In its latest deep dive into Porsche’s most celebrated sports car, Top Gear set out to answer a question that has fueled enthusiast debate for decades: which Porsche 911 stands as the greatest of them all? To find out, the team assembled an extraordinary lineup spanning more than half a century of development, from the legendary 1973 Porsche Carrera RS 2.7 to the modern-day 992-generation 911 S/T, alongside a carefully curated selection of road-going and motorsport-inspired icons drawn from Porsche’s private heritage collection.
The journey begins inside one of Porsche’s most closely guarded facilities, a secret collection housing some of the company’s most significant production, prototype, and competition machines. Faced with an overwhelming selection of historic models, the team carefully curates a lineup that represents the most important milestones in the 911’s evolution. Rather than relying on statistics, auction values, or historical significance alone, the goal is to evaluate these cars where they matter most: on the road.
The chosen contenders are transported to Germany’s Black Forest, where a series of demanding back-to-back drives reveals how Porsche’s engineering philosophy has evolved across generations. The testing highlights the unique qualities that have defined the 911 since its inception—rear-engine traction, communicative steering, responsive handling, and an unmistakable connection between driver and machine.
Among the standout performers are the Carrera RS 2.7, widely regarded as the blueprint for every performance-focused 911 that followed; the 964 Carrera RS, which introduced a more focused and motorsport-oriented interpretation of the formula; and the 993 Carrera RS, the final air-cooled RS model and a car celebrated for blending raw engagement with remarkable capability. The water-cooled era is represented by icons such as the 997 GT3 RS 4.0 and the ferocious 991 GT2 RS, showcasing Porsche’s ability to embrace modern technology without sacrificing driver involvement.
What makes the comparison particularly compelling is its emphasis on the intangible elements that cannot be measured by lap times alone. Steering feel, throttle response, chassis balance, and overall driving character become the criteria by which each generation is judged. The exercise reveals a remarkable consistency throughout the 911 lineage. Despite enormous advances in power, aerodynamics, electronics, and tire technology, the essential DNA of the car remains unmistakably intact.
The latest 992 S/T demonstrates how Porsche continues to reinterpret classic 911 values for a modern audience, combining GT3 RS mechanicals with a manual transmission and reduced weight. Yet even this highly acclaimed contemporary machine is evaluated against the purity and sense of purpose embodied by its predecessors.
After evaluating every contender, Top Gear concluded that the 997 GT3 RS 4.0 represents the pinnacle of the 911 story. Combining the raw feedback and emotional involvement of classic air-cooled models with the precision, performance, and engineering sophistication of modern Porsche GT cars, it emerged as the most complete expression of the rear-engined icon. For Top Gear, the GT3 RS 4.0 is not simply the greatest water-cooled 911—it is the greatest Porsche 911 ever built.
Source: Top Gear
