Porsche 911 1992 News

The Kia Tasman ute hasn’t even arrived yet, but the outcry over its looks has been huge, with people saying it’s not just the ugliest car they have ever seen but the ugliest thing they’ve seen ever, like in their entire lives.

Few other automobiles in the world can look back on such a long tradition and such continuity as the Porsche 911. It has been inspiring car enthusiasts the world over since its debut as the model 901 at the Frankfurt International Automotive Show in September 1963. Today it is considered the quintessential sports car, the benchmark for all others. PHILOSOPHY The 911 is also the central point of reference for all other Porsche series. From the Cayenne to the Panamera, every Porsche is the most sporting automobile in its category, and each one carries a piece of the 911 philosophy. Over 820,000 Porsche 911s have been built. For each of its seven generations the engineers in Zuffenhausen and Weissach have reinvented it, time and time again demonstrating to the world the innovative power of the Porsche brand. Like no other vehicle, the 911 reconciles apparent contradictions such as sportiness and everyday practicality, tradition and innovation, exclusivity and social acceptance, design and functionality. SUCCESS STORY It is no wonder that each generation has written its own personal success story. Ferry Porsche best described its unique qualities: "The 911 is the only car you could drive on an African safari or at Le Mans, to the theatre or through New York City traffic." In addition to its classic yet unique lines, the Porsche 911 has always been distinguished by its advanced technology. Many of the ideas and technologies that made their debut in the Porsche 911 were conceived on the race track. The 911 was committed to the performance principle from the start, and motor racing is its most important test lab. From the very beginning it has been at home on circuits all over the world, earning a reputation as a versatile and dependable winner. Indeed, a good two thirds of the 30,000 race victories achieved by Porsche to date were notched up by the 911. THIS YEAR For Porsche, the 50th anniversary of this iconic sports car is the central theme of 2013. There will be a wide variety of anniversary events, starting with the ‘Retro Classics’ automobile show in Stuttgart. From 7 to 10 March, the Porsche Museum will ring in the anniversary year with four special exhibits, an early-model 911 Turbo Coupe, a 911 Cabriolet study from 1981, a 1997 road-going ‘street’ version 911 GT1 and the pre-series Type 754 T7. The company is also sending an authentic 1967 model 911 on a world tour. Over the course of the year, this classic car will travel to five continents where it will be shown in places like Pebble Beach, California, China, Goodwood in the UK, Paris and Australia.  

The car is the next step in the 911-rollout that will eventually lead to the Turbo and GT2 and track-ready GT3 road racer.

The new Porsche 911 convertible shares its new, high tech aluminium-steel body with the Coupe, and the convertible extends this innovation to its new roof. When raised, the design of the roof ensures the iconic 911 roof line is retained in its entirety. Intelligent lightweight design, including the use of magnesium in the frame, ensures reduced weight for increased responsiveness, lower fuel consumption and greater comfort. As is the case with the Coupe model, the new 911 Cabriolet is significantly lighter overall than its predecessor. Combined with lower weight, the new 911 Cabriolet models share the longer wheelbase, wider front track and the new electro-mechanical power steering of their Coupe siblings, ensuring the open-roofed models offer more sporting driving characteristics, greater precision and agility compared to the prior model. In addition, there are further standard or optional active control systems available that further enhance driving dynamics. The Cabriolet models offer the same powertrain line-up of rear-mounted, flat-six engines as the Coupe equivalents in 3.4-litre and 3.8-litre flat six cylinder form with manual or automated manual transmissions

The 911 goes all-new again in 2011.  The latest series of Carparazzi pictures show the upcoming 998 as both a coupe and cabrio.  The look is longer and more aerodynamic, although Porsche is playing with wheels and even fake stick-on air vents ahead of the rear wheels. "We are able to evolve the design. That is pretty rare," Michael Baumann of Porsche tells Carsguide.  He is giving nothing specific away, but confirms the new 911 timing sometime next year. Baumann also says the next-generation Cayman and Boxster, which will follow quickly behind the 911, can stand to be "more radical" in their design than anything the company will risk with its hero. The Carparazzi pictures are definitely not the 911 Turbo, although the smooth look is reminiscent of today's Turbo. And the fake wing fitted to some prototypes is gone. Carparazzi says the other fakery on 998 prototypes includes the rear lamps, which are temporary.  But the nose is newer and points to more-upright headlamps, the side mirrors have definitely migrated back to the doors - to improve drag and visibility - and the engine cover has a new type of cooling with a series of large vents.

Only about five Porsche 911 Sport Classics — a hand-built, bespoke celebration of the 911's 40-year history — will come to Australia from a fixed global production run of just 250. So exclusive is the car that Porsche Australia spokesman Paul Ellis doesn't know the final price and has yet to take any orders. "But we know we'll sell what we can get," he says. "This is a very exclusive car that is basically hand built. It even has a woven leather interior as well as the very best components from Porsche." The Porsche 911 Sport Classic revives the aura of one of its most outstanding models, the 1973 Carrera RS 2.7. It's taken Porsche three years to develop this car and yet it will make only 250 units. To be shown at next week's Frankfurt Motor Show, the Sport Classic has been developed by the company's specialist department, Porsche Exclusive. Reflecting the Carrera's design is the Sport Classic's ducktail rear spoiler and the Fuchs-style design of the special custom-made alloy wheels. The distinctive double-dome roof is borrowed from the style of the 911 Panamericana show car and in the roofline of the Carrera GT. The coupe is further defined by its more powerful engine, unique exterior with reshaped front and rear styling, a new centre section in the roof, new side sills and new shape of front and rear lights. Porsche says that every car in this limited series comes in an exclusive paint colour called Sport Classic Grey with subtle dark trim strips. The interior is finished in Espresso Nature and is claimed to go further than the current customising portfolio available on the other 911 models. Power comes from a worked version of the 3.8-litre flat-six engine that now delivers 300kW. The engine has a unique six-butterfly intake manifold. The Sport Classic has a six-speed manual transmission and sprints to 100km/h from rest in 4.6 seconds and on to a top speed of 302km/h. Fuel consumption, for those who care, is claimed to average 10.6 litres/100km. While the limited edition 911 Sport Classic is based on the 911 Carrera S, it has aluminium doors and features the rear bodywork of the all-wheel drive models — meaning it is 44mm wider and has a rear track extended by 34mm.