Car Reviews: 1996 Porsche 911

on these pages. Every virtue most car-buyers hold dear--low price, fuel economy,

spacious accommodations or minimal maintenance cost--is conspicuously absent from the

attribute lists of these high-performance machines.

The fact of the matter is that sports cars are not designed to appeal to consumers.

Rather, they are directed at driving enthusiasts, people who choose transportation

based on input from their hearts, not minds. The motivations here can seldom be

justified, and really don't need to be. Every sports car on the road represents a

victory of want over need.

Porsche owners--specifically, Porsche 911 owners--are at the peak of this small but

intense class of customers. They are fiercely loyal, usually vocal about their reasons

for purchase and are, almost without exception, as much in love with their cars as a

car owner can be.

Such partisanship is understandable. Porsche has experimented with a variety of engine

layouts and body designs over the years, but at the core of its business the 911

series, first introduced in late 1964, stands alone.

The 911's preeminence is now fact as much as fable. All current Porsches are 911

derivatives, whether entry-level 911 Carrera coupe, Carrera Targa (with its innovative

sliding glass roof panel), flip-top Cabriolet, all-wheel drive Carrera 4 or 4S, or

overachieving 911 Turbo. Over a 32-year production span, they have been improved in

countless ways, to the point where they blend real-world comfort with performance that

can only be exploited to the maximum on a race track.

Logically, the 911s have a host of competitors. The Acura NSX, Chevrolet Corvette,

Dodge Viper, Mazda RX-7, Toyota Supra Turbo and Nissan 300ZX Turbo are all ultra-high

performance machines, and most are less expensive.

But this is not an arena where comparison shopping has much meaning. If you're in the

market for one of these cars, your heart will tell you which dealer to visit.

Our test car was the top-of-the-line 911 Turbo, one of the true rocket sleds of

sportscardom.

of development have affected almost every panel, but the whole is as familiar as can

be.

Efficiency is the key. The 911's smoothly contoured body panels barely cover the

wheels, passengers and hardware underneath. Every air intake, opening and seam has a

purpose; nothing is there for the sake of style alone. Slower cars may sport rear

wings to make them appear racy, but the 911's wings (fixed on the Turbo, electrically

extended at speed on other versions) are there to enhance stability at the elevated

speeds attainable on a German Autobahn. They also house an oil cooler.

Even with a common basic structure, differences between the various 911s are easy to

spot. Wheels are one example; though all have innovative pressure-cast light-alloy

rims, each model gets its own style. Rear wings, as mentioned, are another. So are

front bumpers, which sport a variety of air inlets to deal with different cooling

needs. And the Cabriolet, with its lined canvas top (power-operated, of course) and

sliding-top Targa stand out by virtue of their rooflines.

Finish quality has long been a Porsche strength. Panels fit with exquisite precision

and the paintwork is flawless. These cars are built to endure hard use and to continue looking good while doing so.

seems hardly changed from the original. Yes, there are dual airbags now, and much

improved air conditioning and sound systems, but aside from cosmetic updates the

instruments, control layout and driving position are pure 1965. The designers pretty

much got it right the first time.

You sit low in a 911, with an upright steering wheel and pedals that pivot down from

the floor ahead. The pedals are slightly offset to the right, but that's a momentary

distraction. Big, round dials communicate necessary information; beyond vehicle and

engine speed and fuel level, all are concerned with the state (pressure, temperature

and level) of the engine oil. Oil is the lifeblood of the air-cooled 911 powerplant,

and the gauges are a necessary emphasis.

Some details are distracting. The ignition key is on the steering wheel's left, the

heat and air conditioning controls are hidden by the lower right portion of the wheel

rim, and stowage space is minimal. Window and central-locking switches are throwbacks

to an earlier age when they were considered less important. But these are things that

just don't seem to matter once you're buckled in and rolling, none of those details

seem to matter; you simply adapat.

Though billed as a "2+2" (indicating the presence of rear seats), you'll only try

sitting in the back of the cabin once. After that, you'll find the space useful for

soft bags and other small inanimate objects.

But the driver and passenger are coddled in a luxurious environment. The standard

seats are near-perfect in terms of comfort and support, while the optional "sport"

seats are even better. And the 911 is quiet except when driven hard, quiet enough to

make enjoyment of the excellent standard sound system (which can be augmented with a

remote 6-disc CD changer or upgraded to match the 10-speaker unit standard in the Turbo) a realistic proposition.

With almost every imaginable convenience feature standard, Porsche still manages to make a few extras available. A car phone is one, a pair of heated leather seats is another. An electronic display can be added to the instruments (it's standard on the Turbo) to make even more data available to the driver.

suspension and running gear. Forget the stories of tail-heavy 911s that would slide or

spin when run hard through corners; that was true of the early years, but it no longer

applies.

Today's 911 is a sure-footed handler that takes to winding roads as if wired directly

to its driver's nervous system. Operated with care, it can be hustled along at speeds

most of us would never dream of driving. But its responsiveness and the sheer

precision of steering, brakes and throttle can be enjoyed even when cruising. The

brakes, four huge discs with standard ABS, are beyond reproach. Every trip, whether to

the corner store or across the country, can be enjoyed in safety and comfort.

Yes, comfort. The ride is always firm, never harsh, and effort levels for steering,

clutch, brakes and shift lever have been reduced to make them easy for almost any

driver.

Performance ranges from exhilarating (base Carrera) to astonishing (Turbo). The Turbo

will accelerate from rest to 60 mph in less four seconds, and its passing power is

equally eye-opening. The standard Carrera takes a whole second longer to 60 mph.

Obviously, there's no shortage of power here.

What needs to be said is that all 911 powerplants are as smooth, unfussed and flexible

as can be. They may revel in being run at three-digit speeds, but they are equally

adept at handling stop-and-go traffic. And they sound wonderful.

The standard transmission for all 911s is a superb 6-speed manual. The wide selection of gear ratios allows both quick acceleration and relaxed cruising. No matter how good the optional Tiptronic automatic (with impressive computer-aided manual gear-selection capability, not available with Turbo) is--and it is very good--the manual gearbox is jewel and should be first choice.

every one of them would have been deserved. By every measure a driving enthusiast

might use, whether quality, performance, handling, comfort or safety, the 911s stand

out. And even though the price of entry is high, they're also exceptional in terms of

holding their value over the years.

Stripped of their mystique, they are simply wonderful automobiles. Add the aura of

history that surrounds every Porsche, and they come as close as any car can to being magic.

Given the interest (which, if you've read this far you almost certainly have) and the

financial wherewithal, there is simply no reason not to own a 911. This is a car every true sports car enthusiast should possess at least once in his or her lifetime.