In our previous blog we touched base on the early generation Porsche 911’s, specifically everything up to 1998, leaving out the best generations to come of the 911. The 911 996 all the way up to the 911 992 (present day 911). And what a journey Porsche has been on, every generation gets better and better leaving every generation with a 911 icon.
-996 911 (1997-2005)
-997 911 (2004-2012)
-991 911 (2011-2019)
-992 911 (2018-Present)
The 996-997 (1997-2012)
The 996 was an exceptional example of a significant departure from its predecessors. The Porsche 911 996 was introduced in 1997, making quite the entrance, marking the first 911 with a water-cooled engine, a completely redesigned chassis and interior. The chassis was 45% stronger but also much lighter then the previous generations. The 996 was truly a vision of where future Porsche vehicles were heading. While always keeping the same shape for the 911’s, there were definitely some major appearance changes. The 996 is about 33mm wider than the previous generation 993. We also have the most noticeable and at that time the most debatable appearance change, the ‘fried egg’ headlights. Although, at first people did not like the new headlight design, they became a large contributor to the model's unique character. Over the 8 years of production of the 996 there came multiple different variants giving customers a wide variety of Porsche 996’s to choose from:
-1998: The 996 Carrera 2 coupe
-1999: The 996 Carrera 4 (ft. All wheel drive), The 996 GT3
-2000: The 996 Turbo (ft. 420bhp twin-turbo engine)
-2001: The 996 GT2 (ft. Rear wheel drive, twin-turbo engine)
-2002: The 996 ultimate facelift
-2004: The 996 GT3 RS
-2005: The 997 generation replaced the 996 Carrera 2 and 4 models, but the 996 Carrera 4S, Turbo, Turbo S and GT3 continued to be produced.
The 996 was actually the first Porsche to wear the GT3 badge! The 3.6-liter flat-six of the 996 GT3 delivered a whopping 355hp, a six speed manual transmission, equipped with larger brakes. Rear seats and spare tire were left out of this production to ultimately lose weight and offset weight gains elsewhere as a result of additional reinforcement on the brakes, suspension, transmission and body.
The 911 996 was the biggest 911 yet, which wasn’t necessarily a bad thing. Its design was elegant, classic and very clean. This was a more modern approach to the 911’s, creating a sophisticated driving environment meaning the vehicle was very well positioned for the future of Porsche. The 996 introduced very distinctive touches: a more efficient water-cooled engine, a more spacious interior and obviously a new look that was also still familiar with previous 911 generations.
Now the Porsche 911 997, introduced in 2004 to start being produced in 2005, brought us back to some of the original features we fell in love with on the 911’s. The 6th generation 911 brought back its round headlights but also came with a more curvaceous body and completely new interior. Introducing two engine variants- The Carrera 3.6 and the Carrera S 3.8. The 997 also introduced a plethora of suspension upgrades and systems with their all new Porsche Active Suspension Management (PASM). This all new system was standard on S models and was an option for the base 911. The technology put into the Porsche 997 was something else. Pressing the “sport” button made the PASM shock absorbers stiffer creating the perfect ride to enjoy the output power of the vehicle. The 997 Carrera also came equipped with 18” wheels and the S came with 19” wheels as the 996 Carrera only came with 17” wheels. We had the new PASM system but we also got the new features of the Porsche Stability Management system (PSM). The PSM had two new functions: pre-filling the brake mechanism and the new hydraulic brake power support. The 997 was mostly just a cosmetic makeover with really cool upgrades and more to offer with the option of a 3.8 liter.
The 997 was truly the generation to show Porsche's innovative technology. In 2008, the 997 was equipped with the all new PDK dual-clutch transmission, offering faster changes then the tiptronic automatic, better performance and reduced fuel consumption. Obviously you could still also get a 997 with a manual transmission. Porsche didn’t stop there though, Porsche also introduced direct injection with this revamped 911 997, and torque vectoring with the 997 turbo. Torque Vectoring works with the cars Porsche Stability Management system, it brakes the inside rear to allow the car to turn into corners sharper while improving steering response and giving the car better traction out of corners. It was a game changer!
Just like previous generations, the 997 was setting higher standards than the 996. In 2007, the 992 911 GT2 was the fastest street legal 911 ever built (at that time). The 997 was also the first ever 911 GTS. The 997 introduced a complete makeover and also came with even more technology then the 996 and it is still to this day allot of people's favorite generation 911.
The 991-992 (2011-Now)
We’ll start with the Porsche 911 991, the seventh generation of the sports car. The 991 was unveiled at the Frankfurt Motor Show in 2011 as the replacement for the 997, unveiled was yet another entirely new platform which by now was no surprise. The 991 production lasted from 2011 until 2019 with 233,540 units produced. Four different body styles, three layouts, five engine variants, and three transmission options. With its predecessor being the Porsche 997 and the successor being the 992. With each generation getting slightly larger also came new and improved technology or features. With the 997 being slightly larger, it required the new development of a newly designed transaxle, making it to where the rear wheels could be moved back 3 inches in relation to the position of the engine, which significantly improved the weight distribution and cornering of the vehicle. And yes, those 3 inches did make that big of a difference.
The 991 brought many different variants with it:
-2011-2016: 911 Carrera and Carrera S
-2013-2015: 911 GT3, equipped with Porsches new active rear wheel steering
-2013-2016: 911 Turbo and Turbo S
-2014-2016: 911 Carrera GTS, 2016 the Rennsport Reunion Edition in the Carrera GTS limited to only 25 cars
-2014: 911 50th Anniversary Edition with only 1,963 individually numbered produced
-2014-2016: 911 Targa 4 and 4S
-2015-2016: 911 GT3 RS, no longer a 3.8 but instead a 4.0 liter with the transmission only being a PDK
-2016: 911 Carrera GTS Club Coupe
-2016: 911 R, shares most things with GT3 RS besides roll cage, wing and associated body work
-2015-2019: 911 Carrera and Carrera S updated
-2017-2019: Carrera T, T for touring
-2017-2019: 911 GT2 RS making 690hp, the most powerful 911 ever built
-2019: 911 Speedster
With all models making over 300hp and a top speed over 170mph, each variant having their own very unique tasteful appearances and upgrades, Porsche has shocked the nation once again. One model breaking records, the Porsche 911 GT2 RS, named the most powerful 911 ever built! The GT2 RS is powered by a 3.8-liter twin-turbo-charged flat-6 engine making 690hp with an exceptional power to weight ratio, Porsche literally created a beast. The 991 was actually the first 911 to feature active aerodynamics. At higher speeds, a rear spoiler extends automatically to increase stability and control. Some models even have active air intakes that open and close based on cooling demands.
The 991 was not shy of its accomplishments but the 8th generation had even more to offer! The Porsche 911 992 had subtle but very noticeable design changes- a wider track, sharper hood edges, and re-designed rear with a wider yet thinner tail light strip. When it came to the performance of the 992, Porsche adjusted and changed all of the right things. The 992 now comes with a larger central intercooler, better flowing exhaust manifolds, and increased engine compression ratios. They even went as far as tilting the engine 5 degrees to give more space for the diffuser. The PDK is no longer a 7 speed automatic and is now an 8 speed automatic, which actually ended up saving space in the drivetrain. Now not much has changed between these two generations compared to previous generation jumps, but that only leaves us that much more curious as to what Porsche has planned in the future!
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