There are 21 different flavours of Porsche 911, and buying the ‘wrong’ one is easier than you might think…
A colleague asks me if I can explain exactly where the GT3 sits in the 911 range, because I’ve said it’s the best driver’s version, but doesn’t Porsche do a GT2 as its hardcore variant?
I explain that it did, and it was kinda like a GT3 but with a Turbo engine, but you can’t buy one at the moment; and that there is, or was, actually also a GT3 RS, but you can’t get that right now either; and that is, or was, the genuine hardcore version, because it has, or had, focused suspension and a zingy, naturally aspirated engine that is, or was, the real treat in the line-up.
But now he’s asking about the GT3 Touring and I’m trying to explain that, yes, while that’s also a GT3, you can have your GT3 with wings, albeit not RS-level huge wings, or without, and that’s the Touring, which is a bit more relaxed as a road car.
And now I think my colleague is going away even more confused than before, but so am I. Am I sure you can’t buy a GT3 RS now? I thought not, but it appears on the configurator.
There’s something about the modern 911 that I would call unique, except it reminds me too much of how I also view the old Land Rover Defender.
Neither model range is that broad, because all old Landies are old tough 4x4s and all new 911s are great sports cars, yet there’s a specificity to each variant, a breadth across the range, that means they can do quite different jobs.
I have an old Defender, for example, which is a 2005, Td5 (five-cylinder turbo diesel) 90 Station Wagon with six seats. And for the past 13 years it has done honest work as a tow car, family car, utility car and family pet.
But even though I don’t consider myself a Land Rover diehard and I’m not blind to its faults, I could have several more old Landies and find a distinct role for each, in which one wouldn’t step on the toes of another: a plush-finished 90 tow car, a 110 pick-up for carrying building materials or firewood and a 130, maybe a converted old army ambulance, as an overlanding camper – plus a lifted 90 with no roof for local giggles. See, one model but a dozen different varieties.
The modern 911 is the same. Could one deliver a pithy, few-word verdict summing up what each different 911 does or what it’s for, wondered our associate editor after hearing the aforementioned conversation with colleague? I could have a go, but there may be just too many new 911 varieties for this.
On the Porsche UK website there are 21 different flavours of it. I certainly haven’t driven all of them and there are some I know too little about to say for sure. But let me have a crack at some of the notable ones.
Carrera (£110k, 389bhp) joyful entry-level model. All the 911 you could need.
Carrera T (£122k, 389bhp): a bit sportier and manual. Probably better?
Carrera S (£126k, 473bhp): a bit faster. Carrera 4S (£133k, 473bhp): as S but for when it rains.
Carrera GTS (£144k, 534bhp): the latest Turbo engine turned down; less agile than Carrera.
Carrera 4 GTS (£150k, 473bhp): as above but for rain.
Cabriolet versions of all of the above: as above but for sun.
Targa versions of two of the above four-wheel-drive variants: for half-sun?
Turbo S (£205k, 701bhp): hypercar performance in a daily sports car.
Turbo S Cabriolet: as above for sun.
No, there isn’t a Turbo S Targa.
GT3 (£165k, 503bhp): world’s best driver’s car.
GT3 with Touring Package (£165k, 503bhp): same but without wings.
GT3 S/C (£206k, 503bhp): same but for sunny roads.
GT3 RS (£192k, 518bhp): bigger wings and more zing, for track use.
Spirit 70: psychedelic GTS Cabriolet.
Now, these are all 911s and they’re all great, but some are greater than others and I do think there’s a possibility of buying the ‘wrong’ one for your use case, in a way that wouldn’t happen if you bought, I don’t know, the wrong Vauxhall Grandland. And if none is quite right, I suppose you could always buy a Porsche Boxster or Cayman. But which one? Well…
