We all know these cars and the prices theyâve commanded of late. Only 57 were built, and one just sold for $2.4 million. An instant classic. ... A third, more potent option is the first-generation 911 Turbo (AKA 930 series, 1975-1989) with its signature whale tail rear spoiler. Meanwhile, prices for the 996 generation, the first 911 with a water-cooled engine, have languished, in part because the prevailing wisdom among Porsche ⦠The 911 was always a fine sports car, but the introduction of the Turbo in 1975 is what turned it into a giant killer. For those of you who arenât up on your Porsche 911 generations, hereâs a little refresher. RUF claimed 469 hp, but nobody knows how the company kept a straight face with that level of understatement. The 2019 Porsche 911 Speedster is a perfect swan song for the 991.2-Generation 911. Only 340 Club Sports were produced worldwide between 1987 and 1989, and only 28 were made to US specifications. Read about the 1963-1973 901, 911/912 1.generation © Porsche The 2022 Acura MDX Is Refreshingly Sporty 13 of the Greatest Porsche 911s Ever Made Porsche's made a lot of 911s over the last 53 years. It's easy to forgive the controversial headlight design when you look at the 911 GT1 specs, though. In 1987, the world was recovering from a major recession, and Porsche needed something to revitalize customers' interest in expensive sports cars. Porsche 997 GT3 Gen 2 0-62mph 4.1sec; Top speed 194mph; Economy 22.4mpg; CO2 emissions 298g/km; Kerb weight 1395kg; Engine 6 cyls horizontally opposed, 3797cc, petrol; Power ⦠If you can find one, you had better have well over $2 million in your bank account to spend. Launched in 1999, it was essentially a parts bin specialâa performance 911 cobbled together using bits and pieces from other models. Above: 997.2-generation Carrera coupe and Cabriolet. Where the air-cooled cars are rough and the 996 was raw, the 997 delivers a ⦠Not only was the 964 Carrera RS 3.8 a crazy car to drive, it's also one of the best looking Porsches to venture onto the road. Its 2.0-liter flat-six produced 180-hp with a crazy 7200 rpm redline, and it was the first model offered with the iconic Fuchs alloy wheels. Porsche controversially went dual-clutch only with the current generation 911 GT3 and GT3 RS. Porsche has been making the 911 for over half a century. On top of that, it has its own lighter weight exhaust system, and an automatic transmission is not an option. The 3.6-liter twin-plug flat-six air-cooled engine pushed its power into a 5-speed transmission with short-ratio gearing, and mechanical differential bias was controlled from the cockpit. On top of the beefed-up air-cooled flat-six engine, the 57 models that Porsche built came with riveted on flared fenders so it could fit the brakes and tires from the Porsche 959. These are the best. It's a GT3 variant that cruises comfortably and can fit a couple of light weekend bags for the journey. Always buzzing, fizzing, shrieking, delightingâI think the ⦠But the RUF CTR Yellow Bird still deserves a spot on this list. It's one of Porsche's rarest road-going Rennsports, and if one shows up at auction, you had better have a couple of million dollars in your back pocket to have a chance of taking it home. Take the twin-turbo flat-six from the 911 Turbo, and stick it in a wide-body rear-drive chassis and you get a wild masterpiece. This list wouldn't be complete without the pinnacle of the classic 911 - the 1973 911 Carrera RS. The 997 GT3 RS 4.0 was the last of its type to come equipped with a manual transmission, and was the last car to use the so-called Mezger engine, variants of which powered many Porsche racing victories. Porsche 993 (1994-1997) This is the holy grail of the air-cooled 911s. You may be able to find more information about this and similar content at piano.io, 9 Top Car Batteries Recommended by Experts, How Canepa Made the Ultimate Porsche Better, 8 Top-Ranked Backup Cameras for Large Vehicles, This Pontiac Aztek Was the Daytona 500 Pace Car, The Fairlady Z432R Is the Most Valuable Z, 8 Top-Rated Specialty Tools You Definitely Want, Bruce Springsteen's Surprise Jeep Super Bowl