Porsche 911 History
For most enthusiasts the 911 remains the one "true" Porsche, the only one with a direct link to the original Porsche 356, yet longer-lived by far. Though Ferry Porsche thought his first six-cylinder production car would have a good long run when he showed it in late 1963, even he couldn't have foreseen that it would endure into a new millennium.
The Porsche 911 is both modern and timeless. This is a 1998 Carrera S.
See more pictures of the Porsche 911 series.
Another reason is over four decades of Porsche-style honing that have kept the 911 fresh, exciting, and quite extraordinary. The result is both a living legend and a perpetual classic -- a car that seems like it's always been around yet in many ways is more relevant now than it was in the beginning.
Of course, the 911 was very good to start with, preserving the essence of earlier Porsches while setting a new and entirely higher standard of engineering and design. Mechanically, it was a sharp break with Porsche practice in several areas.
For example, it was the first production Porsche without front trailing arms or rear swing axles, though it retained 356-style torsion bars. It was the first roadgoing Porsche with more than four cylinders, yet its new six-cylinder engine was also a horizontally opposed air-cooled type placed behind the rear wheels.
Also unlike the Porsche 356, the 911 engine was supported at both ends: by the transaxle in front and by a transverse mount in back. An all-synchromesh gearbox with overdrive top gear was no surprise, but instead of four ratios, buyers could have five, which provided greater low-speed flexibility and higher top-end potential.
The 911 originated with Porsche Project 695, which also produced the 356's disc brakes. Planning began in 1956, a mere six years after Zuffenhausen began anything like series production.
At first, the Porsche 911 was seen not as a 356 replacement but as a larger four-seat car with performance comparable to that of the charismatic Carrera. It was intended that other 356s carry on even after the "big Porsche" was launched, as indeed some did for a time. But Ferry Porsche changed his mind about the size, fearing a full four-seater would put his firm in the unaccustomed and uncomfortable position of competing with much larger outfits, notably Daimler-Benz.
By 1959, work was underway on what emerged as the T-7 prototype (T-6 was the last 356 body, appearing in 1961). Styling was entrusted to one of Ferry's four sons, Ferdinand Porsche III, known as "Butzi." Ferry wasn't a body designer per se, but he knew what he wanted. A family resemblance to the 356 was a must, but so were (as he later described) "more space inside" and a "luggage space that could take an owner's golf clubs."
High performance was naturally a given, too, but Ferry put new emphasis on smooth, quiet running: "We decided on a 2.0-liter six-cylinder engine because sixes are more comfortable and refined," he said in 1984. "We studied the concept of a mid-mounted engine...but we could not give [the car] enough interior room for the outside size we wanted."
What they did want, in short, was a roomier, smoother, quieter, more practical, and somewhat more luxurious Carrera. In that regard, it's interesting to note that the late Dean Batchelor observed "the four-cam Carrera engine was considered briefly as an across-the-board replacement for the pushrod-and-rocker-arm engine, but was too costly and too complicated to be considered seriously for general use."
Without greatly extending the wheelbase, Butzi did a remarkable job of providing near four-seat interior room. Outside, the T-7 showed a low beltline, lots of glass, and a sharply sloped "hood." Front fenders remained high and prominent, something Butzi considered vital to Porsche identity.
With a huge wrapped backlight and stubby semi-notchback tail, the T-7 looked a bit unorthodox, but its styling from the B-pillars forward would survive almost unaltered to the production 911.
When Ferry decided on a more evolutionary look with Porsche's traditional 2+2 seating, Butzi revised the T-7 from the doors back, creating the now-familiar fastback with ovoid rear side windows and back-slanting B-posts. Batchelor recorded that Ferry decreed a wheelbase of no more than 2,200 mm, 100 mm longer than the 356's, and that's about how it worked out: 2,211 mm (87.0 inches) versus 2,100 (82.7) for the 356.
As time would show, the Porsche 911 was destined for a long and exciting life.
Check out the complete story of Porsche cars, including these fabulous models:
| Porsche 356
|
Porsche 911
|
Porsche 914
|
| Porsche 924, 944, 968
|
Porsche 928 | Porsche 959 |
| Porsche Boxster | Porsche Cayenne | Porsche Cayman |
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1965 Porsche 911 Design
Designated Type 901, the Porsche 911 greeted the world at the Frankfurt Automobile Show in September 1963. Porsche allowed that it was being shown early; production wouldn't begin before the summer of '64. Road & Track's John R. Bond reported "there were so many rumors circulating they were forced to show it."
The Porsche 911 was unveiled at the 1963 Frankfurt Motor Show.
The new design and the 901 designation weren't linked. The Porsche organization has never been strictly sequential in assigning project numbers and has skipped quite a few; "901" was chosen simply to suggest a new direction.
And, of course, it didn't last. Peugeot claimed a "right" to three-digit model numbers with middle zeros and threatened to prevent a "901" from being sold in France, so "911" badges were substituted before sales began. (Zuffenhausen got the last laugh by giving middle-zero numbers to a half-dozen of its competition cars, including the beautiful 904 GTS.)
As Ferry specified, the Porsche 911 had a split fold-down rear seatback for greater cargo/passenger-carrying versatility. And despite having a more streamlined tail than the T-7, it still offered enough rear room for one adult or two small children.
