The Beetle is the grandfather of the 911. Ferdinand Porsche Sr. designed the "People's Car" in the late 1930s. It was not fast, but basic design elements like round headlamps and a engine in the rear made their way to Porsche's next car.
If the Beetle was the grandfather, the 356 is the father. Porsche once again used a rear-engine layout, but the 356 was lower, wider, and faster than any Beetle on the road in 1948. It stayed in production until 1965.
The original 911 entered production in 1963 as a more usable and refined alternative to the 356. The round headlamps and distinctive profile are readily apparent. The five spoke Fuch's wheels also became closely associated with the 911; a replica version is still made today.
The 911 continued to evolve, getting more and more powerful. The 1974 RSR variant shown here was a terror on the race track. The turbo version came in second at Le Mans and started another Porsche tradition.
That tradition was the 911 Turbo. The first 911 Turbos hit the street in the mid 70s. They were actually called the Porsche 930, in deference to the 3.0 liter engine on board. These were the fastest cars available in Germany at the time.
The original 911 was in production for 16 years, finally stepping down in 1989.
It made way for its replacement, the subtly different 964. Even Porsche fans would be hard pressed to see the differences when looking at one.
The 964 Turbo also looked quite similar to the previous generation car on the outside as well as mechanically.
In 1993, the 911 underwent its biggest change yet as the 964 went away and the 993 took over. A more aerodynamic body with smaller, angled headlamps and narrow rear lights were the key differences.
Some 993 variants, like the Turbo and GT2 (seen here) have maintained their value incredibly well. The 993 Turbo can still be found for sale in the $100,000 range.
The 996 was the biggest departure for the 911. Oval headlights were gone, replaced by units that were on the lower priced Boxster. This caused an uproar with owners who wanted the provenance of their cars to be shown in the looks. But the biggest change was under the skin. The traditional air-cooled flat six engine was replaced with a new water-cooled version to meet emissions regulations as well as provide added refinement.
The headlights were changed over time to differentiate the 996 from the Boxster and appease owners.
The 996 became the 997 in 2005. It seems the headlight change for the 996 was too aggressive, so the familiar rounded shape returned.
The 997 also spurred over 20 different variants. They ranged from a base Carrera to a 620 horsepower, $200,000+ GT2 RS. Shown below is one of the last editions, the GT3 RS 4.0, which was a version of the GT3 RS, itself a version of the GT3.
The 911 is still going strong. There are currently 22 different versions on the road
In fact, here's a field guide to all 22 of them ...
