Porsche Cars & Accessories
	• Porsche 911 • Porsche Boxster • Porsche Cayenne- S Trim, Turbo and Base Model • Porsche Cayman Base vs. S

Everyone has his personal favorite sportscars. You may favor the Las Vegas drama of Lamborghini, the race-fueled fury of Ferrari, or the sheer, let-me-caress-you beauty of Aston Martin. Whatever your preference, there has never been a sportscar more embedded in the collective psyche than the Porsche 911. What started as an upside down bathtub with the original 356 has been buffed, built, pumped and powered up into what is now one of the most sophisticated and capable road machines you can buy, period. Yet despite it’s continual development, despite the advent of new technologies, trends and fashions, that original shape and basic layout has remained intact.

Refined, yes. Improved, absolutely. But more than 50 years after it’s genesis, the Porsche 911 is still instantly identifiable as the icon of serious drivers. Not even Ferraris are as recognizable. Talk about a classic.

 

And man, we love this car.

 

Today’s 911 is the best ever, in every way. And as each generation has made dramatic improvements on its forebears, that’s saying a lot. Cosmetically, this may be the first 911 that competes in pure, physical allure with the Italians. There were major body panel changes made to the previous 996 car, but there was also a major hiccup in the headlight and front cap design. Virtually everyone hated it. That’s been fixed, and stunningly, we might add, in the 997 redo, returning to the pure ellipsoid shapes of 911s past. The car is tauter, more muscular, while at the same time bringing an elegance and refinement to the classic proportions we’ve always admired. From any angle – and particularly from the rear quarter view – this shape evokes lust.

Inside, you’re greeted by a no-nonsense interior. While it lacks the sinuous eroticism of Lambos or Astons, it is nicely picked out, control placements are correct, and the leather is delightful. Porsches, by the way, smell fantastic. Straight ahead is the classic Porsche span of 5 major instruments, scalloping out from the centermost tachometer – Porsche wants you to know what this engine is doing.

 

And what it’s doing is making that utterly unique, cat-purring-through-a-trombone flat-six symphony of baritone harmonics. Yes, the classic Boxer-six is still with us, and even though it’s now chilled with water instead of air, nothing else sounds like this motor. Thank the stars. Hanging way out behind the rear axle, this engine’s mass over the driven wheels means serious bite when you whack the throttle. In standard 911 Carrera kit, there’s 3.6 liters drumming out 325 bhp. Go for the Carrera S and displacement increases to 3.8 liters, resulting in 355 horsepower. In a car that weighs a tick over 3000 pounds, that’s enough to push you past 60 in less than 4 seconds. That’s supercar territory, guys.

 

 

The new 911 has largely put the kibosh on such antics, with a combination of evolved suspension tuning and fairly sophisticated electronic stability controls. Yet despite these safety and handling nannies, the 911 has retained its legendary steering. You know exactly what the front end is doing in this car, you can feed in precisely the correction you want, and know the car will simply follow your lead with scalpel-like precision.

 

And it’s still a bargain. 911 Carreras begin at about $75,000 and increase as you move from Carrera S to the Targa (with an enormous sliding glass roof panel), to the Targa 4 and Targa 4S (both with all-wheel drive). Loading up a 911 Targa 4S will take you past $110,000 – Porsche options are notoriously expensive. But even the base car is a densely-packed technological and engineering masterpiece. Drive one, and the experience will remain with you the rest of your life.

 

Own one, and you’ll own a piece of once and future history.

 

…if you want the purest, most legendary expression of German sportscar art.

 

…if you don’t love driving. You’ll miss the whole point.