Every Generation of Porsche 911, Ranked

The early smog-era was hard on the Porsche 911. Not only did the cars have to comply with the US’ hideous impact bumper rule, thus ending the era of the achingly pretty long hood cars, but the 2.7-liter naturally-aspirated flat-six from this period was plagued with problems.

The biggest among these was the move to a five-bladed cooling fan and the addition of “thermal reactors” (these are different that catalytic converters). These things raised the running temperature of the engines which led to all kinds of issues like pulled head studs on magnesium-cased engines. 1974 and 1975 models were also as rust-prone as the long hood cars without looking as good, so more points were deducted.

These are arguably the worst 911s in terms of looks, performance and reliability and so they’re last on the list.

The long hood cars are easily the prettiest 911s that Porsche ever produced, but it’s these cars — and the early short-wheelbase versions in particular — that gave the 911 its reputation as a car with difficult, unpredictable handling.

If you’ve ever seen one of these ‘64-’68 cars on a race track, then you have also probably seen their driver sawing at the wheel trying to keep the tail under control. They are relatively slow thanks to their tiny 2.0-liter engines, so all they had going for them is looks. That’s why, despite being historically significant, they’re towards the bottom of my list.

The 991 generation of 911 shows a company at arguably the height of its power. It’s making money and selling tons of cars and SUVs. This 911 is also one of the biggest examples of Porsche trying to flex its engineering muscles and only kind of succeeding.

The 991 kept the 997.2's awesome 9A1 direct-injected engine but tossed its excellent six-speed manual transmission in favor of a seven-speed manual that used the same case as Porsche’s seven-speed PDK gearbox. The result was a weird-feeling gearbox with less-than-ideal gear ratios.

Porsche also made the switch from tried-and-true hydraulic-assisted steering to electrically assisted steering and so lost a lot of the communication through the wheel that 911s had become famous for. The system was direct and accurate, but the lost feel took away some of what made the 911 such a beloved driver’s car.

The second generation of the 911 chassis, aka the 991.2, took the things that Porsche did not-so-well in the .1 version and improved upon them. That unsatisfying seven-speed gearbox got tightened up a little and the calibration for the EPAS got better too — not by leaps and bounds, but incremental improvement is kind of the 911's thing, right? We also got a wingless, manual-transmission-equipped version of the GT3 aka the Touring package, with a bespoke six-speed manual, which people had clamored for.

Unfortunately, in the non-GT, non-Turbo models, Porsche moved away from the screaming naturally-aspirated flat-six engines of its past to a turbocharged 3.0-liter engine. That’s right; this was the start of the non-Turbo turbo Carrera, and while the extra torque provided by the move to forced induction was great for everyday drivability, we lost a little bit of the 911's character, and that’s a bummer.

The Carrera 3.0 was Porsche’s stop-gap solution to the problems of the miserable Mid-Year cars. The biggest changes to this model were a move to a naturally aspirated version of the 930 Turbo’s 3.0-liter engine which utilized an aluminum engine case that was more resistant to head stud failure. Porsche also started fully galvanizing the 911 body in 1976 leading to a massive reduction in the potential for corrosion.

The SC version, produced from 1978 to 1983, featured lower power output than the 3.0 Carrera (180 hp in the US vs. 200 hp for the 3.0) and a slightly nicer passenger compartment. The big thing with the SC was that Porsche built almost 60,000 of them, meaning they’re among the more common air-cooled cars.

These cars still don’t look stellar, but they’re lightweight, simple, have a massive aftermarket and are among the more affordable air-cooled cars. That’s why they’re not total crap.

OK, before you light your torches and grab your pitchforks, hear me out — the 993 just isn’t that great, and I’ll tell you why. First, it being the last air-cooled car doesn’t make it inherently great. Sure, the 3.6 Variocam engine was pretty solid in terms of reliability, but power was only OK at its peak of 285. Next, the 993 Carrera is heavier than the more powerful car that replaced it, aka the unfairly reviled 996.

Thirdly, this was Porsche’s first use of multi-link rear suspension and while it was fine, it lacked the charm of the car that preceded it. Fourth, the interior looks alright at first glance, but the button and switch placement is a mess and usability kind of sucks. Finally, while it’s got character and it’s historically significant for being the final air-cooled car, its sort of boring looking with its mishmash of 959 front styling, melty rear end and that stupid basket-handle rear spoiler at the base of the rear window.

Basically, it’s a wildly expensive but totally “meh” car.

While the 3.0 Carrera was a decent stop-gap for the 911, it was in the mid-1980s that the impact bumper cars came into their own, starting with the 3.2 Carrera. This car, which was visually very similar to the SC that preceded it, saw the move to electronic fuel injection, rather than Bosch CIS. This, along with a bump in displacement, gave the 3.2 Carrera a US power output of 207 hp as well as increased drivability and better emissions.

