Total 911’s Greatest Porsche 911 drives ever – Josh’s picks
Between Editor, Lee and Features Editor, Josh, the Total 911 team have driven pretty much every different variant of Porsche 911 ever made, from the original short wheelbase 2.0-litre car to the latest 991.2 Turbo S. But which ones stand out in their mind as the best? Here are Josh’s greatest ever Porsche 911 drives:
6 – Porsche 993 Carrera RS
Before I got behind the wheel of my first Porsche 993 Carrera RS, I’d spent close to 18 months listening to Lee eulogising the last air-cooled Rennsport’s talents. The bar was, therefore, set pretty high for the 993.
However, it more than lived up to my expectations with a lithe and nimble chassis that is so eager to change direction that steering it feels almost telepathic. The engine is a real firecracker too, happy to rev but with plenty of guts in the mid-range.
5 – Porsche 911 S-R 2.5
If any car can transport a back road in rural Essex into a scene from the movie Le Mans it’s the Porsche 911 S-R 2.5. Effectively the forerunner to the 2.8 RSR, the S-R was an ST-type 911 built by the factory and I can still hear the bark from the unsilenced flat six ringing in my ears.
It wasn’t just the music from the twin pipes that besotted me with the 911 S-R however. On the road it was beautifully adjustable, allowing me to play with its attitude through each corner on the throttle rather than just wrestling the wheel.
4 – Porsche 991 GT3 RS
Yes, the 997.2 GT3 RS (and its 4.0-litre brother), complete with Mezger engine and manual gearbox, were close to making this list but it was actually the Porsche 991 GT3 RS that impressed me most.
Technologically, it is such a huge leap over the previous generations of Rennsport and this shows most on track where it feels more like a racing car than a road car thanks to its simply stunning levels of grip (especially from the front end).
3- Porsche 911 Carrera 3.0 RS
Like the 991 Rennsport, the Porsche 911 Carrera 3.0 RS is an incredibly large leap forward from its predecessor. However, the 1974 Carrera RS is, at its core, still very much a classic Porsche 911. It’s just been dialled up to 11.
Taking the 2.7 RS as a starting point, Porsche improved almost every area using the lessons learned during the 1973 race season. The 3.0 RS’s chassis is more direct, there’s more grip and the flat six punches hard across the rev range.
2 – Porsche 911 2.2S
Technologically there are better classic Porsche 911s on this list (the 2.5 S-R and the 3.0 RS) but there is something about the 2.2-litre Porsche 911S that never fails to completely charm me.
Maybe it’s the purity of its silhouette or, more likely, it’s the short stroke flat six that just loves to rev. And rev. And rev. Taking it passed the 6,000rpm mark and letting it come ‘on cam’ is an experience I will never tire of. The chassis too is excitable without being as aggressively oversteery as the early short wheelbase cars.
1 – Porsche 964 Carrera 4 Leichtbau
I never thought I could fall in love with a four-wheel drive Porsche 911 but the 964 Carrera 4 Leichtbau thoroughly proved me wrong when I took it on track in Finland last year.
After being shown around the car by its creator, Jürgen Barth, I was left to revel in the delightfully playful chassis. Complete with the adjustable differential, I’ve never come across a 911 that can have such fantastic track in all conditions without compromising on handling. It’s pretty close to sheer perfection.
What is the best Porsche 911 you have ever driven? Join the debate in the comments below, or head to our Facebook and Twitter pages now.
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