Yet for all its newness, R&T's John Bond felt the chrome-yellow Frankfurt show car was "not as much different from the 356 as it appears in the photos...The big difference is the elimination of the broad-beam hip effect that results in a trimmer, narrower look and a roofline that, in [overhead] view, no longer tucks in at the rear. The net result of these appearance changes is a car 2.7-in. narrower overall, and more head, shoulder, and leg room for rear-seat passengers."
Though another all-independent concept, the Porsche 911 suspension broke new ground for Porsche with front MacPherson struts on single transverse A-arms connecting to longitudinal torsion bars. Rear suspension comprised transverse torsion bars and semi-trailing arms, a logical progression from swing axles.
After its inaugural test in 1965, R&T judged the Porsche 911 "neutral in its behavior and perfectly controllable throughout the whole speed range and even on atrocious road surfaces. True, the suspension is on the firm (not to say harsh) side, but for a high-performance car like this, it appears a small price to pay."
Steering design also parted company with the past, as ZF rack-and-pinion steering ousted the Volkswagen-based worm-gear mechanism, one of the last remnants of the old Porsche/VW kinship. The new system was not only more direct, with virtually no play at the wheel, but light, full of feel, and virtually shock-free (thanks, as usual, to a hydraulic damper).
Porsche also took pains to provide effective heating, ever a challenge with air-cooled engines. Air was drawn from the cooling fan to a heat box, then fed to the cockpit via underdash and dashtop vents.
Still optional was a gasoline heater with an electric fan to force more air into the heater boxes, but it was rarely needed once the car was warmed up and moving. Interior ventilation improved with the addition of extractor slots above the backlight to speed cockpit flow-through.
But the big attraction was the new 1991-cc flat-six, designated 901/01. Developed by Ferdinand Piech, Ferry's nephew, and Hans Tomala, it was quite oversquare (bore and stroke: 80 × 66 mm/3.15 × 2.60 inches). With twin triple-choke Solex 40 PI carburetors and 9:1:1 compression, rated output was 130 DIN horsepower European (148 SAE gross) at 6,100 rpm and 140 pound-feet of torque at 4,200 rpm.
Unlike previous Porsche fours, the 901 six employed a single overhead camshaft per cylinder bank. Each operated two valves per cylinder (arranged in V-formation) via rocker arms and was driven by a pair of roller chains instead of the complex train of bevel gears used on Porsche 356 Carrera engines.
Enhancing the greater inherent smoothness of the "boxer" six was a six-throw, forged-steel crankshaft with no fewer than eight main bearings. A countershaft mounted beneath carried impulses to twin chain sprockets at the crank's rear end, each sprocket driving a camshaft.
Ahead of the countershaft were two oil pumps: a large scavenger for circulating oil between the dry sump and a separate, remote reservoir, and a smaller pump for maintaining oil pressure. An oil cooler was also specified, reflecting Porsche's passion for proper lubrication as one aid to overall engine cooling. The factory said that oil temperature should never exceed 130 degrees, and no tester ever recalled that it did, which was only to be expected from a system developed in the literal heat of competition.
Also per Porsche practice, the Porsche 911 engine had a cast-aluminum crankcase and separate cylinders with hemispherical combustion chambers of cross-flow design. Cylinder construction was rather exotic for 1963, comprising aluminum-silicon alloy with a thin aluminum layer chemically etched away from the bores to leave silicon crystals as the pistons' working surface. The design had the advantage of providing microscopic "valleys" that ensured constant surface oiling. For strength, the pistons were forged aluminum, and the con rods were forged steel.
The rest of the Porsche 911 drivetrain was fairly familiar. A Fichtel & Sachs single dry-plate clutch transferred power to a fully synchronized Porsche transaxle, initially with five forward ratios and a racing-style shift pattern with first to the left and down (below reverse), out of the basic "H." Initial rolling stock comprised 4.5-inch-wide, 15-inch-diameter steel disc wheels shod with surprisingly modest 165-15 radial tires.
"Butzi" Porsche designed the classic body style of the Porsche 911.
Check out the complete story of Porsche cars, including these fabulous models:
| Porsche 356
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Porsche 911
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Porsche 914
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| Porsche 924, 944, 968
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Porsche 928 | Porsche 959 |
| Porsche Boxster | Porsche Cayenne | Porsche Cayman |
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1965 Porsche 911 Road Test
As with every 356 evolution, the Porsche 911 garnered mixed initial reactions from confirmed Porschephiles, though most soon grew to accept it and, inevitably, respect it.
Press response was enthusiastic. Gushed Car and Driver: "Race breeding and engineering development ooze from the 911's every pore. The whole package, especially the power-train, is designed to be more reliable and less difficult to service...Although the 911 costs a lot less than the Carrera [about $6,500 in 1965] -- and a lot less than the [356] C and SC -- it's worth the price of all the old Porsches put together. More importantly, the 911's appeal should be considerably wider than the earlier models..."
Strong demand for the Porsche 911 taxed labor-intensive production methods.
A bigger surprise was the glowing February 1966 assessment by Denis Jenkinson in Britain's Motor Sport. A veteran Porsche driver, but never one to mince words (even at the expense of advertising revenue), "Jenks" declared the 911 "the best car Porsche have yet built for normal road use [and] one of the best cars I have ever driven."
