PORSCHE 911: 1989-1993

The third installment of our 911 history sees Porsches future cemented with the introduction of the 964, and elaborated with the 993.
Words: Brian Laban Photography: Antony Fraser

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aving seen the 1970s draw to a close with record production numbers (thanks mainly to the success of the 924), Porsche may have contemplated the 1980s, and the approach of the 911s third decade, as a future in which the 911 was just a part of the past. But even as it was planning the 911s end, it had been heading for a new beginning. As it turned out, that was just as well. Some people at Porsche might not have thought so at the time, but they still needed it. And as we saw last month, for 1983 they got precisely the 911 they did need, in the shape of the 911 Cabriolet championed by Peter Schutz. That turned out to be the catalyst for ailing 911 sales, and followed up with the new 3.2 Carrera started another new lease of life for the 911 now it just had to sustain the momentum. The 911s survival had been a close-run thing. The late 1970s boom hadnt lasted, and the very end of the decade had seen depression kicking

in, with Porsche production in freefall and profits at a five-year low. And the 1980s began exactly as the 1970s ended, as a turbulent time for Porsche with profits still at rock bottom in 1980 and 1981, while the world itself seemed to stagger from one crisis to another US hostages in Iran, famine in East Africa, soaring unemployment and industrial unrest in Britain as the motor industry approached meltdown, John Lennon shot dead, Reagan elected then shot in a failed assassination attempt, a similar attempt on the Pope, one that worked on Egyptian President Anwar Sadat, riots in Brixton and Toxteth. The world seemed to be falling apart, and it hardly looked like a dream marketing time for Porsche, but it hung in. As Charles married Di and Britain took the Falklands back from Argentina, Porsche had clawed back from annual sales of barely 28,000 cars, and kept fighting back all the way through the 1980s helped by the success of

the 944 but grateful, still, for the continued contribution of the revitalised 911. After the golden days of the yuppy boom, Porsche survived the inevitable stock market crashes of 1987 too even though the company had become unhealthily dependent on US exports, which were amounting to some 62 per cent of all Porsche production by 1987. It even survived losing Schutz himself in December 1987, when the man who had been in the driving seat since 1981 left his post as chief executive, amicably enough, but a few months before he was actually due to go. Hed done a fantastic job overall, hed doubled production and the number of employees, trebled turnover, and seen profits rise tenfold. But his biggest contribution of all had been to commute the death sentence that had been hanging over the 911 when he arrived. The man who succeeded him was Heinz Branitzki. On the face of it, as former finance

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director, he was a bean counter where Schutz had an engineering background but hed been deputy chairman since 1976, and he had seen that the 911 still worked. So the next generation, too, was safe, and it was launched in January 1989, type numbered 964. It looked like a 911, a beautifully understated 911, but it was virtually a new car according to Porsche, sharing only 15 per cent of its parts with its predecessors, the last of which had been the New K Series. That New K may have been clutching at straws slightly with body options including the latest Speedster, with Turbo and flat-nose variants, but the 964 wasnt just a tarting up exercise, it really was different and very promising. It introduced new engine, suspension, brake and body parts, and it introduced new badges and new thinking, first in the four-wheel drive Carrera 4, then, from late 1989, with the Carrera 2. With the 964, Porsche took the

civilising and the refinement of the 911 to new heights. It even softened its bite, but without removing its sting. In December 1989, Autocar, testing the Carrera 2 for the first time, summed up what it had achieved: The 26-year amelioration of the 911s handling deficiencies, it said, reached its apogee with the Carrera 4, which, through sheer weight of technology, crushed tailslides, precipitated merely by lifting off the throttle mid-bend, out of existence. That the Carrera 2 displays a similar disinclination to let go at the back is even more impressive, especially since it is paired with a sense of agility and adjustability seldom apparent in the C4 Like many others, Autocar reckoned the Carrera 2 the best 911 yet. The Fours fourwheel drive apart, Carreras 2 and 4 shared the same new suspension, the same new engine, the same beautifully understated new shape with its smoothly integrated front and rear

