Overview

The Porsche 911 (pronounced as nine eleven) is a sports car made by Porsche AG of Stuttgart, Germany. The famous, distinctive and durable car has undergone continuous development since its introduction in 1964. Mechanically it is notable for being rear engined and, until the introduction of the all-new Type 996 in 1999, air-cooled.

Since its inception the 911 has been modified, both by private teams and the factory itself, for racing, rallying and other types of automotive competition. It is often cited as the most successful competition car ever, especially when its variations are included, mainly the powerful 935.

In the international poll for the award of the world's most influential car of the twentieth century the 911 came fifth after the Ford Model T, the Mini, the Citroën DS and the Volkswagen Beetle.

History

The 911 was developed as a much more powerful, larger, more comfortable replacement for the Porsche 356, the company's first model, and essentially a sporting evolution of the Volkswagen Beetle. The new car made its public debut at the 1963 Internationale Automobil-Ausstellung, better known to English speakers as the Frankfurt motor show.

It was designated as the "Porsche 901" (901 being its internal project number). Peugeot protested on the grounds that they owned the trademark to all car names formed by three numbers with a zero in the middle. So, before production started, the new Porsche had its name changed to 911. It went on sale in 1964.

Awards

In 2004, Sports Car International named the 911 number three on the list of Top Sports Cars of the 1960s, the Carrera RS number seven on the list of Top Sports Cars of the 1970s, and the 911 Carrera number seven on the list of Top Sports Cars of the 1980s. In addition, the 911 was voted Number 2 on Automobile Magazine's list of the "100 Coolest Cars". The 997 was nominated for the World Car of the Year award for 2005.

Famous Owners

James May - Top Gear Presenter
Richard Hammond - Top Gear Presenter
David Beckham - Professional British Soccer player for England team and Real Madrid
Jerry Seinfeld - American Actor/Comedian
Ralf Schumacher - Formula 1 Driver and Michael Schumacher's brother
Arnold Schwarzenegger - Hollywoood Actor and California Governor

Trivia

The Porsche 993 was designed by an Englishman Tony Hatter under supervision of Porsche chief designer Harm Lagaay.
The distinctive Porsche flat-six has grown from 2.0 liters to 3.8 liters, ranging from 110 to 480 bhp.
Yellow brake calipers on a new Porsche 911 signify that the brakes are made of ceramic discs and pads (Porsche Ceramic Composite Brakes, or PCCB).