Porsche 911 2019 revealed in LA

It would take a brave designer to attempt to revolutionise the look of the Porsche 911, one the most famous, beloved and iconic cars in the world, and clearly no one that brave was involved in the look of the new, eighth-generation 2019 model, just unveiled in Los Angeles.

The new 911 takes an evolutionary approach to the famous Coke-bottle shape, first seen in 1963, which will neither scare buyers off nor damage the resale values of recent models.

The good news in terms of looks is that the car is now wider, no matter which model you choose. In the past, you had to pay more for a wide-body look, but the new generation is all one size, which means the base cars have a wider body than the previous 911.

Look closer and you’ll also notice a slightly longer bonnet and new headlamps. Not huge changes, but enough for the Porsche fans to get excited about. You can’t really tell by looking at it, but the 992 is also slightly larger in every way, too, meaning improved cabin room.

The new car - designated the 992 - gets a revised version of the turbocharged 3.0-litre engine, a new eight-speed PDK dual-clutch gearbox and, in very good news for the purists, it also still offers a seven-speed manual transmission (and one of the world’s best, at that).

While the refreshed 911 claims to be more aerodynamically slippery, its flying top speeds remain unchanged, at 308km/h for the rear-wheel-drive Carrera S, which will cost you $265,000, and 306km/h for the heavier, all-paw Carrera 4S.

The 3.0-litre engine is the only one Porsche is talking about for now.

There is more power from the revised engine, however, with a bump of 22kW to a very impressive 331kW, which, combined with the new gearing of that eight-speed box, provides a 0.4 of a second improvement in the 0 to 100km/h times, which are now 3.7 for the S and 3.6 seconds for the 4S.

While it might not look hugely different, the changes to the 911 are all under the skin, with a new platform that features more aluminium to reduce weight, and a tweaked chassis that now features rear-wheel steering - previously a feature only on more expensive models like the Turbo.

Looking at it from behind, where you can really appreciate that width, you’ll also notice new LED tail lamps that now connect right across the rear (where, of course, the engine still sits).

Inside, the interior has been given a stylistic makeover, with a new multi-function steering wheel, digital displays and a 10.9-inch touch screen. A redesigned gear lever is perhaps the most shocking change, and will split opinions.

The 3.0-litre engine is the only one Porsche is talking about for now - and will return a claimed fuel economy figure of 8.9L/100km and 9.0L/100km - but you can bet there will be plenty more options, and variants, to come.

Does the new 911 look new enough? Tell us in the comments below.