Porsche 911 Retrotest: The most famous sports car celebrates its 60th birthday! – The Argus: Automotive News

Sixty, the retirement age for long careers? Not for the Porsche 911, livelier than ever! An anniversary that we wanted to celebrate with great fanfare at the wheel of a 2.2 T from 1970 and its current descendant, the Carrera T.

From

Thierry Reaubourg

Published on 07/02/2023 – 08:00 a.m

For the 60th anniversary of the Porsche 911, we traveled back in time at the wheel of a first generation model: a 2.2 T from 1970.

Adrian Cortesi

Frankfurt Motor Show, September 12, 1963. Great excitement at the Porsche stand, which is finally lifting the veil on the successor to the 356, which has been at work since the brand was founded in 1948. Its name is the 901. But Peugeot, which then reserves the three-digit designation with a central zero, does not appreciate this baptismal name. So that it is hardly known, the new sports club Zuffenhausen already has to change its name! This will happen when it goes into production in September 1964. His new last name? 911. Nobody knew it yet, but Porsche had just started a myth. Because even sixty years later, this interplanetary incarnation of the sports car has remained true to its position.

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The profile of the 911 has never changed since 1963. A recognizable line among all!

Adrian Cortesi

Designed by Ferdinand Alexander Porsche, the first 911 remained true to the “boxer” engine (horizontal cylinders), air-cooled and mounted in the rear overhang. A direct lineage to this good old Beetle designed by Ferdinand Porsche (Alexander’s grandfather) before WWII and from which the 356 was derived. Farewell, however, to the four-cylinder of the old. Emancipate yourself from Volkswagen, The new Porsche this time welcomes a six-cylinder, still very modest in its early days with its 1,991 cm3 and 130 hp! We had to wait until the end of 1966 to discover a more spirited version: the famous 911 S with 160 hp, which was the first to sport the legendary Fuchs star rims.

The family then welcomed the clever 911 T (1968), reduced to 110 hp, and the 911 E with 140 hp in 1969, when the S with 170 hp took off. There were three versions in 1970–1971, powered by a new 2.2 with 125 hp (T), 155 hp (E) or 180 hp (S). Finally it’s the turn of the 911 2.4 from 1972 to 1973 (with a new, better managed gearbox): 130 hp for the T, 165 hp for the E and 190 hp for the S, credited with an acceleration from 0 to 100 km/ h per year 7 seconds and a top speed of 230 km/h. Seriously, yes! The emblem of all, however, remains the 2.7 RS (210 hp) from 1973 with the famous ducktail spoiler homologated in Group 4. The holy grail of today’s Porsche drivers.

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The narrow rails and chrome of the first 911 are now a real collector’s hit.

Adrian Cortesi

From 1974 we left the era of the so-called classic 911s, recognizable by their thin chrome bumpers, and entered the modern series. It was the Type G (bumpers with bellows, first turbo version in 1975) that opened the ball. In 1989, the 964 followed with its enveloping shields (including the Carrera 4, the first all-wheel drive model in the range). Finally the 993 arrives in 1993 (oblique headlights, first biturbo engine, first GT2), the last 911 with air cooling. Then there are the “water-cooled” ones: the 996 (1997), 997 (2004), 991 (2011) and 992 generations since 2018, all available in infinite versions including the very sharp GT3 and Turbo S.

We were therefore spoiled for choice to blow out the 60 candles of this icon with dignity. However, nothing beats a first generation 911 to showcase the progress this rolling legend has made over the years. A quick call to Porsche France, whose Classics department is full of treasures, finally enabled us – luckily – to use one Coupe 2.2 T from 1970 immaculate. A real ray of sunshine in its great signal orange finish.

Drive the 1970 Porsche 911 T 2.2

Very slim, this 911 T! Quite the opposite of your wife, who is the same age, but whose pounds that have accumulated over the last ten years are slowly slipping down the belt. Getting behind the wheel of certain sports cars is therefore not necessarily child’s play. Have you ever tried popping a champagne cork into the neck of a bottle? do you see the board None of that, thankfully with our venerable Clockwork Orange, which is inviting despite the lack of seat height adjustment and the generous diameter of its rudder. A non-adjustable tire but kept a good distance from my belly growth. The only minor ergonomic concerns are over-vertical pedals and the odd buckle of the three-point harness, which attaches to the end of a long bar and pinches the sternum.

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Despite the large steering wheel and lack of adjustment options, the driving position is excellent.

Adrian Cortesi

Five dials aligned as if on a parade (large rev counter in the middle), ignition key on the left, heating controls in the middle, armrests with a storage compartment each on the door panels and rot-proof interior materials … Except for the steering wheel On board the 911 has in the first thirty years nothing really changed in his career. Rigor, simplicity, solidity! The 1970 seats are quite comfortable, but archiplats, on the other hand, require little maintenance. But the biggest change of scenery is unsettling the inverted grid of the gearbox (first gear bottom left), specific to the 911 2.0 and 2.2. Caricature debates and notorious inaccuracy! Even after a few days in the company of this venerable Porsche, hitting the second on the first shot (rather than the fourth) beats you like a golfer hitting a hole-in-one. Anything but hygienic, driving a classic 911!

And all the less boring that you also have to concentrate on your reactions when you get excited on the gas pedal. Not so much because of the flat 6 engine (powered by twin triple Weber carburettors), which is smooth at low revs, furious from the 4,500rpm mark and as melodious as one could wish for (a quite metallic timbre), but not fierce for a dime with its 125 hp. So, The 1,000m standing start is completed in 30.3 seconds. while the top speed is 205 km/h. A 1984 Peugeot 205 GTI 105 offers more or less the same performance! No, the problem with this 911 is its handling, let’s say… bipolar.