Ad, This Shop Builds V-12 LS Engines of your Dreams. The last car was a Speedster. A best-seller goes into production: Ten years after its premiere, the engineers at Porsche gave the 911 its first thorough makeover. With 260 horsepower out of its 3.0-liter flat-six and a propensity to oversteer, the original Turbo became known as s widow maker. Is the 997 the greatest Porsche 911 generation ever? More ⦠The Porsche 911 GT3 story starts with this car. Generation Gap: Ranking each and every Porsche 911 You can't really go wrong with any iteration of this iconic sports car, but, as the last 991-gen just rolled off the line, we thought we'd ⦠But this one is a little more controversial, so bear with me: I think the "996" Porsche 911 is the best 911 you can buy. The icon - 1973 2.7 Carrera RS. There was no 911 RS in the 1980s, but the Porsche 911 3.2 Carrera Club Sport made for one hell of a road and track weapon. These are our favorites. One of the greatest overall packages Porsche has ever made, from the quintessential 911 looks to the record breaking performance of its performance variant. At first, it didn't come to the U.S., but American 911 fans complained and we ended up with the brilliant RS America. In 1992, Porsche brought back the iconic RS moniker for a stripped-out 911 aimed squarely at hardcore enthusiasts. For weight saving, the 911 Carrera RS even used a thinner gauge glass. Year: 1975-1989 Generation: 930 Units built: â75ââ77 (3.L) 2,819, ⦠That could well be the best of the best â and if youâre interested, weâve got the first drive for you right here. It joined the select few that also includes the GT2 RS and Porsche 918 Spyder using a 4.0-liter naturally aspirated flat-six making "only" 520 hp. The 911 GT3 RS was developed alongside the race car, which explains how a naturally aspirated car with just 347 lb-ft of torque and 520 hp can outperform much more powerful cars. That's not to say the 911 GT3 RS is a slouch on a straight line - it'll punch 62 mph in 3.2 seconds, pass 100 mph in 6.9 sec, scream through 124 mph in 10.6 sec, and top out at 194 mph. Now in its 57th year of continual production, the Porsche 911 is a special car in so many ways. It's our idea of a perfect 911. The original Yellow Bird is based on the 911 Carrera 3.2, but with a wide body kit and a host of mechanical upgrades, including the flat-six engine being bored out to 3.4-liters and adding two turbochargers. On Friday, Dec. 20, the last 991-generation Porsche 911 rolled off the assembly line. The last Carrera GTS acted as a run-out special ⦠There are incredibly few production cars that have destroyed a lap of the Nurburgring in under seven minutes, and the 2019 911 GT3 RS is one of them. It wasn't until 1998 with the introduction of the 996 generation that Porsche switched the 911 to water-cooled technology. Here are some of the greatest 911 variants of all time, according to you. Porsche's made a lot of 911s over the last 53 years. In our opinion, the Porsche 911 Carrera 997 is the first generation of the 911 water-cooled cars that really lived up to its promise. Consistently one of the best sports cars money can buy, in all that time the 911 has managed to retain its shape and essence. So far, the new-generation Porsche 911 is available in base Carrera, all-wheel-drive Carrera 4, and more-powerful S and 4S models, in coupe, convertible, and Targa body styles. The Porsche 911 GT1 was designed purely to race in GT1 competition, and, to do so, Porsche went all out to exploit the rule book. It's not just as a consumer sports car that the 911 has found elongated success, either. Then i think that is better, to do a ranking about wich is the best model in the 911 ⦠It remains the fastest 911 ever produced, at least, until the new GT2 RS comes out. Porsche 911 Carrera RS. Only 41 911 GT1s were built in total - 18 race cars and 23 road cars. Porsche 911 GT3 (997 Gen.1) Given the fuss over the limited availability of GT3 models and their position as the hardcore, track-optimized 911 variant, you might be surprised to see one here. The GT2 has since been replaced by a more powerful, tamer car. The cabin boasts a three-spoke