The Porsche 911 first went on sale in
1964. The 911 had an air cooled, 2-liter, six cylinder boxer engine (two rows of
three, horizontally opposite cylinders) in place of the 356's four cylinder mounted behind
the rear axle line. It had more power, was bigger and faster with more room and
luggage space. It had a top speed of 210 kph (131 mph) and accelerated from 0 - 100 kph
(62 mph) in 8.7 seconds.
Although there are no interchangeable parts, the silhouette of the car has
remained the same for over 40 years. The design still looks sporty, fast and modern, after
all this time.
By 1970 the wheelbase had grown by 2 inches and so did the engine to 2.2
liters and in the case of the 911S with 180 hp at 5200 rpm.
The Carrera was first produced in 1972. Porsche wanted to build 500 of
them in order to be eligible for Group 4 racing. Designed for racing, it was stripped down
of all none essential material and fitted with a 2.7 liter engine rated at 210 hp.
All 500 cars were sold within a week of introduction. The Carrera accelerated from 0 - 100
kph (62 mph) in less than 6 seconds and had a top speed of 240 kph (150 mph).
That is how Porsches are developed - for racing and experience gained from
racing. Porsches earn their reputation.
A completely redesigned 911 appeared in 1999. It still had the same
shape, but was completely new. The engine was still a boxer engine, but now it had grown
to 3.4 liters with 296 hp. For the first time, it was a liquid cooled engine which still
had the distinctive Porsche sound and pushed the new 911 to 100 kph in 5 seconds.
Frequently, Porsche produces special, limited run variations of its
fabulous 911. One example is the 1989 Speedster, with its uniquely low windshield. Only
about 800 were sold in North America.
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