The Best 9 Porsches That Are Not 911

15 June 2016 Redazione News, Supercars Lounge

Words by Alessandro Marrone

If you say Porsche, you say 911, flawless. The Porsche par excellence, and the best known of them all, is the one that has systematically developed its own being without upsetting its own skin, faithful to an iconic line and declined according to the model, through the various SC, RS, GT2 , GT3, GT3 RS, Targa, GTS and so on. With each new model, by which also we pass across a more or less slight facelifts, the horse from Stuttgart always managed to raise the bar of performance, while lowering fuel consumption and emissions, with a price that despite the exceptional package offered, remains on figures far from inaccessible. The 911 also has not only the singularity of having the overhanging engine over the rear axle, but also has a more than acceptable luggage compartment (front) and two rear seats, which can come useful, not to be lynched by your wife, coming back home with the keys to your new toy (two children will stay there comfortably). Suited to the life of every day and available with manual or automatic transmission (Tiptronic first, then the excellent PDK), Porsche has built its strength around this immortal model, a secure investment, an object of fun with similar lines to those of a beautiful woman, but which do not mind heavy use. Reliability, manageability and performance are only three key points that the German brand row in the never ending battle for supremacy in a segment that year after year, always embraces a larger number of competitors. But there are also other Porsches we’d like in our private collection, despite not flaunt the famous 3 numbers 9-1-1. Just to stay on the subject of “9”, the only figure which remained unchanged over the years, we have chosen those that we think are the best 9 Porsches, which are not 911. Each of them has played an important role in the brand’s history and with a walk among legends, racing cars and instant classic, let’s find our favorite cousins ​​of her majesty.

550 SPYDER: an aura of mystery and thrill hovers around the 550 Spyder, produced from 1953 to 1956; I’m pretty sure all of you have heard of the “Little Bastard” that ripped James Dean’s life. Built to be used in racing, the 550 Spyder was immediately able to trouble their opponents, stronger than a 4-cylinder air-cooled engine and with extremely compact dimensions. It was so low from the ground, that during the Mille Miglia in 1954, Hans Hermann was able to pass under the closed barriers of a level crossing. Lethal and uncompromising weapon, sharp as a knife and dangerous as an unexploded mine.

356A CARRERA: the 356 model has been produced from 1948 until 1965, through different variants and engine options, but the 1955 356A Carrera was the first Porsche ever to show off the “Carrera” badge, then used on future 911s. The history of the 356 is well-known to all, and what makes this particular model even more special was the very fact of having acquired the engine used on the 550 Spyder, and then a racing-derived engine but for road use. Hence how Porsche’s myth and legendary inclination to performance started to breathe in everyday life.

718: it was born in 1957 and ceased its production in 1962, up to resurrect in the form of Boxster and Cayman of present days, with the brand new 4-cylinder turbo recently released. The original 718 was the natural evolution of the 550 Spyder, with significant refinements to the chassis (tubular) and suspension. The weight was incredibly limited at about 570kg, while the mid-rear engine produced the beauty of 142hp. Again it was engaged in racing, but driving one on the road could give truly incomparable emotions.

904 CARRERA GTS: produced between 1964 and 1965, the 904 Carrera GTS, or simply Carrera GTS, was born with a primary focus on the racing world. It was built to take part in the FIA-GT championship and then about a hundred models for road approval were required, in order to live up to the regulation. Orders by customers, however, were so high, that Porsche was forced to produce more than expected. The chassis housed a 4-cylinder outputting 198 horses, but was the same as that subsequently made room for bigger and more powerful 6 and also 8-cylinder, as for the exaggerated 917.

917: quite possibly the most iconic racing cars of all time, the 917 is a real monster with huge wheels and an engine capable of touching 400 kph. It was also the first Porsche to give Stuttgart’s first victory at the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 1970 and again in 1971. The maximum evolution of this Porsche racing car has been only used in motorsport, with engines ranging between 4.5, 4.9 and 5.0cc offering also the first 12-cylinder Porsche of all time and cutting-edge solutions in every engineering aspect. Numerous variants of the 917, as well as the categories in which it took part, it would be enough to admire a camera car on the Mulsanne straight (without chicanes) of Le Mans, to get an idea of the potential of this legend.

Boxster: every self-respecting Porsche-guy should thank the Boxster and give it the respect it deserves and the reasons are mainly two. The first is that in the late ’90s, with a not exactly easy situation, this was the real savior of the brand, which, thanks to a whole new car, with an affordable price, thus enabled to improve the fortunes (in a time when the 993 had stopped selling), and the second reason is characterized by the fact that it is an extremely fun to drive two-seaters. Mid-rear engine, initially available with the little 2.5cc, 2.7 and 3.2 S, with the passing years have increased the powers and lines of the bodywork and interior finishing, until getting to the current third series, especially with the GTS version, which is an exceptional sports car you can’t but love.

CARRERA GT: a true instant classic. An amazing supercar that lies on the border of being a hypercar. A unique line, a powerful 612hp 5.7 V10, which mated with a 6-speed manual transmission, gives joy to the lovers of pure driving, one made of a clutch pedal hard like a stone, a communicative but at the time very difficult to tame handling. It was produced in about 1250 units and prices are rising faster.

918 SPYDER: the “cheapest” of the holy trinity (along with P1 and LaFerrari) is very often the best on road and track. The 918 Spyder puts on the plate technology and engineering at the state of the art, with a V8 engine assisted by 3 electrical units for a total output of 887hp, which thanks to all-wheel drive and a perfect weight balance, make it relatively simple to reach the limit. A limit that is light years ahead of the most part of the rest of the automobile production.

CAYMAN GT4: the Cayman is born with the Boxster second series. Basically it’s the same version but with a solid roof, with a different line and the same and exceptional handling. The GT4 has seen the light in the recent 2015, “borrowing” the engine of the 911, a 385hp 3.8 6-cylinder, with the difference that being centrally located, behaves in a more predictable way, to the benefit of the driving experience made even more dreamlike by the 991 GT3 RS suspension and, hear this one, a manual transmission only. Is this the ultimate Porsche? It’s up to you to decide.