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August Achleitner’s decision to develop the Cabrio alongside the coupe was one development innovation that differentiated 997 models significantly from all that came before. It led to much greater stiffness and rigidity in both cars, which improved further with these second generation cars for 2009. Porsche Archiv
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With Porsche’s economy restored, the design and engineering team were allowed to divide up light sources again. Grant Larson’s 997 face looked more familiar to longtime 911 enthusiasts. Porsche Archiv
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The 2006 Model 997 Turbo delivered 480 horsepower at 6,000 rpm, a 60-horsepower increase over the second-generation 996 models. Porsche offered it only on the all-wheel-drive platform. Porsche Archiv
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For the first time since the 1970s, Porsche offered a base 911 Carrera (with a 3.4-liter flat six) and a 3.8-liter Carrera S model, with corresponding differences in horsepower and trim. All-wheel-drive C4 and C4S models appeared for 2005. Porsche Archiv
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This fully equipped Carrera S interior boasted not only the Porsche communication navigation system, but also the Sport Chrono Plus option, visible through the steering wheel on the dashboard. Porsche’s active stability management, PASM, also fitted to this model, was another 997 introduction. Porsche Archiv
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The Z top system unfolded even at sensible speeds. The new design enabled drivers to raise or lower the roof while cruising as fast as 30 miles per hour. Porsche Archiv
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Porsche introduced the 997 GT3 for 2006 model year with new tweaks to the 3.6-liter engine to develop 415 horsepower at 7,600 rpm. Weissach made the PASM system standard on GT3 models. Porsche Archiv
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The facelift 997 introduced much more than LED lights. The engine utilized direct fuel injection (DFI) for improved performance and economy and the longawaited Porsche Doppelkupplungsgetriebe PDK double clutch transmission arrived for the road. Porsche Archiv
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Porsche manufactured a special and very limited production run of GTS models, called the B59s, for Jacksonville, Florida, dealer and race team Brumos. Stylist Grant Larson developed the Brumos-racing colors paint scheme for these five coupes, of which this is number three. Photo © 2013 Sean Cridland
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Simple facts: 3.6-liter displacement with two turbos developed 620 horsepower at 6,500 rpm. The 2011 GT2 RS weighed 3,0921 pounds and Porsche claimed a top speed of 205 miles per hour, the fastest yet for a 911. Porsche Archiv
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Porsche Exclusive created the Sport Classic, debuting it at Frankfurt in September 2009. Limited to 250 cars, it incorporated a twin-bulge roof and a ducktail spoiler reminiscent of the 1973 RS Carrera, and similar to the GTS, it offered 408 horsepower. Porsche Archiv
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In upholding a 911 tradition missed only during 996 days, Porsche brought out a 997/2 Speedster, limited to 356 vehicles available in either Pure Blue or Carrara (like the marble) White. With the same 408 horsepower on tap as the GTS and the Sport Classic, the Speedster was linked only to the PDK transmission. Dave Engelman/Porsche Cars North America
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Reluctant to match its 530-horsepower twin-turbo 3.8-liter engine to any of its manual gearboxes, Porsche chose to connect it only to the PDK. This made for excellent acceleration for the 3,494-pound coupe from 0 to 60 miles per hour in 3.1 seconds. Porsche Archiv
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The new 991, introduced for 2012, was immense fun, especially when equipped as an S with PDK and launch control. Four hundred horsepower (or 350 in the base Carrera) accelerated the 3,043-pound S coupe from 0-to-60 miles per hour in 4.3 seconds. Dave Engelman/Porsche Cars North America
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Weissach engineers lengthened the wheelbase four inches to 96.5 and widened front track 2.24 inches, both of which changes improved ride and handling and virtually eliminated understeer. The seven-speed PDK transmission allowed engineers to develop a sevenspeed manual gearbox as well. Randy Leffingwell
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As design director Michael Mauer admitted, the harder character line changed the 911. With that emphatic crease, it suddenly became acceptable to introduce subtle (always a watchword with 911 styling) edges in other places. Randy Leffingwell
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“The roofline is inherited from all the 991s that came before,” Matthias Kulla, exterior styling boss, explained. The longer wheelbase allowed stylists some creative options and a slight edge appeared in headlight lenses. Randy Leffingwell
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As typical with all-wheel-drive 911 models in the past, Weissach engineers widened rear track, by 1.65 inches in this new model, with rear fenders flared 0.87 of an inch beyond normal. The Porsche traction management system, PTM, maintained the balance between front- and rear-wheel drive, making decisions in 0.1 second. Porsche Archiv—Photo by Dieter Landenberger
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Depending on traction that the car’s electronics sensed, power shifted from 100 percent at the rear axle to all at the front. A new system, standard on C4s equipped with PDK, was adaptive cruise control, called Active Safe, which reacted to closing distances suggesting a collision. Porsche Archiv—Photo by Dieter Landenberger
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Journalists reported that the additional front-drive hardware imparted more feeling to 991 C4 steering. This addressed a sense some writers expressed that the new electronic steering lacked some of the feedback present in the previous hydraulic system. Porsche Archiv—Photo by Dieter Landenberger
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