Like so many after him, Jenks faced a dashboard dominated by an elliptical binnacle housing five circular gauges, the largest of which was a tachometer mounted dead-center. To its left were dials for fuel/oil levels and oil pressure/temperature; the speedo and electric clock sat to the tach's right.
Below this cluster, a strip of genuine teak presented various knobs and switches. A molded crash pad stretched across the dashtop, and the usual shapely bucket seats offered Reutter's "stepless" backrest recliner adjustment.
Yet all this left Jenkinson unmoved: "Driving quietly away, [the] lack of character was even more noticeable, so that seasoned Porsche owners commented that it was all right, but hardly a Porsche."
Jenks found the car's "character" when he flogged it: "Out into the open country, the whole car immediately became alive...The more I drove it and the harder I made it work, the more Porsche-like it became." Helping to solidify his impression - literally -- was the usual "all-of-a-piece" Porsche driving feel regardless of surface or speed.
"The whole car [seems] indestructible, coupled with suspension, ride, road-holding, steering, braking and general good manners that are truly modern, and the nearest to perfection that production cars have yet reached...Why don't all manufacturers make cars like this?"
Supply was Porsche's biggest early problem with the 911, as demand was strong from day one. A mid-1963 purchase of Reutter assured better quality but did nothing to increase production capacity. Accordingly, Porsche soon contracted with the Wilhelm Karmann works for additional bodies.
But that effectively ended production of the 356C (in September 1965, by which time it was being sold only in the United States), so Porsche decided to fill the gap with a four-cylinder 911, the 912 (again, the project number was 10 digits below the type designation in actual order).
Both 911 and 912 bowed "officially" in late 1964, when a Porsche representative said he feared that new-model announcements were becoming a habit at Zuffenhausen: "We just had one 15 years ago."
The Porsche 911s went on sale in the United States in early 1965, for model-year '66; the first 912s arrived in June, two months behind initial European deliveries.
The Porsche 912 was the four-cylinder companion to the 911.
Check out the complete story of Porsche cars, including these fabulous models:
| Porsche 356
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Porsche 911
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Porsche 914
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| Porsche 924, 944, 968
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Porsche 928 | Porsche 959 |
| Porsche Boxster | Porsche Cayenne | Porsche Cayman |
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1965-1966 Porsche 912
Inevitably, the Porsche 912 carried the 1600SC engine from the last of the 356s, though slightly detuned to 102 horsepower (SAE) at 5,800 rpm and 91 pound-feet of peak torque at 3,500 rpm. On paper, it should have been slower than the SC, because the Porsche 911 bodyshell added some 100 pounds to curb weight. But with its five-speed gearbox (a $75 extra) and superior aerodynamics, the Porsche 912 was actually faster all-out.
Porsche's top-speed figure was a conservative 116 mph. Car and Driver reached 115, and Road & Track managed 119, both with five-speed. The typical 0-60 mph run was 11.5-12 seconds, the standing quarter-mile an 18-second affair at 77-78 mph. Predictably, the 912 was much thriftier than the Porsche 911, averaging 25 miles per gallon versus 16-20 mpg.
The Porsche 912 combined 356SC's horsepower with the 911's "Type 901" body.
R&T said the Porsche 912 "isn't a car in which one can amble around town in high gear with abandon. It's necessary to make full use of the five speeds, and there seem to always be more wrong gears than right ones," a snipe at the racing-style shift pattern.
Britain's Autocar found it possible to go from first to fourth, missing second gear, but that shifting became "subconscious" with practice. Conversely, observed R&T, the Porsche 912 engine "runs without fuss at low speeds and idles smoothly at 1000 rpm, [though] it's anything but quiet. It never sounds overworked, mind you, but it seems that all the clatter conies right through the bulkhead." The 911 also wasn't particularly quiet inside, so Porsche still had some work to do in that area.
Speed aside, the Porsche 912 drove much like its six-cylinder sister. Both had strong, virtually fade-free brakes; light, accurate, well-damped steering; and German Dunlop SP radials that worked perfectly with the suspension to deliver strong cornering with a good ride.
"Oversteer is a thing of the past," R&T concluded, "and one no longer need be an expert to keep from losing it -- even in the wet. The 912 is a car that is very responsive to small steering inputs...but not at all likely to wag its tail in vigorous cornering."
R&T judged the ride as firm "but most definitely not a harsh one. There's very little tendency to pitch or roll and, true to Porsche tradition, the body itself adds to the impression of a good ride by being absolutely rigid and rattle-squeak-free."
Reflecting its lower price ($4,700 U.S. POE), the Porsche 912 was relatively "stripped" compared to a 911. For example, the dash was trimmed with plastic instead of teak, was bereft of a clock and oil-pressure/temp dial, and the optional gas heater was initially unavailable.
But R&T decided that "nothing is left out that is really necessary. If you want to order a Porsche with no extras, be assured it will be a 'fully equipped' car." In both 911 and 912, that full equipment included three-speed wipers, a rear-window defroster, and backup lamps.
The Porsche 912 had fewer standard amenities than the 911 but sold for less.
Complaints of carburetion flat spots and fouled plugs were addressed the following February by a switch to Weber 40 IDA 3C carburetors. Gripes about front-end float and abrupt understeer/oversteer transitions brought a very un-Porsche solution: an 11-kilogram (24.2-pound) cast-iron weight bolted and glued to each inner outboard end of the front bumper.
