Search by the «porsche» tag

A sharp rise in the value of turbocharged retro Porsches has seen the 924 Turbo evolve from one of the marque's most overlooked sports cars to a much appreciated modern classic...

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.

This modern 911 can be yours from just £45,000. Here’s everything you need to know about buying a used 991.1 Carrera variant, including S, 4 and 4S. Written by Kieron Fennelly Porsche Index: 911 991.1 CarreraNow 12 years old, a 991.1 Carrera can be had from just £40k. Here’s everything you need to know about buying one £40K MODERN 911! 991.1 CARRERA BUYER’S GUIDE HISTORY & TECH The advent of the 991 was a major event in Porsche history.

Both these Weissach superstars are equipped with the same six-speed manual gearbox from Porsche Motorsport… but can Total 911 find any tangible differences between the two? Written by Lee Sible BATTLE OF THE GEARBOXMANUAL GT3S DO BATTLE Motorsport’s brilliant 991.2 takes on 992 North Wales. A glorious pocket of the UK, where the locals are friendly, the scenery is pretty and the roads are twisty.

This classic ‘rogues gallery’ photograph was taken at Porsche’s 1977 awards ceremony, which is traditionally held at Weissach every December. 1977 had been a good year for Porsche Motorsports: another Le Mans win, and German national and world sports car champions. Indeed, it would prove something of a high watermark. Ernst Fuhrmann’s restrictions on high-profile racing and further development of the 911 would keep Porsche works teams out of top-flight competition until 1981.

Introduced to the world in 1967 by Porsche, the Sportomatic was the company’s answer to reinvigorating the 911 range for a push in the USA, where automatics were gaining huge popularity. At its heart is an all-synchro, four-speed 901 manual, but with a torque convertor and single dry-plate clutch. Technology explained  - SPORTOMATIC GEARBOXThat clutch is controlled by a microswitch on the gear lever. Move the gear lever and the microswitch activates a vacuum servo motor.

Talk of the 911 market is often ruled by the heady top-end, but this month we consider if exceptional cars are still available at the affordable end of the 911 spectrum? Philip Raby, of Philip Raby Specialist Cars, thinks there definitely are, but adds a few caveats: “A manual, early 3.4-litre 996 is becoming quite desirable. The problem is, finding a good one.” Philip advises spending £20,000 at a minimum. If you’re looking to spend anything less then you could be asking for trouble.

We’ve all heard the terms ‘Diff’ and ‘LSD’, or may even recognise the option code 220 for a limited slip diff, but what is a differential and how does one work? We start by understanding why drivetrains use them. Drive a 911 around a radius, and the outer wheels will travel further than the inner wheels. A diff is a geared device in an axle – front, rear but sometimes between axles, too – that permits the opposing output shafts to rotate at different speeds relative to each other.

Sales debate - is inflation making customers think twice about a Porsche purchase? With the past year seeing consumer price inflation rising to well over 10 per cent, we might wonder if such record numbers affect the used Porsche market. So do they? “No,” says Paragon’s Jason Shepherd. “I don’t really see a link between inflation and values. They’ve levelled off, but there doesn’t seem to be anything to create too much downward pressure.

The S stood for ‘Sport’ and the faster, more powerful and sharperhandling 911S duly delivered. We explore the history, tech, values and investment potential of the 2.0-, 2.2- and 2.4-litre cars. Written by Tim Pitt EARLY 911S INDEXPorsche Index: 911S Everything you need to know about the early 2.0-, 2.2- and 2.4-litre Porsche 911S, with key advice from experts HISTORY AND TECHUntil the Carrera 2.7 RS debuted in 1973, the S was the flagship of the 911 range.

While the dynamic performance of the 911 moved on at pace over the decades, one element that didn’t evolve to the same degree was the car’s lighting. Thankfully, the yellowing, dim halogen bulbs are a thing of the past. Today we have Porsche Dynamic Lighting System Plus (PDLS+). PDLS+ is an add-on to the lower-spec PDLS. That system works by constantly adjusting the range of the dipped beam of light depending on the car’s speed.

Adverts that mention Cat C or Cat D are referring to Category Markers, issued after a vehicle has an insurance claim.  When a car is damaged, the insurer decides if it’s worth repairing or not. If it isn’t repaired, the owner is paid out, the car is written off and the insurer applies a Category marker to it. Previously, they were Cat C and Cat D, but these were replaced in 2017 with S and N.

Philip Raby, of Philip Raby Specialist Cars, points out it can be hard to identify trends, but he notes a definite run on 993s of late. Unusually, he’d had four in, and had so many enquires that he could have sold them again and again. “People were almost fighting over them,” he says. Avi Tandon of Garage Sportique backs that up, noting demand for 964s and 993s. “90s air-cooled cars, particularly manual C2 Coupes, are in demand, but finding those with low mileage is quite tricky,” he says.