2009 Shanghai auto show:Porsche 911

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Porsche 911

With the exception of a few disparate models scattered over the decades, Porsche has built its fame and fortune on a single rear-engine sports car, the 911. From rather humble beginnings, the Porsche 911 has gone on to be one of the most influential and most recognizable vehicles in the world. Today's version of the car provides stunning levels of performance without sacrificing much in terms of day-to-day usability, and many Porsche purists still consider the 911 the only "real" Porsche.

For the sports car shopper, a wide choice of drivetrains and body styles through the years means there should be a new or used 911 that fits one's desires. And although other sports cars have been able to outperform the 911 in one area or another, nothing has yet to match Porsche's overall blend of performance, practicality and that endearing connection between car and driver.

Current Porsche 911

The Porsche 911 received a refresh for 2009. Porsche upgraded the engines, introduced a new dual-clutch automated manual transmission (known as PDK), improved the electronics interface and added a slew of new features, including a hill holder, ventilated seats, Bluetooth and an iPod interface. The suspension was made a bit more compliant as well.

There are multiple models available for the current Porsche 911. The most common are the Carrera and Carrera S (both of which are available with all-wheel drive -- indicated by a "4" after the "Carrera"), which are further broken down into regular coupe, convertible Cabriolet and the Targa 4 with its giant glass sunroof. There are also the high-performance offerings that will slowly be updated and re-introduced as the model year progresses, including the sublime GT3, the track-ready GT3 RS, the ferocious Turbo and the ultimate GT2. Each has its own docket of standard equipment, but all 911s have a lengthy optional features list that can elevate the price quickly.

At once refined and visceral, most of the 911 variants are equally comfortable tearing through a twisty road or smoothly dealing with the daily commute. This dual nature was improved with the introduction of the PDK dual-clutch automated manual gearbox, which represents the best of both transmission worlds. In manual mode, shifts are smooth and rapid, giving a level of control to the driver that the old Tiptronic auto could never approach. At the same time, PDK allows for seamless gearchanges in full-automatic mode without the herky-jerky nature of similar automated manual transmissions.

The high-performance 911 editions are less commuter-friendly, but they offer performance and handling on par with exotic supercars. Yet the "base" 911 Carrera should be more than enough, as that car will blast to 60 mph in less than 5 seconds and hit a top speed approaching 180 mph.

We've never been shy about our affection for the Porsche 911 -- regardless of body style or engine -- and our complaints were few. We say "were" because Porsche addressed most of them in its most recent redesign, leaving "overpriced options" as its lone detractor.

Used Porsche 911 Models

Prior to the current 911's refresh for 2009, this tenth-generation car was largely unchanged from 2005-'08. The '05 overhaul brought with it a return to the classic 911 face, with the headlights and turn signals as separate units. Compared to past models, this 911 featured a wider track for better handling, larger wheels and tires, an available active suspension system and a much improved interior in terms of materials quality, comfort and ergonomics.

The Turbo, GT2 and GT3 models produced for '05 actually belonged to the previous generation and went on hiatus thereafter until they re-emerged in future years. The all-wheel-drive Carrera 4 and 4S arrived for '06, while the Targa, GT3, Turbo and limited-edition GT3 RS followed the next year. The GT2 emerged for '08.

The previous (ninth) generation Porsche 911 (1999-2004) marked the first time water cooling was used for the car's flat-six engine. Styling was an evolutionary step, but the front end, especially the lighting clusters, was identical to the Boxster. The switch to water cooling and the Boxster-like nose left many 911 fans irked. There was, however, no dissatisfaction with the increased performance, thanks to a jump to 300 hp (and later, 320) for the standard 911 and a heady 415 hp in the Turbo.

The eighth generation (1995-'98) marked the last of the air-cooled 911s, which were now producing 270 hp. This era also brought a glass-topped targa model and saw the Turbo put out 400 hp and adopt all-wheel drive. For some 911 buffs, these are considered the last "real" 911s. The seventh-generation car (1990-'94) brought smoothly integrated bumpers along with available all-wheel drive and the Tiptronic automatic gearbox. Standard Carreras at this time were pumping out 247 hp, while the Turbo's output ranged from 315-355 hp.

According to consumer feedback in our forums, any one of these Porsche 911s will provide plenty of thrilling performance and should prove to be fairly reliable, though as expected, maintenance is pricey.

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