A more sophisticated idea appeared at Frankfurt in 1965: an open 901 with a clever yet practical liftoff roof panel above the front seats. The lid attached to the windshield header and a fixed rear "hoop" that also provided rollover protection. The new body style was called Targa, after one of Porsche's most successful competition venues, the grueling Targa Florio road race in Sicily. Available in both 911 and 912 form, the Targa began export sales in 1967.
Butzi Porsche had objected to retaining the coupe's rear sheetmetal for the Targa, saying a "trunkback" (as on the T-7) was the only proper shape for a cabriolet. Nevertheless, shared bodywork was a must given the Targa's modest sales projections.
The plus side was that this decision "forced" Butzi to design in the strong rollbar. Initially, the Targa had a zip-out plastic rear window and a folding roof panel of rubberized fabric. The rollbar was trimmed in brushed stainless steel -- chosen, Butzi said, to emphasize its functionality.
As it turned out, the public wanted far more Targas than Porsche planned (originally 12.7 percent of total series production). Porsche also found that the 912 sold much better than the 911, though that wasn't too surprising given the price difference. Of the nearly 13,000 Porsches built in 1966, more than 9,000 had four cylinders.
But these were problems of success that everyone in Zuffenhausen was happy to endure. The new-generation Porsche was a solid hit. All that now remained was to apply the same sort of carefully considered honing that had been lavished on the Porsche 356.
The Porsche 911/912 Targa was a semi-convertible with a lift-off roof panel.
Check out the complete story of Porsche cars, including these fabulous models:
| Porsche 356
|
Porsche 911
|
Porsche 914
|
| Porsche 924, 944, 968
|
Porsche 928 | Porsche 959 |
| Porsche Boxster | Porsche Cayenne | Porsche Cayman |
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1966-1967 Porsche 911S
The 901 Series had ample scope for development, though perhaps only the Porsche organization could see it. The first major advance came in late 1966, and it was an exciting one: the hot 911S -- "S" for Super. With this, Porsche returned to its old three-tier lineup of Norma, Super, and Carrera, respectively represented by the 912, standard 911, and the new S.
The S boasted modifications typical of a higher-performance Porsche: reprofiled cam, larger valves, better porting, loftier compression (9.8:1 vs. 9.0), larger jets for the Weber carbs (which were otherwise much like those given to the base 911 from early '66).
The result was 30 more horsepower for a total 160 DIN horsepower European (180 SAE). Torque improved fractionally, to 127 pound-feet, but peaked fully 1,000 rpm higher.
Unlike other models, the S lacked a choke, but pumping the accelerator was usually enough for starting. On the other hand, merely blipping the throttle on the freer-breathing S would send the tach needle zinging to its 7,300-rpm redline. Porsche thus wisely fitted an ignition cutout that interrupted spark to the plugs near maximum revs, thus protecting the valvetrain from overly enthusiastic drivers.
Naturally, the S also received chassis upgrades to match its extra power. These included a rear anti-roll bar (augmenting the one in front), Koni shocks, ventilated instead of solid-rotor disc brakes all-round and -- soon to be a 911 hallmark -- pretty, five-spoke Fuchs alloy wheels that cut five pounds from unsprung weight at each hub. Curiously, the S had the same skinny tires as the normal Porsche 911, at least for the moment.
Five-spoke wheels identified the hot Porsche 911S, which bowed in late 1966.
Interestingly, the torque curve had two distinct steps. As Autocar reported: "The catalogue peak comes at 5200 rpm, but before that, at about 3000, the engine takes a deep breath and literally surges up to the next step, where the extra punch feels like an additional pair of cylinders being switched in. This kick in the back leaves passengers unaccustomed to it slightly winded, and it is sudden enough to cause momentary wheelspin on wet surfaces, even in third."
As for road manners, the S earned mixed reviews. "Oversteer is back -- and Porsche's got it!" screamed Car and Driver. "At low lateral accelerations it understeers mildly . . . By 0.70 g, it's in a full-blooded four-wheel drift. . . . Beyond the limit of . . . adhesion, the 911S reacts like any car with a rearward weight bias, and spins, or, if you're quick enough to catch it, power-slides like an old dirt-track roadster."
Road & Track found "less of the [low-speed] understeer that so surprised us in the 911, [though above 40 mph] we were hard-pressed to detect any difference. . . . Certainly it's easier to hang out the tail if you're in the right gear, simply because of the increased power. But the simple application of steering to the 911S at highway speeds gets the same results as in the 911, which means stick-stick-stick-oversteer! And you'd better know what you're doing in that last phase."
In a calmer vein, C/D declared that "Porsche's admonition, 'not for the novice,' is a bit gratuitous. Within normal driving limits and with reasonable caution, the 911S handles predictably, controllably, and head and shoulders above anything else on the road."
As proof, the magazine reported lateral acceleration of 0.93 g in right turns, 0.89 g in lefts, and a calculated 0.81 g overall. These figures, good even today, came despite the modest rubber.
Both U.S. magazines were disappointed in Porsche 911S braking, blaming the skinny tires for unchanged stopping distances despite the model's new vented rotors. C/D also found some minor lapses in workmanship, though its test car was admittedly "right off the boat" and had not been dealer-prepped.
