Porsche 911
The Porsche 911 model series is a family of two-door, high performance rear-engine sports cars, introduced in September 1964 by Porsche of Stuttgart, Germany, and now in its eighth generation. All 911s have a rear-mounted flat-six engine, and usually 2+2 seating, except for special 2-seater variants. Originally, 911s had air-cooled engines, and torsion bar suspension, but the 911 has been continuously changed and improved across generations. Though the 911 core concept has remained largely unchanged, water-cooled engines were introduced with the 996 series in 1998, and front and rear suspension have been replaced by Porsche-specific MacPherson suspension up front, and independent multi-link rear suspension.
The 911 has been raced extensively by private and factory teams, in a variety of classes. It is among the most successful competition cars. In the mid-1970s, the naturally aspirated 911 Carrera RSR won world championship races including Targa Florio and the 24 Hours of Daytona. The 911-derived 935 turbo also won the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 1979. Porsche won the World Championship for Makes in 1976, 1977, 1978, and 1979 with 911-derived models.
In a 1999 poll to determine the Car of the Century, the 911 ranked fifth — one of two in the top five that had remained continuously in production. The one millionth example was manufactured in May 2017 and is in the company's permanent collection.
Air-cooled engines (1964–1998)
911, 911E, 911L, 911S, 911T
The 911 traces its roots to sketches drawn by Ferdinand "Butzi" Porsche in 1959. The 911 was developed as a more powerful, larger, and more comfortable replacement for the 356, the company's first model, and was presented at the 1963 Frankfurt Motor Show.. The car was developed with the proof-of-concept twin-fan Type 745 flat-six engine, but the car presented at the auto show had a non-operational mockup of a single-fan engine, receiving a working Typ 901 engine in February 1964.Originally marketed as the Porsche 901, 82 examples carried the 901 nameplate before French automobile manufacturer Peugeot protested, claiming it held exclusive rights in France to car names formed by three numbers with a zero in the middle. Rather than selling the new model with a different name in France, Porsche marketed the model instead as '911'. Internally, the part numbers for the model carried the prefix 901 for years. Production began in September 1964, with the first 911s exported to the US in February 1965.
The first models of the 911 used a rear-mounted #Notes| Type 901/01 flat-6 engine, in the "boxer" configuration like the 356. The engine is air-cooled and displaces as compared to the 356's four-cylinder,. As a 2+2 body style, rear seating was provisional. A four or five-speed "Type 901" manual transmission was available. The styling was largely penned by Ferdinand "Butzi" Porsche, son of Ferdinand "Ferry" Porsche. Butzi Porsche initially came up with the front and rear style on a prototype T7 body for the 356, based on a lengthened notchback 356B Karmann Hardtop with proper space for seating two rear passengers. Erwin Komenda, who led the development project on the T6 body, which replaced the T5 in 1962, was also instrumental in merging the T7 style with new engine, steering, transaxle and suspension.
Production of the 356 ended in 1965, but there was still a market for a 4-cylinder car, particularly in the US. The 912, introduced in the same year, served as a direct replacement, offering the de-tuned version of the 356 SC's 4-cylinder,, boxer four Type 616/36 engine inside the 911 bodywork with a Type 901 four-speed manual transmission.
In 1966, Porsche introduced the more powerful 911S, with its Type 901/02 engine having a power output of. Forged aluminium alloy wheels from Fuchsfelge, with a 5-spoke design, were offered for the first time. In motorsport at the same time, the engine was developed into the Type 901/20 and was installed in the mid-engine 904 and 906 with an increased power output of, as well as fuel injected Type 901/21 installed in later variants of the 906 and 910 with a power output of.
In August 1967, the A series went into production with dual brake circuits and widened wheels still fitted with Pirelli Cinturato tyres, and the previously standard gasoline-burning heater became optional. The Targa version was introduced. The Targa had a stainless steel-clad roll bar, as automakers believed that proposed rollover safety requirements by the US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration would make it difficult for fully open convertibles to meet regulations for sale in the US, an important market for the 911. The name "Targa" came from the Targa Florio sports car road race in Sicily, Italy in which Porsche had several victories until 1973. The last win in the subsequently discontinued event was scored with a 911 Carrera RS against prototypes entered by Ferrari and Alfa Romeo. The road-going Targa was equipped with a removable roof panel and a removable plastic rear window.
