Porsche 911

Porsche, a name synonymous with the elite, is without a doubt, known to all auto enthusiasts, and even the not so enthusiastic ones. The brainchild of one Ferdinand Porsche, it has been revolutionary since its birth. He had a desire that every German should be able to own a car, and so was born the VW38 sedan, or the Beetle, as we commonly know it. Even though the project that launched the VW38 turned out to be a failure, the car was anything but that.

Using parts from the Beetle, Porsche and his son developed a sports car, the 365 Roadster, which was yet another hit, especially among the upper class; and this is the car that gave way to the living legend, the Porsche 911. It was launched in 1963 as the 901, but the name had to be changed since Peugeot had a copyright on all three digit car model numbers with a zero in the middle. The body of the car was designed by Mr. Porsche himself, and is a perfect example of 'timeless beauty'. It was a beauty outside, but a beast inside. With a 2.0 litre, six-cylinder engine (air cooled and rear placed) it went from 0 to 60 mph in 8.3 seconds - in the year 1964! It was an instant Hit!

Along with the masses, the 911 and its variants achieved tremendous success in the field of racing as well, but thats another story. The 1965 model was a powerful little thing with all the (then) latest technology under the hood. It had a five-speed transmission, when most sports cars offered four-speed; it had a sophisticated semitrailing arm and torsion-bar-sprung independent rear suspension, when most cars used solid rear axles suspended on leaf springs; a rack-and-pinion steering arrangement, when steering systems at the time used a recirculating ball; and it had four Dunlop disc brakes and rode on radials. Oh yes, it was different!

From then onwards, the 911 has undergone numerous changes (it is now smoother, roomier, and of course, faster and more powerful) but essentially remains unchanged. The owners have had their fare share of attempts at changing their hottest-selling model, but failed. It has become for Porsche, what the Beetle was for Volkswagon. Present day, it is available in 15 models, ranging from $73,500 to $191,700 (a whopping 530 hp this one). Four decades and nine generations down the line, the Porsche 911 is still a symbol of class, and a class apart at that. All thanks to the continuous facelifts and performance boosters courtesy the engineers at Porsche, the 911 has become what all carmakers dream of.. Immortal.