The engines in both test cars evidently weren't up to scratch either. Though C/D cut a full second off Porsche's claimed 7.5-second 0-60 time, R&T managed only 8.1. But there was no disputing that the engine itself was beautifully smooth and fantastically willing.
Autocar applauded "the superb lightness of all the controls" and "excellent seating . . . The Porsche 911S is a car one never likes to leave parked when one could be driving it."
Road & Track was more critical, saying that in American conditions the Porsche 911S "offers no real gain over the 911 and perhaps even a slight loss. It is a bit less flexible at ordinary speeds; deceleration below about 1800 rpm brings on bucking and considerable clatter from the drivetrain, demanding an immediate downshift." But even R&T's hard-nosed editors weren't immune to that intoxicating powerplant: "For the driver who really wants to get on with it, the 911S is bound to be more fun than the 911."
The fun suddenly stopped when the Porsche 911S left the American market for 1968 (though it continued in Europe). While the ostensible reason was that year's new federal emission standards and the engine retuning needed to meet them, some say it was the persistent plug-fouling, which had become a tremendous service problem. But the S would return, for 1969.
Check out the complete story of Porsche cars, including these fabulous models:
| Porsche 356
|
Porsche 911
|
Porsche 914
|
| Porsche 924, 944, 968
|
Porsche 928 | Porsche 959 |
| Porsche Boxster | Porsche Cayenne | Porsche Cayman |
For Porsche prices and reviews from the auto editors of Consumer Guide, see:
1968 Porsche 911
Three new variations appeared during 1968: two for Europe, one for the United States, and both part of a Porsche 911 updating designated "A-Series." America's model was the Porsche 911L, replacing the standard issue just after the start of the model year. The L stood for Luxus (luxury) and attached to what was basically an S with the normal-tune engine.
An upmarket move, it sold for $600 more than the previous year's 911, with some of the increase reflecting modifications to meet 1968's new federal safety and emissions standards. Outside, all '68 U.S. Porsches were distinguished -- if that's the word -- by add-on side marker lights, again per Washington edict. Why Porsche didn't simply integrate them within the wrapped taillight and parking-lamp clusters isn't known, though this would be done later.
German police used Porsche 911s for high-speed pursuits in the late '60s.
For all this updating, Porsche 911s were still far from perfect. Plug-fouling afflicted even the base model (though not as severely as the S), and a switch to Weber carbs didn't completely cure the jetting and adjustment bothers of the old Solexes. Bosch WG 265 T2SP sparkplugs helped some, but the '68 L met emission limits with an air-injection pump at the exhaust manifold that produced rough running and backfiring on deceleration.
It was a makeshift solution for Porsche and another one that would not last. In fact, the factory later made amends with a retrofit kit comprising revised jets and readjusted accelerator rods.
Announced in Europe during 1967 was a surprising new Porsche 911 option that went to America for '68: Sportomatic, Porsche's first automatic transmission. Devised by Fichtel & Sachs expressly for the United States, it was, said Car and Driver, a throwback to "Detroit's bizarre efforts at clutchless shifting that died a merciful death in the middle Fifties."
That description was apt, as Sportomatic was another semi-automatic transmission: specifically, a four-speed Porsche manual gearbox operated by a three-element hydraulic torque converter with a single dry-plate clutch.
Road & Track described it this way: "The converter is a 'loose' one, with a stall speed of 2600 rpm and stall torque ratio of 2.15:1; its oil supply is common with the engine's, adding 2.5 qt. to that reservoir. The clutch is disengaged by a vacuum servo unit that gets its signal from a microswitch on the shift linkage; thus, a touch on the shift lever disengages the clutch. The gearbox is the usual all-synchro 4-speed unit but with a parking pawl added."
Gear ratios differed considerably, though. The Sportomatic's first through third were all numerically lower than the manual four-speed's, while its fourth was slightly higher. Its final drive was numerically lower, too. With that, a Sportomatic L was slower off the line than its manual counterpart but almost as fast all-out. Helping performance was a very high converter efficiency of 96.5 percent.
Driving with Sportomatic took practice. As R&T explained: "For all normal acceleration from rest, D (2nd gear) is used. The converter lets the engine run up to 2600 rpm immediately and...gets the car moving briskly, but noisily...A direct shift to 4th at some casual speed will be the usual upshift. For...vigorous driving, the Sportomatic is just like the manual 4-speed except that one shifts without the clutch...We found that the best technique was to engage 1st gear, let the clutch in (by taking the hand off the stick), 'jack up' the engine against the converter while holding the brakes, and release the brakes to start."
The technique was a little hard on the transmission but good for 0-60 in 10.3 seconds and a standing quarter-mile of 17.3 seconds at 80 mph. Car and Driver did better: 9.3 seconds to 60 mph and 16.8 seconds at 82 mph in the quarter. "There's absolutely no trouble in shifting," the magazine asserted. "Just grab the lever and move it. No matter how fast you do it, it's impossible to beat the clutch or the synchronizers."
In effect, Sportomatic was a compromise answer to the penchant of U.S. drivers for lugging along in high gear at low revs, thus fouling plugs and otherwise loading up engines. It was also perhaps a nod to the American preference for easier drivability than previous Porsches offered.
