 911 stayed in production from 1973 to 1989,
which is longer than any other 911 generation.
It received a new raised bumber design
with a plastic bellow to meet the latest crash test standards in the United States.
In 1974
the first Porsche 911 Turbo was unveiled.
It marked one of the most important milestones in the 911 saga,
with a three-liter 260 horsepower engine and an enormous rear spoiler.
At the time of its introduction
the Turbo was the fastest production car available in Germany.
The Turbo could go 156 miles per hour and a few years later
even boosted to a top speed of 165 miles per hour.
The G series became very successful
and in total over 198,000 models were produced.
The next generation of the Porsche 911
came at the end of the 1980s with the 964.
While the car still looked like the original
it was radically revised and had 85% new components.
For the first time it had four-wheel drive,
airbags
and automatic transmission.
It came with a naturally aspirated 3.6-liter boxer engine
and an output of 250 horsepower.
The 964 could go to 162 miles per hour.
In total 78,008 units of the Porsche 964 were produced.
The 993 model released in 1994
was the last generation of the 911 to come with an air-cooled engine.
It received a different design
and was much improved compared to its predecessor.
According to Porsche only 20% of the parts of the 964
were retained in the 993 model.
Significant progress was made regarding the driving experience.
The 993 was also the first to
receive a six speed transmission.
The car was slightly faster than its predecessor,
with a top speed of 168 miles per hour.
However, the 993 GT2 was much faster
and could go to 184 miles per hour.
It was the ultimate model of this generation
and the fastest Porsche at the time.
It could blast to 60 miles per hour in an impressive 4 seconds.
In total only 57 GT2 units were made.
The 993 is still a favorite
for many Porsche enthusiast due to its design
and because it was the last generation with an air-cooled engine.
With all variants combined
little over 67,500 Porsche 993 units were produced.
Fun Fact
All Porsche cars have been produced in the same factory
located in Stuttgart, Germany since 1963.
In the 90s Porsche was facing financial difficulties,
and realized that in order to keep the 911 in production,
it would need radical changes.
This led to the development of the 996.
While it retained the classic character of the 911,
it was a completely new car.
The 996 was released in 1998.
It was the first to be driven by a water-cooled engine.
On the inside, drivers experienced a new cockpit,
since Porsche wanted to increase driving comfort.
The 996 had a sleeker body
and a new so-called
“fried egg” shaped headlamps,
which was a controversial change.
On release, the 996 was offered as a rear-wheel-drive coupe or cabriolet
and it came with a 3.4-liter flat-six engine
reaching 180 miles per hour,
while the Turbo S version could go to
an impressive 197 miles per hour.
In total Porsche made well over 179,000 units of the 996 generation.
Fun Fact
The Porsche 996 can be seen in Pixar’s animated movie Cars
and is played by the character Sally.
In 2004
Porsche unveiled the new generation Carrera models,
referred to as the 997.
It featured the same classic silhouette of the 911,
but more notable was the return of the clear oval headlights
with separate blinkers found in older models,
which many people preferred over the fried-egg shaped headlights of its predecessor.
The base model Carrera came with a 3.6-liter boxer engine and produced 325 hp.
The car could go to 180 miles per hour.
The Carrera S was a slightly faster version
with a larger displacement of a 3.8-liter engine.
In 2007 the GT2 was released.
It was the first 911 to exceed
the 200 miles per hour top speed barrier.
It was also the most expensive in the 997 range,
as it was sold for $245,000 dollars at launch,
while the base model was sold for $77,800 dollars.
Porsche made many versions of the 997 to suit drivers’ individual preferences,
including the Carrera,
Targa,
Cabriolet,
Turbo,
GTS
and many others.
In total a whopping 24 model variants of the 997 were made.
This generation also became the most produced 911 model.
Over 215,000 units were built.
The 991 released in 2011
marked a significant step in the history of the 911.
The next generation set the bar even higher
in terms of performance and efficiency.
Although the 991 was larger than the 997.
it was also lighter because of the predominant use of the largely aluminum construction.
The 991 Carrera model featured a smaller 3.4-liter engine,
yet it was more powerful.
To improve fuel economy,
Porsche introduced new technologies
such as an engine stop/start system
that turns the engine off at red lights.
At the base level, the Carrera model can reach 180 miles per hour.
Over the years, Porsche continued to
add new models to the 991 generation.
To celebrate the 50th anniversary of the 911 introduction,
Porsche introduced the 911 50th Anniversary Edition in 2014.
A total of 1,963 units were made
and only people who already owned a Porsche could buy one.
In 2017 the 991 GT2 RS was unveiled at Xbox E3.
It was unveiled along with the announcement of the Forza Motorsport 7 video game.
In the game players can drive the car,
and the GT2 RS is even on the cover of the game.
The sports car is a beast
and goes from 0 to 60 miles per hour in just 2.7 seconds,
making it one of the quickest cars in the world.
But that’s not all,
in 2017 Lars Kern set a new record with the GT2 RS
at the Nürburgring Nordschleife
with 6 minutes and 47 seconds.
In 2021 Lars even beat his own record with the same car and is still,
at the time of making this video,
the record holder for the fastest production car lap time.
The legendary race car is the fastest 911 ever made
with a top speed of 211 miles per hour.
Only 1,000 units of this model were produced.
Throughout its production run from 2011 to 2019
more than 233,000 units of the Porsche 991 were made.
This made it the most produced 911 model.
Fun Fact
The Porsche 911 with all its generations
is the most mass-produced sports car in the world
with over 1 million units made over a period of five decades.
And finally the latest generation of the Porsche 911
is the 992 released in 2019.
Continuing with the legacy of the Porsche 911,
this model bears much resemblance to the outgoing 991 generation.
However, like all generations of the 911,
this model is distinct with several improvements in power and efficiency.
The 992 Carrera has a top speed of 182 miles per hour,
making it again slightly faster than its predecessor.
In 2020 the Turbo and Turbo S were released
with a 3.7 liter flat-6 engine with 641 horsepower.
The Turbo S can blast to 60 miles per hour in just 2.5 seconds!
It was also a very fast car with a top speed of 205 miles per hour.
In 2021 the latest Porsche 911 was released,
the 992 GT3 version.
Unlike other models, the GT3 is more track focused
and features a large rear spoiler with larger air vents,
a bigger diffuser and two large exhaust connections.
The 992 GT3 recently set an impressive lap time
at the Nürburgring, reaching the finish in 6 minutes and 55 seconds.
The car isn’t as fast as the Turbo S,
but can still reach 199 miles per hour.
From the first Porsche 911 introduced in 1963
all the way to the latest generation released in 2019,
Porsche continues to improve the performance of this icon,
while still keeping the character of the 911 close to its origins.
Subtitles done by Emir Kahvecioglu