Though its basic design is nearly half a century old, the 911 remains a moving target. The layout of Weissach's finest may be burdened by tradition, but 911 remains a landmark for its unmatched poise and evocative, one-of-kind profile.
On the track, 911 is the most successful racing automobile of all time. It first competed in 1965, and has claimed more than 15,000 victories to date.
Appropriately, the millionth Porsche is a 911 Carrera, produced on July 15
th, 1996. Dr. Ferry Porsche personally delivers the car to Baden-Virtemberg's highway patrol.
Today's 911 Carrera produces 325 horsepower (@ 6,800 rpm) and 370 newton-meters of torque (@ 4,250 rpm). It'll hit 100 km/h from rest in 5.3 seconds. Top speed? 285 km/h.
Meanwhile, the 911 GT3 is dubbed, by
Autocar,
"the most complete performance car available today," one that is
"unrivalled for road/ track use." 7-speed dual-clutch gearbox
New for 2009: 7-speed Porsche PDK dual-clutch gearbox
The 2009 Porsche 911 features direct-injection technology and a 7-speed Porsche Doppel Kupplung (PDK) dual-clutch gearbox. Output of the 3.6-liter engine in the Carrera 4 climbs by 20 horsepower to 345 horsepower. Porsche claims average fuel consumption, with the PDK 'box, of 23.3 mpg.
911 Carrera 4S gains 30 horsepower, its 3.8-liter engine producing 385 horsepower and averaging 22 mpg (with the PDK gearbox).
For the new generation, Porsche's electronically-controlled PTM Traction Management system replaces the former viscous multiple-plate clutch.
10th most expensive car to insure in America
The 2009 Porsche 911 is the 10th most expensive car to insure in America, at an average $1,819 per year.
Trivia: the final air-cooled Porsche
Jerry Seinfeld, Porsche enthusiast, owns the final air-cooled 911, a Carrera 4S produced in 1998.
1969 911 S: highest hp/ liter
The Porsche 911 S of 1969, producing 170 horsepower from 1,991 cc, boasted the highest horsepower/ liter of any air-cooled 911: 85.4.
Trivia: the first car with stalk-mounted wiper switch
The Porsche 911 was the first car to place its wiper switch on a stalk, behind the steering wheel.
Trivia: originally, 901
Porsche originally intended to call its car the 901, but changed the name because Peugeot had a trademark, in France, on all three-number automotive monikers with a "0" in their center.