Where the 911's high torque peak meant lots of manual shifting, R&T found that Sportomatic allowed one to stay "in 4th gear down to ridiculous speeds like 20 mph and still accelerate smartly away with traffic. The 911 engine likes revs, and the converter lets it rev." Unhappily, it also made for more engine noise, which R&T likened to that of "a GM city bus."
Viewed objectively, Sportomatic was a typically well-judged Porsche response to a perceived need, and it didn't much hurt performance or mileage. Yes, declutching by mere touch was disconcerting (one wag suggested putting burrs on the shifter, to be removed after 500 miles), but drivers grew accustomed to it.
Still, it wasn't the sort of thing most Porsche fans could endorse, and by the early Seventies, demand for Sportomatic in the United States was practically nil. Regardless, the option would be available to special order all the way through May 1979.
Though "unhappy" with Sportomatic in its March 1968 road test, Car and Driver was pleased to note the adoption of 5.5-inch-wide wheels for all Porsche 911s. "Racing seems to have improved the breed here, and Porsche, which stormed off with the under 2-liter championship in the '67 [Sports Car Club of America] Trans-Am series, has obviously paid attention to how they accomplished that. Ride harshness suffers, but what the hell."
Though C/D liked Porsche 911 handling more than ever, it warned first-time pilots to "approach [the car] with great respect."
Check out the complete story of Porsche cars, including these fabulous models:
| Porsche 356
|
Porsche 911
|
Porsche 914
|
| Porsche 924, 944, 968
|
Porsche 928 | Porsche 959 |
| Porsche Boxster | Porsche Cayenne | Porsche Cayman |
For Porsche prices and reviews from the auto editors of Consumer Guide, see:
1969 Porsche 911
For 1969, the Porsche 911 line was sorted out on both sides of the Atlantic with a three-model B-Series that entered production in August 1968. The 912, to be replaced in 1970 by the "Volks-Porsche" 914, continued to evolve in parallel, though its engine was unchanged. The new 911 trio would run three model years. The initial U.S. versions were as follows:
- 911T -- 110 DIN horsepower European (125 SAE) at 5,800 rpm, 8.6:1 CR, 110 mph official top speed; base price (coupe): $5,995.
- 911E -- 140 DIN horsepower European (160 SAE) at 6,500 rpm; 9.0:1 CR; 134 mph; base price (coupe): $7,195.
- 911S -- 170 DIN horsepower European (190 SAE) at 6,800 rpm; 9.8:1; 140 mph; base price (coupe): $7,895.
Only the T used carburetors (twin Weber 40 IDTs). The new E, replacing the L, and the revived S both sported fuel injection, the modern way to reconcile high performance with low emissions. Transmission choices comprised Sportomatic and four- or five-speed manuals for T and E; the S was now five-speed only.
Developed by Porsche and Bosch, the new fuel-injection system was a mechanical type similar to the one used by Mercedes, with a squirter at each cylinder (making it a multipoint setup) and a double-row, six-plunger pump driven by toothed belt from the left camshaft; tubes delivered fuel to the ports just below.
An electric fuel pump fed the injection pump; check valves in the injectors opened at a set pressure from the injection-pump plungers. The ram tubes and a richer mixture improved power at higher crank speeds while reducing pollutants at lower rpm. To combat the old plug-fouling problem, a capacitive-discharge (CD) ignition was installed.
Fuel injection permitted other power-boosting changes. The E reverted to the original 911 cam profile, which was wilder than the superseded L's. The S had slightly higher compression and reshaped inlet passages, plus an extra oil cooler for greater reliability with the higher power. Crankcases switched from aluminum to cast magnesium construction.
The 911's shape would last over three decades. Here, an example from 1964.
There was an obvious visual change for '69: slightly flared wheel openings, necessitated by wider brakes that expanded E and S track width by 0.4-inch. The S also got six-inch-wide wheels. Less apparent was a 2.25-inch (57-mm) wheelbase increase -- to 89.3 inches/2,268 mm -- via longer rear semi-trailing arms.
Despite an unchanged drivetrain position, fore/aft weight distribution ended up more even, going from 41.5/58.5 percent to 43/57. At the same time, the previous Nadella axle shafts gave way to Lobro assemblies with Rzeppa constant-velocity joints; the shafts were also re-angled slightly rearward from the inner joints.
Another new chassis wrinkle for 1969 Porsche 911 was Boge self-adjusting hydropneumatic front struts, which were standard for the E and early S models, an option for later Ss and all Ts. Replacing the normal front struts, torsion bars, and shocks, they kept the nose at a specified height regardless of passenger or cargo load.
Unlike Citroen's oleopneumatic system, their pump was not engine-driven but pressurized by suspension movement. Though the longer '69 wheelbase shifted static weight distribution forward about 1.5 percent, this was balanced on Boge-equipped cars by deleting the front sway bar.
Still, final oversteer remained the dominant handling trait in any Porsche 911, though it was never a surprise to the skilled, knowledgeable driver.
The Boge struts were part of a new 911E Comfort Package that was optional in Europe and standard in the United States. Also included were 14-inch wheels and tires, aluminum brake calipers, a more strident "highway" horn, bumper rub strips, bright-metal rocker-panel trim, gold deck script, velour carpeting, a leather-covered steering wheel, and an oil pressure/level gauge.
