Porsche 911 Buyer's Guide

For 58 years and counting, the Porsche 911 has been a motoring icon. Produced in many iterations including Carrera, Turbo, GT3 and Rennsport in Coupe, Cabriolet and Targa body styles, the 911 has captivated the heart and soul of many as the sports car par excellence. Since the 911’s 50th anniversary in 2013, values across the board have risen sharply. Rare and exotic models have attracted truly exotic prices, while models previously considered more ‘everyday’ in their nature have also become collectable. As values of these cars – as well as their overall desirability – continue to soar, it is more important than ever to be scrupulous in your endeavours to buy one. This new edition of the Ultimate Porsche 911 Buyer’s Guide provides you with the means to buy…

HISTORY AND TECH Only a few years had passed since the 911’s arrival when Porsche introduced a new range-topping model. The ‘Super’ was a clear statement of intent by Zuffenhausen, one that reinforced the Neunelfer’s reputation as a proper sports car. Not only did it boast the highest power output, but the S was also the first model to receive a more focused specification that included light alloy Fuchs wheels, uprated suspension with anti-roll bars front and rear, and ventilated disc brakes. Continuous development brought more power and fuel injection, and the arrival of the E Series in 1972 introduced a larger engine. This was the 2.4S, the 2,341cc flat six now producing 190hp and a beefier 211Nm of torque. The increase in capacity was achieved by fitting a longer-throw…

Hugely sought after and with values already high in the stratosphere, Porsche’s first Rennsport, the 2.7 RS, fully deserves its position as one of the finest 911s ever made. But with production limited to 1,590 examples, the chance to sample this exquisite confection is somewhat limited. Its demise also left Porsche needing a new range-topper and it would arrive in the form of the car you see here, the 2.7 Carrera. It was hardly more numerous – 1,667 examples rolled out of Zuffenhausen between 1974 and 1976 – and examples are already fetching in the region of £200,000. But what you had was a car that blended the impact bumper, G-series bodyshell with the mechanically injected 2.7-litre engine from the RS, for some the perfect marriage. When it comes to…

HISTORY AND TECH Once Peter Schutz had reinstated the 911, wise heads in Porsche knew it would need drastic updating. However, the steady rise in the US dollar enhancing both 911 profitability and sales removed some of the urgency as development efforts were diverted into high-tech projects, notably the 959 supercar. Major objectives were to use technologies developed for the 959 to make the 911 more advanced, notably offering four-wheel drive as developed by Audi for the Quattro, and improved aerodynamics: Porsche was embarrassed by the Carrera 3.2’s Cd of 0.40 (and 0.42 for the widebody) when Ford’s Scorpio and Ferdinand Piëch’s new Audi 100 could boast 0.30. But whereas both saloons looked vastly different from their angular predecessors, the Vorstand decreed that the 911 was not to change above…

HISTORY AND TECH The 3.2 Carrera was the final evolution of the original torsion bar 911 of 1963. Improvements to performance, handling and economy came incrementally as Porsche developed the 911 over two decades. The flat six was conceived from the outset to be used in both production and competition cars and as such was designed to be enlarged. From 1969 it grew in stages from 1,991cc to the 3,299cc of the 1977 930 Turbo as Zuffenhausen progressively increased bore and stroke. The 3.2 was not only a development of its immediate 911 predecessor, the 3.0-litre SC, but also borrowed the Turbo’s crankshaft and connecting rods, though those fitted to the 3.2 were thinner and lighter. The new Carrera 3.2 also featured an entirely new Bosch DME and LE Jetronic…

HISTORY AND TECH In Porsche nomenclature, ‘S’ usually denoted sporting or ‘Super’ and its first application to a 911 was in 1966. The 911S would set the standard as the fastest 911 until the 2.7RS usurped its crown, and the S was demoted to second fiddle before it disappeared in 1976. Subsequently there was a 911CS (Clubsport) and a 911RS (Rennsport) and even a Turbo S, but a plain 911 with an S, in this case ‘Carrera S’, had to wait for the mid-term facelift 993 in 1996. The 993 was the evolutionary descendant of the 964 which had arrived at a time when Porsche’s financial woes were beginning. The 964’s disappointing sales led to a fundamental reappraisal of the 911: in the performance stakes it was still class-leading, but…