bumpers and subtle, pop-up rear wing. And although Porsche reckoned this 911 was 85 per cent new, it was easy to see that it was still 100 per cent 911. Capacity reached 3.6 litres, with new crankcase, crank, rods, pistons, twin-plug heads with twin distributors, revised inlet and exhaust plumbing, and the very latest Bosch Motronic electronic engine management. With 250bhp it became the most powerful naturally aspirated 911 production engine to date. Yet with almost twice the power of the first 911, it had far better manners. It still had struts and lower wishbones at the front, semi-trailing arms at the rear, but now it adopted coil springs all-round, as well as ABS brakes. And for the first time outside the lofty world of the 959, the new family offered that four-wheel drive, with variable torque split, in the groundbreaking Carrera 4. It offered a nominal torque split of 31/69

By 1991, it seemed, the world in general, and Porsche in particular, had simply accepted that the 911 would be around for as long as it would be around

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per cent front/rear, with a version of the 959s electronically-locking PSK differential system to vary that split according to conditions, in hundredths of a second and in theory with the ability to send up to 100 per cent of the drive to either end. It also offered an automatic gearbox, the 911s first since 1979, and a sophisticated one at that. Based on the PDK double-clutch system of the 962C endurance racer (jointly developed with Bosch and ZF), Tiptronic offered both fully automatic or clutchless manual changes, with intelligent shift programmes. Its gate featured both a conventional PRND32 auto and a +/- position for one-touch clutchless manual up

and downshifts. There was lots of development to come, with more ratios and even more refined and sophisticated shift programmes. But from the start, far from being a slow and dull, lazy drivers self-shifter, Tiptronic was genuinely sporty, allowing full-power up or downshifts without even lifting off the throttle all backed up by clever electronics to prevent any inappropriate shift which could damage either engine or handling balance. It was just one more feature on a brilliant new generation of 911. These new Carreras, both rear- and four-wheel drive, were almost universally reckoned to be the most competent yet, with greater refinement again, and the

most user-friendly handling so far. But of course, there had to be a catch. Finally, the same testers who had once criticised the 911s nervousness now wondered if it had perhaps grown a bit too friendly, too clinical. No change there, then. Whatever their reservations (and to be honest, they were mainly just going through the motions) by 1990 you couldnt buy anything but a 964, as all the remaining pre-964 variants (which were mainly on the fringes anyway) were finally dropped. But that didnt mean the range was depleted, far from it, because you could now have both Targa and Cabrio styles on either Carrera 2 or Carrera 4,

Schutzs biggest contribution had been to commute the death sentence that had been hanging over the 911 when he arrived

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with that impressive Tiptronic option on the 2, too. Then for the 1991 model year the 964 followed the familiar path and introduced its first version of the big one, the Turbo. The 1991 911 Turbo reflected both turbulent times and Porsches progress. A replacement for the previous generation Turbo with all the best genes of the new Carreras, 2 and 4, it had been conceived while economies were booming and any Porsche was the car of choice for the yuppy aristocracy. That made this the most powerful, the most sophisticated, and by far the most expensive Turbo to date. But by the time it was unveiled, in Geneva in 1990, the yuppy boom was beginning to turn

to bust and worldwide environmental conscience was growing. For once, it looked as though Porsche, in an attempt to capitalise on a market which was about to collapse, may have been caught out. In a new age of cynicism, reviewers even questioned whether the new Turbo was different enough for surviving buyers, or extreme enough. It looked, said Autocar after its first sighting, like a mellow 959 but there was a general feeling that Zuffenhausen should have waited a year then it would have featured the new six-speed manual gearbox and a four-valve version of the 3.6litre Carrera 2 engine with another 50 or so

bhp. In the face of supercar activity from Lamborghini and Ferrari and the coming Bugatti, Jaguar XJ220 and Mercedes C112, the Turbo is no longer the supercar standard setter Worrying words. But the new Turbo was another Porsche to defy logic. In the short break after the previous Turbo ended production, extensive modification (including new manifolding, a bigger turbo and intercooler, a more efficient wastegate and revised electronic management) had hiked the two-cam, two-valve 3.3 Turbos output to 320bhp, while catalysts had reduced emissions, and a double mass flywheel from the new 3.6 Carreras had reduced both noise