Fuel injection and the CD ignition wrought terrific improvements in 911 drivability. The E, for example, could lug down to 35-40 mph and then pull smoothly away, yet it was almost as fast as a '67 S. Road & Track's example ran 0-60 in 8.4 seconds, the standing quarter in 16 seconds, and hit 130 mph while averaging near 20 mpg overall.
Completing 1969 refinements were a new three-speed heater fan, flat-black wiper arms, and an electric rear-window defroster. The last was also standard for Targas, which exchanged their leaky and noisy plastic zip-out rear window for fixed wraparound glass that made things less open but more comfy and solid. In all, the '69s were the most tractable and pleasurable Porsches since the 356C.
Check out the complete story of Porsche cars, including these fabulous models:
| Porsche 356
|
Porsche 911
|
Porsche 914
|
| Porsche 924, 944, 968
|
Porsche 928 | Porsche 959 |
| Porsche Boxster | Porsche Cayenne | Porsche Cayman |
For Porsche prices and reviews from the auto editors of Consumer Guide, see:
1970-1972 Porsche 911
All Porsche 911s became incrementally quicker with the 1970 C-Series, thanks to a 4-mm larger bore that upped displacement to 2,165cc (132.1 cid). Compression ratios stayed put, but the T switched to Zenith carbs (40 TIN). Because horsepower and torque were higher across the board, clutch diameter was increased 10 mm (to 225 mm).
This Porsche 911 is outfitted for law-enforcement work.
On the chassis, the front-strut upper attachment points were moved 0.55-inch (14 mm) forward, which reduced steering effort and kickback. Model-year 1970 also brought first-time availability of an optional limited-slip differential. The 1970 U.S. lineup was as follows:
- 911T -- 125 DIN horsepower European (145 SAE) at 5,800 rpm, 128 mph official top speed; base price (coupe): $6,430.
- 911E -- 155 DIN horsepower European (175 SAE) at 6,200 rpm; 137 mph official top speed; base price (coupe): $7,895.
- 911S -- 180 DIN horsepower European (200 SAE) at 6,500 rpm; 144 mph official top speed; base price (coupe): $8,675.
Porsche used the extra displacement to make the S engine a trifle more composed, with still-better low-end flexibility and a cleaner exhaust. "As impressive as the fact that it meets smog laws is the way the 911S runs," said one tester. "It idles smoothly at 800-1000 rpm and runs without any of the common symptoms of mixture leanness found in today's emission-control high-output engines at moderate speeds."
Even so, the S remained too much car for speed-limited U.S. driving, displaying "very little torque until about 4500 rpm...But going up through the gears...brings out noises that will warm hearts even of those accustomed to exotic V-12s. Glorious noises!"
While the S was in the same performance league as the Jaguar E-Type and Chevy Corvette, it was far better built and achieved its exciting ends through finesse, not brute force.
But it was also becoming quite costly now, rarely delivering for under $9,000 -- though even that had a certain appeal. As Road & Track quipped, the S offered "performance on the order of an American Supercar but without the stigma of low cost."
By contrast, the bottom-line T was relatively affordable in 1970-71 at around $6,500. True, that was more than the E-Type or Corvette, but $1,000 less than a Mercedes 280SL -- fortunate, as the prospective T buyer was quite likely to consider the Merc.
After a little-changed group of 1971 D-Series models came the E-Series Porsche 911s for 1972, with further increases in both displacement and wheelbase. A longer stroke (to 70.4 mm, up 4.4 mm) on an unchanged bore took the flat-six to 142.9 cid/2341cc, though engine-lid badges optimistically stated "2.4" liters. Wheelbase lengthened a mere 3 mm to 89.4 inches (2271 mm), a change that has never been explained.
The extra displacement stemmed from Porsche's desire to maintain performance against the fast-stiffening U.S. emission standards. California, still requiring lower pollutant levels than other states, mandated that all cars be operable on low-lead 91-octane gasoline beginning with model-year 1972.
Detroit responded by simply reducing compression -- and thus performance -- while most European producers went to different pistons and heads. Thus began the disappointing era of "federalized" imports marked by an ever-widening performance/economy gap with Porsches designed for the German market.
Porsche also lowered compression for '72, but the greater displacement more than offset it. In fact, all three engines showed useful output gains, so Porsche 911 performance scarcely suffered. The specifics:
- 911T -- 130 DIN horsepower European (157 SAE) at 5,600 rpm, 7.5:1
- 911E -- 165 DIN horsepower European (185 SAE) at 6,200 rpm, 8.1:1
- 911S -- 190 DIN horsepower European (210 SAE) at 6,500 rpm, 8.5:1
These figures weren't very different from those of Porsche 911s sold in Europe (which would soon enact its own emissions standards), reflecting a corporate philosophy that Porsche publicly declared a decade later: namely, one engine spec and one performance level for all markets (or as many as technology allowed). As if to signal this, Bosch fuel injection was applied to the 1972 U.S.-market T.
Porsche production became more automated, yet hand labor still went into each car.