File:Porsche 911 2.0 Coupe IMG 0819.jpg|thumb|Porsche 911 2.0 Coupe at the Porsche Museum in Stuttgart
The 911T was also launched in 1967 with Type 901/03 engine. The model was renamed the 911L with Type 901/06 engine and ventilated front disc brakes. The brakes had been introduced on the previous 911S. The 911R with 901/22 engine had a limited production, as this was a lightweight racing version with thin fiberglass reinforced plastic doors, a magnesium crankcase, twin overhead camshafts, and a power output of.
A clutchless semi-automatic Sportomatic model, composed of a torque converter, an automatic clutch, and the four-speed transmission was added in Autumn 1967. It was canceled after the 1980 model year partly because of the elimination of a forward gear to make it a three-speed.
The B series went into production in August 1968, replacing the 911L model with 911E with fuel injection. It remained in production until July 1969. The 911E gained wider tires on 6J-15 wheels.
The C series was introduced in August 1969 with an enlarged 2.2-litre engine. The wheelbase for all 911 and 912 models was increased from, to help remedy the car's nervous handling at the limit. The overall length of the car did not change, but the rear wheels were relocated further back. Fuel injection arrived for the 911S and for a new middle model, 911E.
The D series was produced from Aug. 1970 to July 1971. The 2.2-litre 911E had lower power output of the 911/01 engine compared to the 911S's Type 911/02, but 911E was quicker in acceleration up to.
The E series for 1972–1973 model years consisted of the same models, but with a new, larger engine. This is known as the "2.4 L" engine, despite its displacement being closer to 2.3 litres. The 911E and 911S used Bosch mechanical fuel injection in all markets. For 1972 the 911T was carbureted, except in the US and some Asian markets where the 911T also came with mechanical fuel injection with power increase over European models to 140 hp commonly known as a 911T/E.
With power and torque increase, the 2.4-litre cars also got a newer, stronger transmission, identified by its Porsche type number 915. Derived from the transmission in the 908 race car, the 915 did away with the 901 transmission's "dog-leg" style first gear arrangement, opting for a traditional H pattern with first gear up to the left, second gear underneath first, etc. The E series had the unusual oil filler behind the right side door, with the dry sump oil tank relocated from behind the right rear wheel to the front of it in an attempt to move the centre of gravity slightly forward for better handling. An extra oil filler/inspection flap was located on the rear wing, for this reason it became known as an "Oil Klapper", "Ölklappe" or "Vierte Tür ".
The F series moved the oil tank back to the original behind-the-wheel location. This change was in response to complaints that gas-station attendants often filled gasoline into the oil tank. In January 1973, US 911Ts were switched to the new K-Jetronic CIS system from Bosch on Type 911/91 engine.
911S models also gained a small spoiler under the front bumper to improve high-speed stability. The cars weighed. The 911 ST was produced in small numbers for racing. The cars were available with engines of either or displacement, having a power output of at 8,000 rpm. Weight was down to. The cars had success at the Daytona 6 Hours, the Sebring 12 Hours, the 1000 km Nürburgring, and the Targa Florio.
911 Carrera RS (1973 and 1974)
RS stands for Rennsport in German, meaning race sport. The Carrera name was reintroduced from the 356 Carrera which had itself been named after Porsche's class victories in the Carrera Panamericana races in Mexico in the 1950s. The RS was developed to meet motorsport homologation requirements. Compared to a standard 911S, the Carrera 2.7 RS had a larger engine developing with Bosch mechanical fuel injection, revised and stiffened suspension, a "ducktail" rear spoiler, larger brakes, wider rear wheels and rear fenders, to fit 185/70VR15 and 215/60VR15 tyres front and rear. In RS Touring form it weighed, in Sport Lightweight form it was about lighter, the saving coming from thin gauge steel used for parts of the body shell and also the use of thinner glass. In total, 1,580 units were made, and qualified for the FIA Group 4 class. 49 Carrera RSR cars were built with engines rated at.For the 1974 IROC Championship, 1973 Carrera RSR models were fitted with the 3.0 engine and a flat "whale tail" in place of the ducktail spoiler along with wide body panels and large tyres.
In 1974, Porsche developed the Carrera RS 3.0 with mechanical fuel injection rated at. Its price was almost twice that of the 2.7 RS, but it offered racing capability. The chassis was largely similar to that of the 1973 Carrera RSR and the braking system was from the 917 racing car. The use of thinner metal plate panels and a minimalist interior enabled its weight to be reduced to around.
The Carrera RSR 3.0 was sold to racing teams and scored wins in several major sports car races of the mid-1970s. Also, a prototype Carrera RSR Turbo came second at the 1974 24 Hours of Le Mans and won several major races, a significant event in that its engine would form the basis of many future Porsche attempts in sports car racing.