The Porsche 911 is the exception that proves the rule “to all good things comes an end”. This contemporary and luxurious, yet sporty, German sportscar was released in 1963. To this day, they are still being produced in large numbers, also a range of variants has been developed to mimic a tailor-made product range. Although the 911 has been refined over the decades, the basic design – which is recognisable and thus sublime – has generally remained unchanged. This pragmatic and contemporary approach only Porsche could ever succeed in.
The 911 is the successor to the Porsche 356 and was designed by Ferdinand Porsche - the grandson of Porsche’s founder – and presented at the Frankfurt Auto Show in the autumn of 1963. In 1964, the first models were delivered to customers, and due to its great success, the 911 was soon expanded: a cheaper 912, a faster 911S and the rollbar equipped and extremely safe convertible Targa were released. This Targa was named after a Sicilian race that was year by year won by Porsche.
Initially, this car would be called the Porsche 901, but Peugeot became the headwind as their models were named by a three-digit number with a 0 in the middle. “Don’t worry”, said Porsche and they replaced the 0 with a 1. The Porsche 911 was born! After that, there was still Porsche cars built that were named with a three-digit number with a 0 in the middle, however those were exclusively intended for racing and circuit purposes, not for public roads.
Undoubtedly, the 911 has been modified over the years; as durable a design may be, times change, and cars do too. Porsche has always been prepared for changes and innovation. They gradually increased the engine displacement, the power and the size. The biggest mechanical change was the transition from air cooled engines to water cooled engine. Water cooled engines ensure an evenly cooled engine, which results in uniform combustion. This results in lower consumption and less emission.
Porsche 911 3.2 Carrera
After a five-year production run of the 'Super Carrera', which was initially touted as 'the final 911 ever,' Porsche decided not to stop the production of this timeless sports car. Neither the 928, nor the 924, nor the 944 could shake the foundations of the 911, and people remained enamoured with the 911, which continues to work splendidly to this day.
Starting from 1984, Porsche began building a successor to what was initially thought to be the last 911 ever. They opted, as usual, for a flat-six engine, albeit now it got slightly bigger: from 3.0 litres to 3.2 litres, aimed at making more power. Consequently, new brakes were introduced to rein in the engine's full potential, the engine received a higher compression ratio, and it wasn't until 1987 that the car provided an updated transmission.
The 3.2 Carrera was available in coupe, targa, and cabriolet variants. Approximately 35,000 of the coupe were sold, along with 18,000 targas, and the cabriolet rounded off the total with 20,000 sold.
In 1989, the 911 underwent a significant overhaul and modernization. The 3.2 Carrera represents the final 911 with the aura of a true classic, though, of course, that is subject to the prevailing trends of the times.
Technical information:
Body work
Mechanics