Check out the complete story of Porsche cars, including these fabulous models:
| Porsche 356
|
Porsche 911
|
Porsche 914
|
| Porsche 924, 944, 968
|
Porsche 928 | Porsche 959 |
| Porsche Boxster | Porsche Cayenne | Porsche Cayman |
For Porsche prices and reviews from the auto editors of Consumer Guide, see:
1972 Porsche 911 Model Comparison
Car and Driver compared all three 911s in a 1972 test, and the results bear scrutiny:
| | 911T | 911E | 911S |
| 0-60 mph (sec.) | 6.9 | 5.8 | 6.0 |
| 0-1/4 mile (sec.) | 15.1 | 14.3 | 14.4 |
| 1/4-mile mph | 91.7 | 96.9 | 96.8 |
| Top speed (mph) | 125 | 135 | 140 |
| 80 mph braking (ft) | 271 | 234 | 280 |
| Curb wt. (lbs) | 2,425 | 2,475 | 2,455 |
| Base price | $8,804 | $10,506 | $10,749 |
Two things emerge here: the T's continuing status as a remarkable buy in Porsche performance, and the close similarity between E and S, even though C/D's E was the heavier Targa (the others were coupes). Evidently, the E was improving at a faster rate.
But then, the same could be said of all 911s for '72. For example, the oil tank was now made of stainless steel and relocated from the right-rear wheelarch to a position between it and the right door.
Even better, it gained an external flap, like the one for the gas filler on the left front fender. But the arrangement was axed after this one year because people tended to put fuel in the oil tank by mistake -- with disastrous results. The fuel tank was expanded to 21.1 gallons when its upper half was stamped around a new space-saver spare tire (an arrangement prohibited in Britain).
The 1972 Porsche 911s also enhanced both appearance and high-speed stability with the addition of a small under-bumper "chin" spoiler. The result of aerodynamic work by Porsche engineers, it reduced front-end lift from 183 to 102 pounds at 140 mph -- though that was purely academic to Americans heading for a 55-mph national speed limit. The spoiler was optional for the T and E, standard on the S, but became so popular that it was included on all models after 1973.
Among chassis changes for '72 were larger-diameter anti-roll bars for the S (now 15 mm front and rear), and cancellation of the optional Boge struts, which had garnered few orders. The S reverted to a standard four-speed gearbox. The optional five-speed was strengthened, made easier to shift, and -- a welcome change -- given a conventional gate with fifth on a dogleg to the right and first at the top left of the "H."
Car and Driver's comparison test noted that the T "has exactly the same acceleration in the quarter-mile as the 2.0-liter 911S of 1969 and is a whole lot less fussy about the way it's driven...The E is easy to get along with too...It's smooth at low speeds, feels strong at 3000 rpm, and climbs up to its 6800-rpm redline with determination."
By contrast, the '72 S was "a top-speed car more than anything else. The engine doesn't feel capable until about 5000, and you usually end up shifting there even in routine traffic...It is rough at low speeds and wants to buck in traffic. The torque band is narrow, so much so that even though all of the 5-speed 911s have the same transmission ratios, they feel too wide only in the S."
After track testing at California's Riverside Raceway, the least costly 911 emerged as C/D's favorite "because it was the most predictable. The E, whose Targa roof likely give it a fractionally higher center of gravity, had slightly more steady-state understeer and more vigorous tail-wag in transients. Its most conspicuous trick, however, was its three-legged dog stance in turns. Typically, 911s lift the inside front wheel, but few to the dizzying heights of this Targa."
Car and Driverwent on to say, "The S was much like the E. Perhaps a little less understeer and an extra increment of twitch. Like the T, the S was a coupe, but its electric sunroof alters its weight distribution somewhat. There were extra pounds in the roof and the electric motor was back in the engine compartment. If handling is your goal, it's best to stick with the plain coupe."
A racy new 911 model appeared in 1972 as the Carrera RS 2.7.
Check out the complete story of Porsche cars, including these fabulous models:
| Porsche 356
|
Porsche 911
|
Porsche 914
|
| Porsche 924, 944, 968
|
Porsche 928 | Porsche 959 |
| Porsche Boxster | Porsche Cayenne | Porsche Cayman |
For Porsche prices and reviews from the auto editors of Consumer Guide, see:
1973-1974 Porsche 911
The Porsche 911 continued its winning ways for 1973. Changes for that year's F-Series models began with big black-rubber bumper guards and steel reinforcing door beams per federal mandate, plus distinctive "cookie-cutter" alloy wheels for the E. Engines stayed the same through mid-model year, when the T gained Bosch's new K-Jetronic fuel injection (a.k.a. CIS -- Continuous Injection System), good for an extra 10 DIN horsepower European (seven SAE).
The 1973 U.S. Porsche 911 lineup (from left): S, T, and E models.
But the real shocker came in late 1973 from a heretofore little-known cartel called OPEC -- Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries -- which decided to make "black gold" as precious as real gold by shutting off Middle East pipelines. Long waiting lines began to form at gas pumps across the United States, and prices for all petroleum-based products went out of sight. That winter was longer and colder than usual for the world's industrial nations as rationing and other energy-conserving measures threatened to become a way of life.
Against this bleak backdrop stood refurbished Porsche 911s that remained uncompromising high performers in utter defiance of the day's news. They naturally had "crash" bumpers, but so skillfully integrated as to look like they'd been there all along. And while many automakers resorted to smaller engines, the 911s got a larger one that met all the latest "smog regs" while sacrificing little in performance or fuel efficiency.
Of course, these changes were pure coincidence, for no one could have predicted the events of 1973-74. Still, the Porsche 911 entered its eleventh year as unassailable proof that when the going got tough, Porsche knew how to get going.
Larger, sturdier bumpers for 1974 marked the