Top 4 things you need to know about the Porsche 911
As one of the most celebrated and iconic sports cars on the planet, the Porsche 911 needs little introduction. Its rear-engine dynamics, unmistakable silhouette and signature flat-six exhaust note make it unique in the automotive world. Here are the top 4 things that you need to know about the 911 range.
The history of the Porsche 911 is a tale of two eras, namely the air-cooled era and the water-cooled era. The former dates back to the original Porsche 356 the brand’s first car which shared many of its design details with the Volkswagen Beetle. The first 911 replaced the 356 in 1963 and was produced until 1973 before the G-series models were introduced and sold until 1989. Then from 1989 until 1994, Porsche sold the 964 generation before introducing the final air-cooled generation, the 993, which was sold from 1994 until 1998.
The beginning of the water-cooled era saw the controversially styled 996 generation which was sold from 1998 until 2004. The more widely accepted 997 models were then introduced and sold until 2011. The seventh-generation 991then made its debut in 2011 and was sold until 2019, bringing us to the current model, the 992, which has been on sale for two years. Here are 4 things that you need to know about the latest 992 generation model.
1.Three body styles
In previous 911 models, there were so-called standard and wide-body variants, however, the 992 generation is the first to have a uniform widebody look. There are still three body styles to choose from though, namely the coupe, the cabriolet and the Targa, which is a semi-convertible version of the 911.
2.Two engines, for now
The local 911 range comprises of 14 models but has just two engine options until the GT models arrive. The most ubiquitous engine is the 3.0-litre twin-turbocharged flat-six motor that powers 10 of the 14 models and comes in various states of tune ranging from 286kW/450Nm of torque to 331kW/530Nm of torque. The other engine powers the Turbo and Turbo S models and is a twin-turbocharged 3.8-litre flat-six that produces 427kW/750Nm in Turbo guise and 478kW/800Nm in Turbo S guise. All models are fitted with an 8-speed dual-clutch PDK gearbox.
3.The new GT3 is on the way
The track-focused GT3, at the time of writing, was confirmed to be arriving within a few months, sporting a naturally aspirated 4.0-litre flat-six that produces 375kW/470Nm of torque and revs to 9 000r/min paired with a 7-speed PDK gearbox sending power to the rear wheels. Performance is incredible, with a 0-100km/h time of 3.4 seconds and Nürburgring lap time that is 17 seconds faster than the car that it replaces.
4.Rear and four-wheel drive available
The model line-up is available with both rear-wheel drive and four-wheel drive models with 10 of the 14 models currently on sale locally featuring four-wheel drive while the remaining four are rear-wheel driven.
