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JoinedSeptember 19, 2021
Articles53
Introduced in the last years of 991 production, the Touring brought a slightly more driver-focused version to the 911 range. It also recalled the original 911 Touring of fifty years earlier.  Background to the 911 T  In its first years, the 911 was a single model, but in 1966 it...
The first impact bumper Porsche is almost always overlooked by air cooled 911 enthusiasts drawn to later, more powerful models or the ‘long bonnet’ cars of the 1960s and early 70s. Consequently, the underrated mid-decade 2.7 can be something of a bargain. History  In contrast to the American norm where...
With the obligatory shift away from ICE, the 911 60th anniversary model, the 992 S/T may well come to be seen as the pinnacle of the internal combustion sports car. The 2023 911 S/T is likely to serve as a salutary reminder of the exemplary automotive engineering that society has...
As has been observed before, the advent of the 996 was a revolution at Porsche. If the longest-running sports car model in history was to have a future beyond the 1990s, it would require a comprehensive retranslation for the twenty-first century. The outcome was the radical new 996, which at...
The 991.1 range (2012-2016) had the most powerful naturally-aspirated series production engines ever built by Porsche. Producing an exceptional 110bhp/litre, the 991.1 Carrera GTS was the top of the range. Subsequently environmental legislation would oblige Porsche to build smaller engines and extract more power by turbocharging. History & Tech The...
History & Tech More significant to North Americans is that the street version of the 2003 second-generation GT3 met EPA norms making it the first ‘hot’ 911 to be allowed officially in the US since the Carrera 2.4 S of 1972.  When Porsche began making sports cars in the late...
Porsche 987 Cayman R
The 987 Cayman and its immediate successor the 981 Cayman model represented  Porsche’s first volume production mid-engined coupé. Using naturally aspirated flat six  engines, it ran for a little over a decade until a turbocharged flat four changed the character  of the car. Subtly differentiated from the Boxster from which...
1993 Porsche 964 Carrera RS America
Background & Tech In the late 1960s, as California’s new anti-smog legislation became operative, it was apparent that highly tuned cars like the Porsche 911 would be affected. Breathing through carburettors and running on premium fuel, the 911 was soon in difficulty with traffic authorities. The S was even withdrawn...
Best Porsche Under $250K: The Ultimate Performance Machines With a budget of $250,000, you gain access to some of the most desirable Porsches ever built. From high-performance 911 GT models to rare, limited-production supercars, this price range opens the door to an elite level of driving excitement. Whether you’re looking...
718 cayman gt4
Best Porsche Under $150K: Supercar Performance Without the Supercar Price A budget of $150,000 brings you into the realm of true Porsche excellence. At this price point, you can access high-performance 911 models, track-ready GT cars, and even lightly used supercar-level machines. Whether you’re after a thrilling weekend toy, a...
Best Porsche Under $100K: High-Performance Icons Within Reach With a budget of $100,000, you enter the realm of truly exceptional Porsches. This price range unlocks access to high-performance 911s, track-focused Caymans, and even some modern luxury grand tourers. Whether you’re looking for a raw, analog driving experience or cutting-edge performance...
Porsche 718 Cayman T
Best Porsche Under $75K: Unlocking High-Performance Excellence With a budget of $75,000, you’re stepping into serious Porsche territory. This price range offers access to some of the brand’s most thrilling sports cars, including high-performance 911s, mid-engine Caymans, and even track-ready models. Whether you’re after a modern Porsche with cutting-edge technology...
Best Porsche Under $25K: Affordable Thrills on a Budget Dreaming of owning a Porsche but working with a budget of $25,000? You’re in luck! While Porsche is often associated with high-end luxury and performance, there are still great options that offer the brand’s signature driving experience without breaking the bank....
Porsche 911 997.1 (2005 - 2007) – Service Schedule
Best Porsche Under $50K: Performance and Prestige on a Budget A budget of $50,000 opens the door to an exciting range of Porsches, blending performance, luxury, and timeless design. Whether you’re searching for a mid-engine sports car, a high-performance coupe, or even a capable SUV, there are plenty of options...
When it was launched in Europe in late 1993, the appropriately numbered 911 993 would be the last of the air-cooled Porsches. Indeed, the decision had already been made by Porsche. By the time the second generation 993 emerged in 1995, the coming demise of the 911 as enthusiasts, indeed...
