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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
“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
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
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
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
C4 models were made for this, or for weather or surface conditions that were worse. Experience gained improving off-road capabilities of the Cayenne, as well as those managing the power and performance capabilities of the most potent Turbo models, improved all-wheel-drive hardware and software on the new 991 all-wheel-drive models. Porsche Archiv—Photo by Dieter Landenberger
Driver Jo Schlesser and navigator Robert Buchet won the final stage of the 1966 Monte Carlo Rally. They finished second in GT class behind another Porsche 911. Porsche Archiv
The 911 and the 904: On the left was the race-legal road car and on the right was a road-legal race car. Especially for international rallies, such as the Monte Carlo, these two models often competed together but in different classes. Porsche Archiv
On the Rossfeld hillclimb in 1966, Eberhard Mahle drove this 166-horsepower 911 to victory. At season end, he placed first in the European Hillclimb Championship. Porsche Archiv
Porsche provided a 911R for Nurburgring medical crews to use during the 1,000-kilometer race. With its four tires off the ground, it’s likely the M-car driver was Porsche racer and test driver Herbert Linge. Porsche Archiv
