The Porsche 911: Faster Than A Speeding Bullet?

Automotive Darwinism. If ever that phrase could be leveled at a car manufacturer’s door, it’d be resting on a ‘Welcome’ mat in Stuttgart with that morning’s post.
A fair comment on the state of Porsche’s range? Not really. After all, every car brand’s efforts are by their very nature an evolution of what has gone before; Porsche’s not alone.
Porschephiles will cite their beloved marque’s rich engineering history and their residency at the summit of the sports car importance, since the first page of Chapter I of their corporate annals.
No, the evolution of evolution of evolution chatter comes from this very car, Porsche’s icon, the 911.
Not only do all iterations of 911 look similar, design cues from its instantly recognizable silhouette transcend the core model line and impact on the styling of the other models too.
Is the 911, now in 991 guise (confused? Then read on), worthy of high order worship at the motoring altar?
It’s 49 years since the 911 debuted at Frankfurt. A new Porsche, all fresh-faced and modern compared with the Beetlesque 356 it was ousting. It wasn’t even called 911 to begin with, only changing its name after a French car firm with a penchant for central zeros complained about the 901 launch tag.
That original 911 lasted until 1989 but just to confuse issues for the non-aficionados, although all generations were marketed as ‘911’ their internal code numbers differed and are used by those in the know to differentiate between generations:
911 – original model, 1963-89
930 – turbocharged version of the original
964 – heavily revised models, including the first Carrera 4 and Tiptronic, 1989-93
993 – final evolution of the original, flatter noses, 1993-98
996 – all-new body and water-cooled engines, 1997-05
997 – Porsche’s most commercially successful 911, 2004-11
991 – the latest generation, 2011-date
Naturally, evolution infers that changes haven’t been made simply for change’s sake but to improve the breed, imbuing it with dominance over the competition. After all, this is the survival of the fittest.
The lines are unmistakable 911 but paying greater homage to the much-loved 993 generation in the visuals than the last two have; the whole appearance is tauter, lither and less bar of soapy. There are proper creases in the metal work, most boldly fashioned around the tail lights which look to have been scythed out of the rear haunches. And, for the first time since anyone other than 911 anoraks can remember, it actually has a ‘911’ badge on the rear engine cover.
Personally, I’d want to keep that cream leather swathed interior all to myself and free from the unlikely arcs of reach of little arms ending in greasy, sticky palms. The 911 is a reward best enjoyed alone.