steering wheel, bucket seats, and pull-strap door handles. It's a real speedster as well, with a two-inch-shorter windshield frame, a carbon-fiber front trunk lid, front fenders, and rear decklid. In GT2 spec, the 3.6-liter twin-turbo flat-six from the 1995 Porsche 911 Turbo fed 430 hp to the rear wheels via a six-speed manual transmission. Technically, Porsche didn't build this 911. JR Hildebrand Might Bring an IndyCar to Pikes Peak, You Don't Need More Than the 2021 911 Turbo, Massive Lot of Rare Rotary-Engined Cars for Sale, The Latest Volume of the New Road & Track Is Here, Mazda MX-5 Miata: Guide to Every Generation, This content is created and maintained by a third party, and imported onto this page to help users provide their email addresses. Porscheâs four-cylinder from the â60s is no longer an affordable entry to 911 ⦠The twin-turbocharged flat-six was fitted in a rear mid-engine, rear-wheel-drive layout and made close to 600 horsepower and was clocked at 205 mph on the Mulsanne Straight at Le Mans. It featured the smooth and wider Turbo trim bodywork, a large wing, and a new 3.8-liter flat-six engine making 300 horsepower. The "standard" GT3 model used the 3.8-liter flat-six, while the GT3 RS hijacked the 500-hp 4.0-liter flat-six from the track-only GT3 R and RSR. The ever-increasing mania and resulting skyrocketing values of air-cooled Porsche 911s have put those cars way out of reach for most buyers. Well, it certainly was last time around. It's one of the most hardcore 911 models yet, and you had to know what you were doing to drive one. âWith the increased interest and these becoming a more valued generation, we expect to see values rise,â Hewitt notes. It was the most powerful 911 of its time, sending 612 turbocharged horses exclusively through a manual transmission to the rear wheels. It also benefitted from a short-shift gear selector, sport shock absorbers, forged allow wheels, and front and rear spoilers. Built by Porsche, but perfected by the tuning house RUF, the CTR Yellow Bird is still a sensational car. its very dificult select the best generation, because each generation has a lot of models. We may earn a commission through links on our site. The Porsche ⦠Only 55 were built in order to homologate the 964 Carrera RSR for international competition in the 1990s. 901, 912, 1.gen., G-model, 964, 993, 996, 997, 991 and 992 © Porsche. Porsche 911 engines have always been configured in flat 6-cylinder layouts (and likely always will be), though a flat 4-cylinder engine was also available in the same body and referred to as the 912. ⦠Porsche 911 incl. Only 22 were made, which makes the 964 Carrera 4 Lightweight an incredibly rare breed. Notice a theme here? Our product picks are editor-tested, expert-approved. Ask a fan what the ultimate 911 looks like, and they will likely point to a picture of the 997 GT3 RS 4.0. People who drove it said it was a car on edge, ready to snap at the smallest mistake from the driver. The blueprinted engine used hollow intake valves to allow it to rev out to 6,520 rpm and go from 0-60 mph in 5.6 seconds with a top speed of 149 mph. Porscheâs new 911 model is unquestionably the finest Porsche ever built. The GT2 RS brought it back, with 620 turbocharged horsepower sent to the rear wheels only. Instead of adapting a road car, Porsche built what was essentially a sports prototype that adhered to regulations then constructed a handful of street-legal versions called the 911 GT1 Straßenversion. 1975-1989 Porsche 930 Turbo. They were the last generation using the air-cooled engines and are seen as the choice for 911 enthusiasts. Why The Land Rover Defender Is The Best Off-Roader You Can Buy Right Now, Why The 2021 Cadillac Escalade Is The Ultimate Fullsize SUV, 2021 Porsche 718 Cayman Review: More Than A Cut-Price 911, 2021 BMW 8 Series Coupe Review: A Truly Grand Coupe, 2021 Lexus LC Coupe Test Drive Review: Falling In Love Is Rarely So Easy, 2021 Porsche 718 Spyder Review: The Dynamic Benchmark, 2021 Porsche 718 Cayman GT4 Review: Prince Of Precision, © 2010-2021 CarBuzz Inc. All Rights Reserved, the CTR Yellow Bird is still a sensational car.