1963 Porsche 911: Where it All Began

Porsche, in mid-1900's, was a small company that built cars. Before Porsche was a road car, it was a race car. Then, Ferry Porsche decided to make a road-going car, which we know as a 356. It was the very first, and to be honest, it's still one of the most beautiful! But, for the sake of staying on topic, let's move on to 911, which came a little later. The first 911 hit the floor in 1963, and it wasn't the usual stuff. Back then, almost every car manufacturer, except Volkswagen, who built the beetle, was making big, luxury cars with huge engines, located at the front. Of course, there were a few companies making small cars, but, again, for the sake of staying on topic, we'll discuss the 911.

The first 911 had a 2.0 flat-6 engine at the very back. This made the car very unstable because it was also rear-wheel drive. This meant that all the weight was in the rear, and while this gave good traction, I would imagine it would be a handful to drive fast because it's light at the nose. This means that there is not a lot of traction at the front wheels. Sounds like a dangerous combination. And it actually is. 911's were, at its birth-years a very dangerous car to drive.

So, with the 911's flaw, you'd imagine they'd try to move it forward to balance it out. But, you'd be wrong, because if you check a current 911, the engine is still stuck at the back. Which, in today's times, a very unconventional method. But, with over forty years of 911, they were able to make it bearable with the help of technology. In the 21st century, Porsche started fitting a four-wheel drive system on the 911's. You'd have to look for the Carrera 2, a GT2, or a GT3 if you want a rear wheel drive car. Even though they're rear wheel drive, they're still very manageable!

So, Porsche have made the 911 more civilized, but have they removed the 911 spirit? Well, the answer is no. If you compare a 1963 911 to the very latest 911, the design profile is almost identical! Of course, with the current safety standards and such, it will be better equipped, and maybe even heavier, but that's OK, because 911's these days don't produce 130 horsepower, they produce 3-500 horsepower!

What does that mean? Well, you have the engine pressing down on the wheels so it's got good traction. That means you get the speed off the line and in the straight. But, with improved aerodynamics, it also stays planted when you drive fast so you don't fear that on any given turn it will decide to climb a tree. Actually, the 911 GT2, and GT3 are competitors to Lamborghini and Ferrari - the most well-known names in the business! And it actually does a good job keeping up! The 911 997 GT2 can keep well up with a Lamborghini Gallalrdo LP560-4. And it gives up quite an amount of horsepower to the Lamborghini, yet it keeps up quite well! On the Top Gear track, it ran around in exactly the same time as the Lamborghini!

The 911, then, has kept its tradition with the 911, and have done a job that not a lot of companies have been able to do. And that is giving us a high-performance super car that looks classic any way you look at it, has the classic spirit, and will spank just about anything in its price-range around the track. All that with the engine in the very back. So, is it an instant classic? Well, since the styling has remained as it was over four decades ago, yes. It is an instant classic, and it always will be, as long as Porsche keeps taking design cues from the very birth of 911.