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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.

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.

We’ve said it before and we’ll say it again — we love it when a former 911 & Porsche World feature car comes to market. More so when it happens to be a former cover star... TRIED & TESTEDThe GT3 driving experience without the GT3 price tag. This is how Charlie Wildridge, boss of Suffolkbased Porsche indie, William Francis, describes the Tiffany Blue 996 you see in our photos.

In my last Carrera RS update, I voiced my distress at seeing most of the front end of the car in a rust-riddled and singed heap on the workshop floor. The situation rapidly improved as new panels were welded into place and front wings and doors temporarily attached to ensure that everything was aligned properly. With the Porsche once again looking like a more-or-less intact car, I was lulled into imagining that the job was almost there. Hmm. How foolish of me.

Dating from its launch in 1990, this shot of the 964 Turbo also shows its principal creators, Paul Hensler (left) and Friedrich Bezner. As 911 project manager, it was Friedrich’s idea of filling the gap left by the abandonment of the 969 with a 3.3 Turbo 964. Paul was readily supportive and oversaw the modifications to the 930 engine to ensure that it delivered a sufficient power margin over the 250ps 964 Carrera. Both career Porsche men, they arrived at the company from different backgrounds.

The 993’s historical journey is well known. Peter Falk, the famed Porsche engineer, produced a Lastenheft in the late 1980s that found the incoming 993 would have to achieve new levels of agility and responsiveness – not to mention refinement – and so the new 911 was born with its multi-link rear axle and six-speed transmission, among other improvements.

Unveiled at the 1999 IAA show in Frankfurt, Porsche Carbon Ceramic Brakes – PCCBs for short – first appeared on the 996 model GT2 of 2001. This was the first production sports car to use the technology. Disc brakes may have been patented in 1902, but it took until the middle of that century for production cars to perfect the technology, including Porsche’s development of the ventilated disc brake, first used on the 906-8 Bergspider of 1965 and utilised on the 911S the following year.

Britain voted to leave the EU in 2016. Despite ongoing wrangling, the general consensus is that Brexit is indeed done. What impact has that decision and the many economic changes had on the 911 market? Sales debate“That’s an interesting topic,” says Jonathan Ostroff, sales manager at Hexagon Classics. “Brexit hasn’t affected the UK right-hand drive car values, as they were never very sought after by our EU partners (excepting Eire, Cyprus and Malta),” Jonathan rightly points out.

In my previous report, I noted my dismay at how much rot was exposed after the Carrera’s bodyshell was blasted and that I had given Steve Kerti the nod to start cutting out the gangrene and commence restorative surgery. My next visit to Dunkeswell, Devon, home of Classic Fabrications (classic-fabrications. com), provided an even greater shock. Much of my beloved RS was gone!

The 30th anniversary of the 911 was its first real landmark and the car was feted in Stuttgart with due ceremony. Its 25th had passed almost unnoticed, but given the uncertainty and managerial turmoil at Zuffenhausen in autumn 1988, few would have been in the mood. Total 911 recounts the story behind a famous picture from Porsche’s past… Five years on, however, the outlook was improving.

There are seemingly endless models and factory options to choose from along the timeline of 911 production. Yet that variety only just begins on the dealer spec list. What of cars that have been altered over the years since they left the showroom? From rat rods to restomods, ‘Big Reds’ to RSR wings… you name it, someone will have done it over 50 years of fashions. Is there a market for a modified 911 today, or is originality best? Paragon sales manager Jamie Tyler says yes and no.

Lucky 13 This unique 911 backdate became one man’s lockdown obsession My name is Martyn Luke, and this is my 911 backdate, which is nicknamed ‘Starlight’. It’s based on a 993-generation manual 1994 Porsche 911 Carrera 2, and was built by a Yorkshire-based company called 911 Retroworks. It’s a bespoke build that they call a 993 GTR. I commissioned it in April 2021, during lockdown. It took 13 months to build, is the 13th 993 GTR built by the company, and was delivered on Friday 13 May!