The Porsche 911 is an iconic and popular sports car famed for its looks as well as for it performance. Many people will state this sports car as one of their all-time favourites.
There’s a lot that makes the Porsche 911 such a special car. Let’s take a closer look with these 22 fun facts about the Porsche 911.
1. The name changed thanks to a trademark.
The original name for the car was actually ‘901’, but in 1963 Porsche had to rename due to a claim from Peugeot stating it had a trademark on ‘digit-zero-digit’. This is how the number changed to 911.
2. It’s been named one of the greatest cars of all time.
In a 1999 edition of the Global Automotive Elections Foundation’s Car of the Century, the Porsche 911 placed in the top 5.
3. However, there’s many different versions.
Porsche currently produces 16 different types of the Porsche 911.
4. They are only made in one place.
It is only manufactured in the factory located in Stuttgart, Germany.
The factory makes about 110 models a day.
5. 911s can be record-breakers.
The Porsche 911 GT3 RS holds the 6th fastest time on the demanding Nurburgring track.
6. They really do tear around!
The 911 GT2 RS MR is the fastest road-legal sports car.
7. The 911 was nearly scrapped.
Believe it or not, back in the 70s, a plan was almost set in motion to replace the 911 with a 928, however, because of significant employee and market outrage, this did not happen. If it had, the 911 would not have been able to have made the impact it has.
8. The Carrera 2.7 changed everything.
In 1972 the Porsche 911 Carrera 2.7 was launched. It is one of the most recognisable models of the famous sports car, thanks to its iconic ‘duck’duck-bill’ rear end and spoiler.
9. Modern 911s are pretty much completely new machines.
By 2011, roughly 90% of the Porsche 911 was new or completely redesigned.
There was also the 2017 Porsche 911 Turbo S Exclusive series which featured a more powerful performance, elegant materials, lots of detail and overall a very unique design.
10. By Exclusive, they’re not kidding.
Only five hundred Porsche 911 Turbo S Exclusives were made.
11. Like father, like son.
Ferdinand Porsche is the son of Porsche founder (also) Ferdinand Porsche, and he was the man in charge of the style of the first Porsche 911 editions.
12. There was a sequel?
Issued for a time was a twin version of the 911 named the Porsche 912.
13. There was Beetle parts in Porsche successors.
Due to component shortages, Mr. Porsche started using parts from the Beetle to work on his next car — the Porsche 356. More than 75,000 were made over 15 years.
14. Pick a Porsche palette!
Can you guess the most popular colour choice? Red and white are the most popular colours with fans.
If you don’t want one of the set colours the company will custom paint a car in any colour, for a fee.
15. There are many different engine types, too.
The plant where the cars are manufactured makes more than 20 different versions of its famed six-cylinder engines ranging from 255 to 535 horsepower.
16. Porsches have been around for ages.
So far, there are eight generations of the Porsche: The early years (1963 – 1973), the 930 (1973 – 1989), the 964 (1989 – 1994), the 993 (1994 – 1998), the 996 (1998 – 2004), the 997 (2004 – 2011), the 991 (2011 to 2018), the 992 (2018 to present day).
17. It was a young man’s invention.
Ferdinand Porsche designed the first hybrid gasoline-electric car ever made at age 25 back in the 1900s.
18. The Beetle came about after Hitler approached Porsche.
In 1934, he was also asked to create a car by Adolf Hitler, as a response he created the Volkswagen Beetle.
19. The 911 remains the biggest draw.
Out of all of the releases from the company, the Porsche 911 is the biggest seller.
Bonus 911 Facts
Porsche at the Movies
As you might imagine, this car is a favourite to be featured by filmmakers in their movies due to its great looks and epic performance. Here are three times the Porsche 911 had a starring role.
The Porsche 911T starring in Downhill Racer (1968)
This is one of the earliest movies to feature a Porsche 911. The film starred Robert Redford, who happens to be a car guy himself (or at least was at the time of the interview) and has owned many Porsche’s over the years.
The Porsche 911 Turbo 3.6 featured in Bad Boys (1994)
This Will Smith and Martin Lawrence film features a Porsche 911 that belonged to the director Michael Bay as, according to himself, “The studio didn’t want to rent a car, and we didn’t have the money to rent one. And Porsche didn’t want to support the movie. The funny thing is, at Porsche, when they saw the movie in Germany, they threw us a ‘Bad Boys’ party. It’s funny how they didn’t initially believe in it.”
The Porsche 911S in Le Mans (1970)
Several Porsches can be seen in this film, including the 911S in Slate Grey and driven by the legendary Steve McQueen.
FAQs about the Porsche 911
How much do Porsche 911 cost?
The average Porsche 911 is likely to cost in excess of $100,000.
Which year Porsche 911 is the best?
Many motorists believe that the 1998 - 1999 Porsche 911 perfected the formula.
Is the Porsche 911 expensive to maintain?
Yes - to the extent where it’s considered perhaps the priciest of all sports cars to keep up to speed!
Do you know any fun facts about the Porsche 911? Share them in the comments below!
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