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In order to be able to push the 911 T to its limits, you have to know its operating instructions very well…

Adrian Cortesi

On a straight line or in long turns, there is already a “homing head” type course hold, which is reinforced on a degraded surface or in strong crosswinds. This becomes particularly complicated when approaching a curve at high speed. Understeer is guaranteed if you don’t accompany the car on the brakes (not very hard, despite the four discs) and swerve hard to stay as close to the apex as possible! Then be careful not to hit the accelerator too early, because this time there is a risk that the rear will overtake in front. The famous “backpack” effect generated by the rear overhang motor.

So it’s not always easy to find the right balance, especially as the steering – not power-assisted – wasn’t a paragon of precision at the time. The flexible damping is now accompanied by some rolling in order to protect the occupants’ vertebrae. Nevertheless, like all 911s of this generation, the 2.2 T is particularly endearing after all these characteristics. The return of the keys broke our hearts. To console us, another 911, green like a Stabilo highlighter, was waiting for us at Porsche: the new Carrera T.

From the 901 of the Frankfurt Motor Show in 1963 to the 993 generation of the 1990s, the cabin has hardly changed. Adrian Cortesi

The characteristic alignment of the five dials with the central rev counter is part of the DNA of the 911. Adrien Cortesi

The inverted and very poorly managed grille remains the biggest Achilles’ heel of the first Porsche 911. Adrien Cortesi

The two small rear seats, which are very uncomfortable, are reserved for children on a short trip. Adrian Cortesi

Thanks to the engine in the rear overhang, the 911 can carry some luggage under the hood. Adrian Cortesi

No air conditioning on board the first 911. Heat, ventilate a little, done! Adrian Cortesi

And today ?

The 911 T 2.0 appeared for the first time in 1968, taking on the role of the “basic model” with its 6-cylinder boxer engine reduced from 130 to 110 hp. In its big comeback with the 991 generation, five decades later, the “Touring” revised the recipe slightly… This time, touching the six-cylinder, which was identical to that of the entry-level Carrera, was out of the question. However, it benefits from the sports suspension (- 10 mm) and the equipment has been cleaned up to save weight. The idea? Turn it into a “light” Carrera, more efficient and agile (unfortunately also more expensive!), intended for purists who have made driving fun their religion.

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The size difference between the 1970 T and its 2023 descendant is quite mind-boggling…

Adrian Cortesi

We’ve been seeing this Carrera T in the current 911 series (992 generation) for a few weeks now. Same last name, same tricks as in 2018: 35 kg flew away through the introduction of thinner windows and the expansion of the rear seats and certain insulation. Porsche also offers to save another 10 kg by swapping out the PDK dual-clutch transmission for a slimmer seven-speed manual. Result: only 1,470 kg on the scales, with 385 hp. Enough to improve lap times by a few tenths (from 0 to 100 km/h in 4.3 s). Thanks to the PASM suspension, the mechanical limited-slip differential and the steered rear wheels (2,268 euros), which are banned on the standard Carrera, this 911 T of the 21st century conveys above all the driving feeling of a racing car (sports exhaust tuned!) for 60,000 euros less than the very exclusive GT3 reserved for experienced pilots.

The handling of the Carrera T 2023 obviously has nothing to do with that of its predecessor from the 1960s and 1970s. Thanks to the enveloping and electrically adjustable bucket seats, the small adjustable steering wheel and the perfect ergonomics, the pilot becomes one with the machine. No more swearing at Grandma’s mayonnaise stirrer; Now the shift lever of the modern 911 can be operated with a quick movement of the hand. Even better, if the PDK box is in place, all you have to do is switch to manual mode. Then all you have to do is press the paddles behind the steering wheel to change gear in no time at all. Ideal for concentrating on your trajectory without additionally pushing the rudder like a donkey. With surgical precision, the Servotronic steering enables the vehicle to be positioned at its apex with millimeter precision, even at very high speeds. A delight in dynamics and efficiency!

Find a “classic” 911 in your collection

The classic 911s – pre-1974 – were long shunned because of their cumbersome gearbox and high repair costs (rust wreaked havoc on this generation), but in the early 1970s and 2000s prices finally began to soar. Some Reach New Heights Today, many of them have been restored at great expense… Count between €90,000 and €150,000, for example, for a T or an E in perfect condition, depending on the displacement and body type (coupé or targa). The S, on the other hand, trades between 160,000 and 200,000 euros. The price of a new Carrera in 2023, penalties and minor options included! The mythical 2.7 RS of 1973 is gently approaching the million in a lighter version … “Small budgets” can always fall back on the humble four-cylinder 912 (1,582 cm3 with 90 hp, standard 4-speed gearbox or 5-speed optional) , is around €55,000. If you’re not drunk, at least you have the bottle!

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The value of classic 911s has increased steadily in recent years. Our 2.2 T now costs almost €100,000!

Adrian Cortesi

In any case, do not hesitate to document yourself on the subject (many books on the 911 and its countless variants refer to it). Get closer to a Porsche Club and to be accompanied by a recognized expert. Ideal for ensuring that the car has not suffered a major shock and that the number stamped on the hull or engine code matches the year and engine power of the desired model. The life of a fifty-year-old 911 wasn’t exactly easy!

We would like to thank the Bonneval Beauce Perche agricultural cooperative in Illiers-Combray (Eure-et-Loir) for allowing us to produce our images on their website.

Data Sheets

* Dual clutch automatic (8-speed PDK): free option