Porsche 911 964 · Blog
The 964 has seen huge growth in popularity in recent years, and yet the 964 Cabriolet remains one of the most affordable entry points to ownership of an air-cooled Porsche... Words Dan Furr Photography Dan Sherwood BUYING GUIDEBag yourself a tidy Porsche 911 Cabriolet 964. Launched in November 1988, the 964 marked a sea-change in the 911’s development.
Porsche 911 964 → The Porsche 911 is often split into air and water camps, but all Neunelfers rely on oil. What’s its role?
Engines are made of many moving components, working together under finely engineered tolerances. To do that, they need oil, a viscous fluid that lubricates all those moving components, reducing friction and cooling them in the process. Without it, bearing surfaces would quickly overheat and wear out in minutes. This is the job of oil pressure: the engineered resistance created by the fluid being pumped through the engine as it rotates, ensuring moving parts are lubricated as intended.
For many years, the Targa was out of favour in the 911 market, offering possibly the cheapest way into each model. Is that still the case? No, says Philip Raby of Philip Raby Specialist Cars: “They were once unloved, because they leaked, or gave wind noise issues, so the Cabriolets were more popular. Today, that’s probably reversed.” Philip explains this is partly down to fresh interest in the model after the 991 Targa reintroduced the silver hoop of earlier cars.
The 964 was the last old-school Turbo, but today it’s much-prized by collectors. Here’s your in-depth look at both the 3.3- and 3.6-litre models. Written by Kieron Fennelly 3.3 VS 3.6: HOW TO BUY A PORSCHE 964 TURBOPorsche Index: 964 Turbo - Kieron Fennelly unearths all the facts you need on both the 3.3- and 3.6-litre 964 Turbo HISTORY & TECH The 964 Turbo is famously almost the 911 Turbo that never was.
The Beverly Hills Car Club CEO on the appeal of the 1991 Porsche 911 Carrera 2 Targa 964, which helped Porsche weather an economic storm. Porsche Torque with Alex ManosThe Porsche 911 Targa was the last of its kind, which in itself makes it one of our favourites. From this point on, the Targa was a very different car: this was the last car to feature the traditional Targa design of fixed-hoop, removable roof panel and glass rear screen.
We all know tyres are crucial in keeping your Porsche on the road, but what are N-rated tyres and how do they differ from non N-rated variants? Commonly regarded as a distress purchase in motoring, tyres play a huge part in extracting the maximum driving dynamics of an already capable sports car. Porsche realised this and since 1988 it’s drawn up a list of tyres that it approves for the 911, giving them an N rating.
Porsche is no stranger to producing special edition models. Philip Raby of Philip Raby Specialist Cars has sold examples of both the 964 30th Anniversary and the 996 40th, and rates both cars highly. “The 40th is incredibly special,” says Phil. He points out what a great car they are to drive, thanks to the most powerful naturally aspirated engine in a non-GT 996.
All-wheel-drive has been a part of the 911’s repertoire since the 964 of 1988. Total 911 explains how the first AWD system worked. Four-wheel-drive has been with the 911 for over 30 years now, but the idea was tested by Ferdinand Porsche in the 1947 Type 360/Cisitalia. That used an all-wheel-drivetrain to meter the power from a supercharged 12-cylinder engine, but the idea had been set in motion from the off.