Before the Porsche 911, virtually all Porsche had ever sold was the 356 coupe and convertible. But by the '60s the 356's limitations were obvious and there was just no way to modify it to compete with the rise of ever more powerful sports cars from other manufacturers. It's not that the Porsche 911 had big shoes to fill; it had to fill the only shoes Porsche had.
Porsche didn't overthrow tradition completely, however, and when the first Porsche 911 went into production in September 1964, it was technically a 2+2 sports car that had its air-cooled engine firmly placed in the rear — just like the 356. However, where the 356 had always been powered by flat-4s, the 911 used a new 2.0-liter flat-6 (the 356's old four was, for awhile, available in the 911 shell as the 912).
And the 911, while being completely new, was still recognizably a Porsche, with a sloping front hood between nacellelike front fenders and a sweeping roof line that wound up at the rear bumper. It's a distinct profile that, though everything about the car has otherwise changed, remains the Porsche 911's signature look.
There have been dozens and dozens of variations on the Porsche 911 theme over the years. Among the most memorable were the Targa and more powerful 911 S models introduced for 1967. Other models, like the 911 Carrera RSR from the mid-'70s were aimed straight at racers. And the most glorious 911 of them all, the street-bound 911 Turbo, was an outgrowth of the racing program that produced the legendary 934 and 935 racecars. But despite all that and loads of other developments, by the late '70s, Porsche itself thought the days were numbered for the Porsche 911.
Despite the fact that other Porsches were developed as replacements for the Porsche 911, the rear-engine air-cooled wonder survived through 1998 when its normally aspirated engine displaced 3.6 liters and made over 270 horsepower. In 1999, however, an all-new 911 with a water-cooled six out back appeared. But it still looked like a Porsche 911 and drove like a Porsche 911.
