Porsche has now come to India. But all its models are priced at a level which is a bit too premium. Most of us cannot imagine buying one. But it won't hurt to know a little about its glorious past. It is the only car which has survived through four decades and is still respected (except for our very own ambassador!).
No other car has such a glorious and eventful history as the Porsche 911. The 911 broke away from conventional rules and created a revolution in the auto world. Even though it was condemned at first, it has survived more than 4 decades (in style!).
The new Porsche 911 is one of the most handsome cars in the world, but its design is hugely influenced by the first ever 911, made in 1964. 911s have drop dead gorgeous looks, an engine that is worth itw weight in gold, and scorching performance. What more will a car enthusiast want? Fuel economy? Yes, it is economical too! And it is famous for being the most practical supercar. Finally, in other words, the ultimate car you would want. The 911 is the most preferred model in the Porsche range even if there is the much more fabulous Carrera GT.
The Porsche 911 is today considered the ultimate supercar. But a few decades ago, it was known to be a very bad car, because of its rear engine. Technicians, engineers all alike criticezed the 911 for this. They said its handling will be miserable. But the 911 proved them wrong and now it is among the best handlers in the world. Its looks were also criticized by journalists, media guys, auto engineers all. But now its styling theme is known to be one of the best in the world. Porsche has made a car that is so unique, so different, so radical, yet it is hailed around the world as the best car. That is one of the 911s big advantages.
The history of the 911 is glorious indeed. Porsche wanted to make a car to replace the 365, which was beginning to get outdated. In 1963 when the design was completed, the all-new Porsche 901 was unveiled to the public at the Frankfurt motor show. This car was called the 901, but Puegeot had the rights to names having '0' in the middle, and thus they renamed it as the 911, which we know so well now. A year later it made it to production.
The 911 at first had a moderate 2.0 liter 130 bhp engine. This, as I already mentioned, was criticized for its looks and rear engine 'status'. In 1965, Porsche wanted to make a cheaper version of the 911 and so the 912 was born. This was considerably cheaper and at the end of that year, sales of the 912 overtook that of the 911. A couple of years later, the 911 S was made. This car had a few changes that included a rise in power, from 130 bhp to 160 bhp. The same year production of the 365 stopped.
In 1970, the C series was introduced. Its displacement was upped to 2.2 liters. The S version of it had as much as 180 bhp of power. In 1972 the displacement of the engine was further increased to 2.4 liters. This version of the car was one of the most classical 911s because it had benefited from all the improvements made from the first 911 produced in 1964. A year later, a decade after the 911 was introduced, Porsche launched one of the most influential models it ever produced- the Carrera RS. This car had a 2.7-liter engine and thus the power increased considerably. It became a big hit.
In the year 1975, the Porsche Carrera 3.0 turbo was introduced. It had a power output of 260 bhp! The 911 turbo is a name that is always associacted with supercars, just like Tendulkar is with cricket. Turbo power was considered unsafe and inconvenient because of the turbo lag and the sudden burst of power. But Porsche made used turbocharging, but they tuned their engines to remove the lag and the sudden power. So their tech made turbocharging practical. The 911 turbo is THE best supercar. The Carrera turbo was the origin of this exquisite range of fast and furious 911s.
One fact that definitely must be mentioned is that all 911s had flat six boxer engines. The 911 is renowned for being the fastest flat six engined car. And have you noticed that all 911s have a displacement of less than 4 liters? The displacement is low, yet there are oddles of power, even more than much costlier and bigger cars. The 911s had an excellent specific power output (around 100!). Since the engine is small, the fuel economy of 911s was just amazing, which made it very practical. Sometimes its economy is twice as good as other supercars!
In 1980 all the models got power of 204 bhp. The new Carrera replaced the SC 3.0 with a 3.2 engine. In the early 90s as sales began to decline, Porsche revoked the spirit by launching the Carrera 4. This car got an all-new 3.6-liter engine and the styling was fresher. It also got all wheel drive. Later, the Carrera RS was launched which had a 260 bhp engine. RS stands for racing style. This model had less frills and was made for racing. In 1992, the turbo S was unveiled. It had a power output of a massive 381 bhp!!! The turbo S was a hit. A year later an exclusive model called the RS 3.8 was launched. It had a power output of 300 bhp.
In 1993 the new range of 911s was launched. The new 911 came to be known as the 993. The 993 series is considered by all Porsche fans as the best ever 911 model. Even the new 911 (997) has taken cues from the 993. In 1996 a Turbo based on the 993 series was launched. This Turbo is powered by a twin-turbocharged power plant, producing 408 bhp which was the highest ever for a Porsche! It also featured a 6 speed transmission, another first on a 911. The 993 was so popular, that when Porsche launched the newer improved version a few years later, the fans were disappointed.
In 1998 the new Porsche 911, also known as the 996 was introduced. This new 911 was the first in 34 years that was so new compared with the previous models. First all of the bodywork was completely new. As is the interior and the suspension. The headlights, like a lot of other components were shared with the Boxster, but Porsche implies they were designed for the 911, and then used for the Boxster. The typical curved flanks made way for a smooth new look. The engine volume was decreased 200 cc to 3387 cc, but the power was up 14 bhp to 296 bhp. Porsche claims it should do 0-100 km/h in 5.2 seconds, which makes it just as fast as the Ferrari 456 GT, faster than the Honda NSX, the Jaguar XK8, the Aston Martin DB7 and V8, and the BMW M3 and M5!!! This 996 was really the modern 911. Its design, handling and interior were modern and civilized. But the 996 version was condemned for being influenced by the Boxter. It also lost the '911 charm'.
In 1999, the 911 GT3 was unveiled It had the same 3.6-liter engine, but could pelt out as much as 360 bhp. This was because it was tuned for maximum performance. All GT variants, were stripped of all frills to reduce the weight, so as to give tarmac burning performance. The 996 turbo, produced in 2000 had a 3.6-liter engine and could give 420 bhp!!! It made 0-100 in just 4.2 seconds and a top speed of 305 km/h! These specs make it as fast as the Lambhorgini Gallardo and Bentley Continental GT, both of which are priced at almost 3 times the price!
It was recently, in 2004 that the 997 range of 911s was unveiled. It was time to rejoice, as the old 'Boxter influenced' styling had been dumped, and there was the legacy of the 993 series. For now, only the Carrera, Carrera S and the cabriolet are available in 997 guise. The Carrera S has 355 bhp of power from a 3.8 liter engine which propels it to 100 km/h in just 5 seconds. As we know, the Carrera is available in India now, but it is very 'cheap' (55-70 lakhs). The 997 turbo is very eagerly awaited by fans and critics alike. The new 997 is so good that people a
