Want a Porsche 911, but Don’t Know Which One? No Problem.
Porsche’s 911 has more flavors than Baskin-Robbins, fortunately, Porsche has now made a guide to them all.
Fifteen years after the first 356 was road-certified in Germany, Porsche introduced its replacement, the 911. The car would become as iconic as the 356, and is the first car people think of when they hear the company’s name.
Today, the 911 line is as robust as ever, with 24 variants across the board. Porsche recently dropped a video aimed at dealers and enthusiasts alike explaining the various 911s available today in only five minutes.
“The Porsche 911 has been an automotive icon and sports car par excellence for over five decades,” the unnamed narrator explains. “From the very start, the first 911 set new standards. The concept: compact and puristic. A sports car for the road and everyday life. The iconic design, the 2+2 seats, and the flat-six boxer engine in the rear of the original 911 can still be found in every 911 model.”
“The 911 Carrera is the base model of the 911 family,” the narrator says. The name ‘Carrera’ is a reference to the legendary Carrera Panamericana race in Mexico. Remove the top entirely, and you’ll have the 911 Carrera Cabriolet. The Carrera 4, meanwhile, puts the power from its flat-six to all four wheels for “greater agility and driving dynamics…effortlessly mastering even the most difficult of road conditions.”
The “athlete of the family,” the 911 Carrera S has tons of power plus rear-axle steering for gliding around the corners, while the Carrera T “stands for Porsche driving in its purest form,” and the Carrera GTS offers “the best driving performance” of all Carreras.
“The distinctive style element of the 911 Targa is an aluminum rollover bar,” the narrator continues. “What was initially developed as a safety concept to protect passengers during rollovers has turned the Targa into a design icon.”
Jumping into the 911 Turbo, the narrator says the car arrived in 1974 during the first oil crisis of the decade, and was the first Porsche to have an exhaust turbocharger and boost pressure control, “technology transferred from Porsche race cars in the 1970s.” The 911 Turbo’s wide track and big rear spoiler have been toned down for today’s generation, but you can still have it and the Turbo S as a coupe or cabriolet.
“The 911 GT models are an homage to motorsport,” says the narrator. “The designation ‘GT’ has its origins in motorsport, where race cars had to be road-approved for homologation in the GT class. Since then, the GT vehicles have stood for pure track performance, approved for use on the road.”
The 911 GT3 “is a race-oriented road vehicle,” one made to handle rush hour as well as the rush of victory. The GT3 RS, on the other hand, weighs less than the GT3, has more power, and offers little in the way of compromise as to its purpose as a track-day champion.
Finally, the GT2 RS “pushes the concept of the 911 to the absolute limit” as the fastest and most powerful 911 in the entire lineup.
“From past to present, each new model of the 911 series in infused with the spirit of the very first 911,” concludes the narrator. With 24 such variants in today’s lineup, it’s safe to say the Porsche 911 is the Baskin-Robbins of luxury sports cars.
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