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Classic Cup alloys were first featured on the 964; the brakes, as per usual, were superb and were just part of the 85 per cent new 911.

and vibration. And if some people were disappointed that it still only had five gears instead of six, they neednt have worried 332lb ft of torque meant that was all it needed. While it missed out on the new Carrera four-cam, four-valve architecture, it did adopt the new generations coil-spring suspension in place of torsion bars in this more potent car with stronger rear arms to cope with the added power and more rubber on the road, plus stiffer springs, dampers and anti-roll bars. New geometry also introduced a small amount of passive rear-steer action, in another tweak to pacify the inevitable 911 tendency towards lift-off oversteer. The Turbo, too, was shifting subtly towards a more user-friendly character. The interior detail hadnt changed much, but for the first time, a Turbo offered power steering, ABS on even bigger ventilated and cross-drilled discs with four-piston calipers, and more grip from wider rubber on larger diameter five-spoke alloy wheels (which were big enough to distinguish the Turbo at a glance, even from the latest Carreras). It looked more aggressive, too, with its deeper front and rear bumper airdams, neat, low sills, wider wheel arches, and the big, old-style picnic-table fixed wing (incorporating the intercooler) rather than the new 964 Carrera 2 and 4 familys smaller and more discreet pop-up type. Post-959, it put the Turbo back at the top of the range in performance terms, and kept Porsche head to head with its production supercar rivals. It would nudge 170mph, hit 60mph in less than five seconds, reach 100mph from rest in less than 11.5 seconds, and 120mph in under 17 seconds. But
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for once there was more to the Turbos personality than extreme performance alone. Or perhaps less The consensus was that while the new Turbo was massively fast (given its head), had a brilliant chassis, staggeringly effective brakes, impressive steering feel and feedback even with its new power assistance, and had plenty of old-style 911 flat-six aural character, it also had its shortcomings. It wasnt as refined as it might be, but far worse, it wasnt as immediate. The big new turbocharger had promised better responses but didnt deliver them in fact, from low speeds in high gears it had brought back the old demon, turbo-lag. It made the new Turbo more demanding to drive quickly, and by being less responsive it squandered some of the gains of the brilliant new chassis. Then there were smaller irritations. The wider, lower-profile tyres and stiffer suspension settings, while undoubtedly enhancing control, introduced a degree of harshness in the ride, and a level of road noise on poor surfaces, that other 911s had long left behind. Oddly, in developing in a direction which was supposed to make the Turbo less uncompromising, it had created compromises in the core character of the car. Which begged the obvious question had the ultimate 911 finally revealed the classic models outer limits? The answer, as it always had been, was obviously no. The rabid 381bhp Turbo S, on offer for the 1992 model year, may have been a bit of an aberration, built to order, and with only 80 takers, but it was onwards and upwards for the mainstream Turbo, too. So in 1993, inevitably perhaps, following the

One thing that did survive was the snarling, woofling aural character confirming that a 993 was still a 911

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The 964s interior was typical 911 solid, simple and a little staid, but that was no bad thing; the self-raising rear wing helped to retain the classic lines without resorting to fixed aerodynamic addenda.

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capacity lead of the Carreras, the 3.6-litre version of the Turbo started production. It took peak power to 360bhp and peak torque to 383lb ft both substantial increases over the 3.3-litre Turbo and enough to bring the 0-60mph time down by another couple of tenths and push the potential maximum speed ahead by another 7mph, but there still werent many voices complaining that it had all gone too far. Nor, in 1993, in spite of the retirement of Ferry Porsche and the first concept car sightings of what would become the Boxster, were there any further worries about the imminent demise of the 911. By now, it seemed the world in general, and Porsche in particular, had simply accepted that it would be around for as long as it would be around, and it would change when it was time for it to