Overview of the Porsche 718 Revealed in 2016, the Porsche 718 was the third generation Boxster/Cayman. Strictly speaking, it was the fourth generation Boxster, the first being the 996-based 986 models of 1997-2004. The Cayman was presented in 2005 and it, and an updated Boxster, shared the 997 chassis. To...
Porsche Cayman 981
Once the Boxster was established, it was only a matter of time before a coupé version appeared. When the Cayman was launched in 2005, it was clearly a hardtop Boxster, but by pricing it slightly higher and endowing it with fractionally more power, Porsche pitched it as an intermediate model...
Herbert Linge on ONS duty again with a 911 at Hockenheim in 1973.
Porsche’s Forrest Gump—the irrepressible Herbert Linge—pops up everywhere in Porsche history even after his retirement almost thirty years ago. The amazingly varied Porsche career of Herbert Linge would be unimaginable today—from wartime apprentice to manager of Weissach via workshop, development testing, race track, Porsche in the US, and Formula 1....
Roland Kussmaul
Except perhaps at one or two retirement parties or other formal occasions, no one ever saw Roland Kussmaul wearing a suit and tie. Racing or workshop overalls, Porsche’s pit lane uniform perhaps, even a mere pair of grubby shorts in those shots of the sweltering Dakar where he raced during...
Follmer with Vasek Pollack in 1976.
Follmer was born in Phoenix in 1934, though effectively he became a Californian as his family moved to Pasadena before he was two years old and it was in this northern suburb of Los Angeles that he grew up and raised his own family. He was, he says, a reasonable...
Obviously these two attractive models from the lingerie manufacturer Triumph (München) like this Porsche 914/6 – Rutesheim Athletics Club, Baden-Württemberg, Germany (1969) Very different from previous production Porsches, the 914 was an attempt by Zuffenhausen to introduce a lower cost model. Commercially it was only a moderate success, but it’s...
Porsche: The Carrera Dynasty by Glen Smale © Glen Smale A Spanish noun, ‘carrera’ can mean road, track or race and since the 1970s ‘Carrera’ has been a model name synonymous with Porsche. In fact, and as the author explains, Porsche had been using the name ‘Carrera’ since 1954 to...
Arno Bohn at Weissach with the 968 Cabriolet (1991) Arno Bohn was managing director of Porsche from 1990-92. An outsider who came from the computer industry, he arrived at a company seared by falling sales and riven by internal division about future direction. He left a Porsche which though still...
Porsche 356 Cabriolet competing at an aerodrome race in the USA, ca. 1952/1953 America has for decades been Porsche’s biggest market, and this was important for the young and growing company. In some ways, the importance of this market even influenced the development of certain models. In this feature, Porsche...
Anatole Lapine, 1973 Anatole Lapine who was in charge of styling at Porsche under two disparate CEOs, Fuhrmann and Schutz, looks back on quite a CV: Chevrolet Corvette, Opel GT, Porsche 928, Porsche 964. But there is a lot more to this designer whose career spans two continents and most...
Rallye Paris-Dakar 1984: Porsche 911 Carrera 3.2 4×4 (Type 953) – driven by (from L-R) #175 Jacky Ickx, #176 René Metge, #177 Roland Kussmaul For many years, the éminence grise of Porsche’s competition department, but now in retirement, Roland Kussmaul seems busier than ever. He left Porsche officially at the...
Porsche 911 991.1 GT3 RS
Jean Behra following his accident at Caracas 3 November 1957 Staring out of period black and white photographs, Jean Behra’s handsome, but battered face tells its own story: a combative soul who seemed to thrive only when living on the ragged edge and for whom an exploit was either going...
Dr. Ulrich Bez (1988) Hailing from the Bad Cannstatt district of Stuttgart, Ulrich Bez, who as Porsche Technical supremo hatched the 993, had two significant stints at Porsche. During the 1970s he worked in research and was responsible for establishing Porsche’s crash test programme; in the 1980s, he followed Porsche’s...
Mont Ventoux, 18 June 1967 – Rolf Stommelen won this hillclimb driving a Porsche 910/8 Bergspyder Rolf Stommelen was one of Germany’s leading racing drivers for over a decade and if as the title (above) of his biography implies, he could drive anything anywhere, this was largely true. Although his...
Autograph card signed by Jürgen Barth (ca. 1980) More books have been written about Porsche than any other car company so the publication in English of another tome is hardly headline news until you realise that the author, exceptionally, is a Porsche insider, but not just any insider. Jürgen Barth...