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1964-1973 Porsche 911 Model Guide
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PCA—In this edition of Test Drive News, a monthly newsletter for PCA Test Drive participants, we examine the 1964-73 Porsche 911, the first generation of the automaker's iconic air-cooled
flat-six-powered sports car.
The 911 was unveiled to the public in 1963 as a concept meant to replace the aging 356. Though the 911 was rear-engined and rear-wheel-drive, that's where most of the similarities with the 356 end. Gone was the flat four used in the 356, replaced by a brand-new air-cooled flat six. New suspension, more creature comforts, 12-volt electronics, and more all helped solidify the 911
as the legendary sports car it is today. It would be tough to call the earliest 911s entry-level cars because they've become quite expensive in recent years, but they offer the purest expression of the original design, both in the way they drive and look. Head below to read our model guide and other stories about the car.
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Test Drive, formerly Quest, is a unique program offered by PCA specifically for prospective Porsche owners still searching for their next vehicle. In addition to this newsletter,
participation in PCA Test Drive allows you to experience several member benefits, including a six-month subscription to Porsche Panorama magazine, and access to PCA classified ads and the Tech Q&A forum. If you're not a Test Drive participant, click here to learn more and
join. |
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PCA—The first era of the Porsche 911, aka, “early 911”
or “longhood,” was from 1965 to 1973 — a period of considerable change. The sports car was at first built much like the 356 it replaced, yet over the years developed its own flavor and style that served to define what a 911 would be for years to come. | | |
| | PCA—"This all-original 1967 911S was nearly perfect when PCA member Henry Wilkinson found it a few years ago. It was the prized possession of its original owner for more than 45 years, but Wilkinson didn't want a nearly perfect one-owner car. He wanted a perfect one-owner car. With his sights set on winning the Amelia Island concours, Wilkinson assembled a dream team and got to
work." – Tom M'Guinness.
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PCA—Mart Fresh is a column in which PCA media staff pick what they think are the freshest Porsches currently available in The Mart, and then attempt to explain their reasoning. Check out the most recent reviews
below:
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Car and Driver—Face it. This is the Age of Protest. And when you want to register your protest against the impersonalism of dumb cars, burning your driver's license on the steps of the new GM building isn't your best bet. First of all, no one at GM is going to give much of a damn, and, once you've made the Grand Gesture, the only way to get back
home is to take a subway—no matter how much you hate those dumb four door sedans with 6-cylinder engines and 2-speed automatics, eternally condemning yourself to the IRT isn't the plan. | | |
| | Car and Driver—Turn six at Riverside is an irregular U-bend at the top of a hill, lined on the outside by a solid white fence to keep errant racers out of the grandstands. The 911T was into six first, hard on the brakes, with the S Coupe and the E Targa tight on its tail. |
Automobile—The black-and-white illustration is a magazine advertisement from 1968, and it portrays a Porsche 911 Targa zipping down the street of a big-city business district. The Targa is glamorously open to the elements with its hard plastic roof stowed and the zip-out plastic rear window stashed. A stylish couple occupy the front seats. Beneath, the caption: “Some day, all convertibles will have a roll bar.”
| | Please note, the car above is a 1967 911 Targa, not a 911S Targa. |
| | Car and Driver—No contest. This is the Porsche to end all Porsches—or, rather, to start a whole new generation of Porsches. Porsche's new 911 model is unquestionably the finest Porsche ever built. More than that, it's one of the best Gran Turismo cars in the world, certainly among the top three or
four. |
Motor Trend—In case you haven’t been counting, Porsche recently celebrated half a century of its most popular model, the 911. Fifty years means a lot of 911 variants, and if you ask Porschephiles which model sets the high-water mark, most will likely tell you the 1973 Carrera RS 2.7 without so much as blinking an eye. Then they’ll probably wax poetic about its combination of classic, long-hood, small-bumper aesthetics,
homologated racing pedigree, and the light, nimble chassis paired to an engine designed to go racing. But have they forgotten about the 1974 Carrera RS 3.0 that followed? We investigate. | | |
| | Car and Driver—You really don’t suppose that the Herren Doktoren at Porsche really believe all that FIA stuff about the 911 being a Group II sedan?
On the other hand, how do you explain Stuttgart’s new Sportomatic transmission? If the 911 was a legitimate 4-passenger sedan, instead of
a precise, responsive Gran Turismo, the Sportomatic might be a nifty option. But despite what the FIA has said, the 911 is a GT, and we can’t reconcile ourselves to the fact that Porsche would sacrifice so much to develop a new market. Say it isn’t so.
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Autoblog Netherlands—We drive an orange Porsche 911 S 2.4 Targa from
1971 (190 hp). Note: The video is in Dutch, but subtitles are available. | | |
| | Car and Driver—Oversteer is back — and Porsche's got it! Early Porsches had it too, and now it has come full circle. Barely three years ago, Porsche employed a device called a "camber compensator" to curb the oversteering tendencies of the 356 series. Then the completely redesigned suspension of the 911 and 912 models made Porsches behave like normal, front-engined cars, and the
purists started to carp. Porsche had even hidden an iron weight behind the 912's front bumper to keep the back end from coming around. Sure, understeer is safe—great for the masses—but oversteer makes driving fun ... if you're expert enough to handle it. Fanciers of the marque yearned for the good old days when they used to wischen their Speedsters through turns, tails all hung out, arms sawing away like mad on the steering wheel. |
Motor Trend—Sports car owners are a breed apart. They own a car not merely for transportation but for the fun of driving. Their cars are functional rather than superfluous; an automobile is made to corner fast, accelerate quickly, and maneuver easily. |
Test Drive News I hope you enjoyed this issue of Porsche Club of America's Test Drive News. If you have any questions or comments, please contact:
Damon Lowney Digital Media Coordinator & Test Drive News Editor damonl@pca.org (410) 381-0911
If you wish to advertise with Porsche Club of America, please contact:
Ilko Nechev Advertising Director ilko@pca.org (212) 490-2079 | | |
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