The other big change for the 3.2 came in 1987 with the introduction of Porsche’s new G50 gearbox which replaced the dated, slightly agricultural 915 box. Because of the increase in shifter feel and the move to a hydraulic clutch, G50 cars demand a premium today.

Porsche’s 992-generation 911 is not only its lastest and most technologically advanced 911, it’s also the biggest 911 we’ve ever seen. Seriously, it’s kind of huge compared to my 996, but that’s not the end of the world. This generation of 911 offers an almost unbelievable array of sub-models from the off-roading 911 Dakar to the barely-a-streetcar GT3RS to the total sweetheart Carrera T.

I have spent a fair amount of time in the 992, and while it’s always a treat to have one in my driveway, it’s not perfect. For example, the interior is gorgeous but the center cupholder placement is idiotic, especially for a manual car. Also, the Carrera, Carrera S and GTS engine (same engine, different tunes) are wickedly powerful, but don’t sound that great.

This is arguably the most do-anything generation of 911, which is key to the 911's character as a whole, but it feels less focused as a driver’s car as a result, and more like a grand touring car.

Look, I know I own a 996 and so I’m a little biased when I say that it doesn’t deserve all the hate it’s gotten throughout its lifetime, but it’s true. Not only is this car lighter than the 993, it’s more powerful, more rigid and shares the 993's suspension and gearbox. It also costs like 1/4 as much as even a beat 993.

People hate the 996 because of the way it looks (I think it’s actually quite pretty, headlights included) and because of the reliability issues that plagued Porsche’s first production water-cooled flat-six engine, the much-maligned M96. Neither of these criticisms is totally unfair, but most people talking that mess would probably surprised at how pleasant the 996 is to live with, provided they had one that had been cared for.

So, while it’s not my favorite 911, it’s far from the worst and because they’re still affordable, it ranks pretty highly.

The 964 was kind of a forgotten, unloved generation of 911 for a long time. Then people — namely Rob Dickinson of Singer Vehicle Design — started to appreciate them for the super special car that they were. Why is the 964 special and what makes it a better 911 than the 993?

To start, the 964 is where the 911 became a modern car with things like heating and air conditioning that actually worked. The engine was all new for the first time in a very, very long time, and it was the biggest, most powerful naturally aspirated production engine Porsche had shoved in a 911. It also was the first all-wheel drive production 911. Importantly, it still drives like an air-cooled 911 thanks to the semi-trailing arm suspension being retained, but it’s predictable and stable.

The styling is also super modern (for the time) with bumpers that didn’t look like an afterthought and an interior that only kind of looked like a holdover from the 1970s. Porsche didn’t make a ton of 964s, and finding one now in halfway decent condition is tough and will be an expensive proposition, but if I was going to buy an air-cooled car, it would be a 964 C2.

The odds are pretty good that if people think about a classic 911, the later long-wheelbase long hood car is the one they picture. If sales prices are anything to go by, it’s a car that people around the world are still fascinated with, now, over 50 years since its introduction, and they’re not likely to get any cheaper.

These are the cars we most often see hot-rodded by the likes of Magnus Walker or the folks from the R Gruppe. They are much less twitchy than the SWB models that preceded them and as such are frequently raced in vintage racing events.

Everything about these cars is iconic, and they deserve all the love, attention and hype they get.

This is it, friends. This is the top of the mountain. The greatest generation of 911 to ever turn a wheel in anger: the 997. Some of you — many of you, probably — will cry that this is heresy because it’s water-cooled. I say screw that.

This is one of the almost microscopic number of cars that just gets everything right. It’s the right size, it’s got incredible engine choices, it’s gorgeous inside and out, it has excellent feeling-filled steering and powerful brakes. It’s a sharp-handling car but is forgiving enough to let even average drivers push it — and it does that while being comfortable and filled with modern conveniences. Hell, even the frunk is roomy enough for a decently sized trip to the grocery store.

When I lay my head down at night and think about the 911 of my dreams, it’s the 997.2 GT3 RS that I think about, with its wailing 3.8-liter Mezger motor and massive wing. When I sell my 996, it’s going to be because I’m buying a 997.

This is the top of the mountain, and it is good.

In case you missed it:

• Good Cars With Undeserved Bad Reputations
• Off-Road Viper, Stolen RX-7 Race Car, Abandoned Corvette Z06: The Best Automotive Videos on YouTube This Week
• Airline Fined $225,000 After Police Had to Free Passengers From Flight in Florida