change. As it was about to, again. But in 1993 it wasnt minor tweaks time, it was yet another significantly new evolution: the 993 family. By now, the essential 911 shape had acquired 30 years of familiarity, and although an early 1990s 911 was very different from an early 1960s one, there was still no mistaking the heritage. Which may be why many of the same people who worried about where 911 technology was going every time a new version came along were also very apprehensive when the new 993 promised a radically updated shape. But they neednt have been so concerned, because Porsche wasnt about to break the mould completely. It was about to make a major leap, though. Because beyond being just another 911 update, this was a genuinely new car the biggest

single departure from the evolutionary line so far, with a new platform, significantly different rear suspension layout, a heavily revised interior, improved clutch action and lighter gearshifts, and a further revised 3.6-litre flat-six. Plus, of course, the new looks which, more than anything, underlined just how new the 993 generation was. The new shape created arguably the best looking 911 of all, by achieving something that hardly seemed possible making the 911s shape even simpler. Or at least smoother than ever, both visually and aerodynamically, with a new headlamp style and far better integrated front and rear bumper assemblies which no longer appeared to be add-on components as they always had been before. Whats more, the

The 1991 911 Turbo reflected both turbulent times and Porsches progress

With the 964, Porsche took the civilising and the refinement of the 911 to new heights. It even softened its bite, but without removing its sting

new body was heavily updated under the skin, with new computer design processes making it usefully stiffer but no heavier. And if anything, the smoother look made the latest 911 look even more toned, even more muscular but without being artificially pumped up with add-ons. The interior changes were aimed at making the latest 911 more comfortable and more user-friendly, with much improved seats and a rather more effective new heater system, plus a new four-spoke steering wheel to accommodate the now mandatory driver airbag but still with enough Porsche idiosyncrasies (especially the floor-mounted pedals) to mean that it really couldnt be anything but a 911. Nor could the drivetrain, which was still one generation short of the impending switch from air- to water-cooling. So the essentials were entirely familiar, with the air-cooled flat-six behind the rear axle and a choice of either six-speed manual or four-speed Tiptronic automatic transaxles, the latter with a choice of fully automatic mode or one-touch clutchless manual shifts, either through the central selector lever or via steering wheelmounted buttons. But again, the details were extensively upgraded. Capacity carried over from the final 964 Carreras, at 3.6 litres, but plenty had changed inside. The crankshaft was strengthened, pistons lightened to liberate more revs, more use was made of lightweight materials in the ancillaries, and a new generation of Bosch electronic management was introduced increasing peak output to 272bhp. One thing that did survive, however, was the snarling, woofling aural character and that, as much as anything, was what confirmed that a 993 was still a 911. Beyond platform changes prompted by modern design techniques and improved production technologies, there was one more fundamental chassis change, from the familiar semi-trailing arm rear suspension to a multilink layout, again with coil springs all round,

but basically set up to be a bit softer in standard form, with the option of a more extreme Sport pack comprising stiffer springs, dampers and anti-roll bars. And according to most testers, it had been a successful programme of revisions, because the new 993 generation was widely reckoned to have quicker and more communicative steering, better front to rear balance, and better frontend grip than the last 964s which were generally thought to have lost a bit of the earlier 911s sharpness. Once again, Porsche had made a 911 that was more accessible to more ordinary drivers. In another familiar progression, the brakes were even more powerful and responsive, with ventilated and cross-drilled discs, four-piston calipers, and a new generation of ABS anti-lock as standard. All of which, naturally, became the foundation for another extended family of 911s, which kept on developing through the 993s relatively short production life of barely four years. There were Carrera 2s and 4s, and while the Speedster was finally dropped, the Cabriolet again became a core part of the family (in two- or four-wheel drive 272bhp Carrera versions). Soon afterwards, Porsche also added a completely new spin on the Targa. A brilliantly effective and handsome spin, too, which was much closer to the standard coup shape than any previous Targa had been, and featured an all-glass central roof section, in thermally-filtered glass which was electrically retractable at the touch of a button, between strong side rails which were a lot neater than the old Targas rear roll-hoop. Then there were the Turbos (including the 993 version of the Turbo S) and the even more extreme versions such as the original GT2. And they were all outstanding. In fact, by the time the radically different water-cooled 996 family was due to replace the 993s in 1997, the general view was that the final 911s were the finest 911s of all. Now it was the next new generation that would have to win over the cynics