Introduced at the 1963 Frankfurt Motor Show as the 901, the Porsche 911 immediately garnered attention with its looks and promising performance. But a month after its launch, French carmaker Peugeot claimed copyright to all three-digit car names that had a zero in the middle. Porsche then rechristened the car as the 911.
Designed by Ferdinand Alexander Porsche, the 911 was (and still is) meant to deliver performance without sacrificing practicality. Unlike most of its rivals, which have a front-engine, rear-drive configuration and only enough room for two, the first 911 has a rear-engine, rear-drive layout and a cabin that could seat four (at a squeeze).
This drivetrain setup gives the orginal 911 better traction, especially in snowy conditions. But the engine’s “wrong” placement over the rear axle also makes the car very tricky to drive on the limit. The 911 rewarded skilled drivers who could control the car’s wayward tail in a slide, but punished the inexperienced by sending them towards the scenery – sideways!
The second-generation 911 saw the introduction of the first Turbo and Cabriolet models, with the former having notorious turbo lag, while the latter was the first topless Porsche since the marque’s very first model, the 356.
In the late 1970s, Porsche planned to discontinue the 911 and focus instead on developing the 928 and 944. Thanks to then-CEO Peter Schutz, however, this never came to pass. As the story goes, when Schutz saw a chart that depicted the 911 line ending in 1981, he took a marker and extended said line clean off the chart.
The 911’s development then proceeded with renewed vigour. By 1988, third-gen 911s had coil-spring rear suspension and, for the first time, offered the option of an all-wheel-drive system derived from the 959.
Further progress, however, meant “ignoring” 911 traditionalists. The fourth-generation 911 was the first model to have a twin-turbo engine, but also the last to have an air-cooled flat-6 powerplant. When the 911’s fifth iteration was launched, it not only featured a liquid-cooled motor, but an all-new body that shared no components with the previous models.
The succeeding 911 showcased ever more technological advancements, such as turbochargers with variable-geometry turbines. There was also the 620bhp GT2 RS variant – still the most powerful production Porsche ever.
The seventh-generation 911 continues in its predecessors’ footsteps. It boasts higher performance, better efficiency and greater handling, while still being practical enough to be driven every day by any driver – traits that maintain the 911’s status as the undisputed “hot hatch” of supercars.
