The 1981 Frankfurt IAA Cabrio studie used Porsche’s 3.3-liter turbo engine. At Frankfurt, Porsche displayed the car on mirrors to show off its high-tech all-wheel drivetrain. Porsche Archiv
The Frankfurt IAA show Gruppe B prototype looked startling in any light. Its performance capabilities matched, if not exceeded, its futuristic appearance. Porsche Archiv
The long-lived G Series, from 1974 through 1989, ended with introduction of the 964 model, available in rear- and all-wheel drive. Except for badges in the rear, this all-wheel-drive C4 was impossible to differentiate from the rear-drive C2. Porsche Archiv
C2 and C4 running gear shared identical car bodies. Both took advantage of an automatic electrically operated small rear spoiler to reduce rear lift at speeds above 50 miles per hour. Porsche Archiv
When budgeting died for the radical and evolutionary Turbo 965, engineers and styling staff retrenched around the 964. They carried over ideas from the G Series Turbos, widening the rear track from the 54.1-inch normally aspirated car to 58.8 for the Turbo. Porsche Archiv
One of the most desirable 964 C2 configurations was this Carrera RS coupe from 1992. Lightened by 286 pounds, with 260 horsepower at 6,100 rpm, the new RS renewed the tradition invented in 1973. Porsche Archiv
The 30th Anniversary 911 appeared as a 1993 model year C4 assembled on the Turbo Look wide-body platform. Zuffenhausen limited production to just 911 examples for worldwide buyers. Porsche Archiv
Weissach conceived a radically different Targa concept on the 993 platform using a large glass panel that retracted inside the rear window. Zuffenhausen assemblers mounted the glass roof structure onto a cabriolet platform. Porsche Archiv
With its wind deflector in place, the 996 Cabrio showed off the graceful lines Pinky Lai had labored to produce. Cabrio buyers received an aluminum hardtop as part of their purchase price. Porsche Archiv
For the second time since the cloth tops Gerhard Schröder and Eugen Kolb devised for the SC Cabrios for 1983, Porsche allowed stylists and engineers to redesign the convertible. This 2003 Cabrio showed the smoother transition line from the cloth to the car body. Porsche Archiv
A variety of technologies and improvements made the 2010 GTS a welcome addition to the 997/2 lineup. The 1.7-inch-wider rear track on 19-inch center-lock RS Spyder wheels made good use of the 408 horsepower available. Porsche Archiv
The new PDK transmission offered drivers a sevenspeed near-instant shifting gearbox that was a perfect mate to draw the best performance or the best fuel economy out of the new 2009 DFI flat-six engines. Fingertip levers on the steering wheel or the gearshift lever were available for those wishing to change gears themselves. Porsche Archiv
A new roofline adhered more closely to the 911 body shape as Michael Mauer’s exterior stylists worked to reduce the difference in appearance between closed and open cars. Convertible top engineers inserted a slim composite panel between cloth layers above the seats to better hold the roofline shape. Porsche Presse
The Carrera S delivered 400 horsepower from its 3.8-liter engine while the base Carrera developed 350 from 3.4 liters. The Cabriolets began to reach customers in early 2013. Porsche Presse
At Österreichring on June 27, 1976, Dieter Schmidt and Karl Oppitzhauser shared driving duties in Egon Evertz’s Jagermeister 934. Fellow driver Edgar Dören warned them the 934 behaved “like a wild animal.” Porsche Archiv
Ernst Fuhrmann conceived the 1977 Typ 935 “Baby” to gather publicity in a televised under 2.0-liter GT racing series. The car weighed just 1,650 pounds and its 1.4-liter turbocharged flat six developed 370 horsepower. Porsche Archiv
Metge and LeMoine and other Porsche team members carried as much as 100 gallons of fuel in these 953s. Some of the rally desert sections ran as long as 500 miles. Porsche Archiv
Into the pits on Saturday evening before the long Le Mans night, GT1 Race number 26 had begun to collect dirt along with miles. The next afternoon, co-drivers Allan McNish, Stephane Ortelli, and Laurent Aiello won the race, completing 352 laps and covering 2,975.8 miles. Porsche Archiv
The Neuester Sportwagen Typ 550 Spyder was one of Erwin Komenda’s finest collaborations with modeler Heinrich Klie. This early model was photographed outside Wendler Karosserie, Reutlingen, before its first speed test. Porsche Archiv
