Carrera?

[Brian993]

So why did Porsche designate the 911 with the name Carrera?

When and why?

I know a few things on the subject but I am interested to learn as much as I can,,,,

[randywebb]

which 911?

[plymouthcolt]

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The Carrera Panamericana was (and is again) a sports car racing event on open roads in Mexico, similar to the Mille Miglia and Targa Florio in Italy. It counted towards the World Sportscar Championships.

After the Mexican section of the Panamerican Highway was completed in 1950, a multi-stage race across the country was established to celebrate this feat.

In 1952, the Mercedes-Benz 300SL of Karl Kling/Hans Klenk was hit by a vulture in the windscreen, injuring the codriver. The screen was fitted with additional vertical protection bars, and the team continued to win.

Due to safety concerns, the high speed race was cancelled after the 1955 Le Mans disaster.

The Carrera was resumed in the 1980s as rallye for vintage cars only.

Despite their rather small cars of the time, Porsche enjoyed some success in the race, mainly class wins. Later on, they called some of their cars Carrera, after this race.
(They did the same with the Targa).

Eduardo León is the organizer of the Carrera Panamericana vintage auto racing event

[Rick964]

Originally only the highest performance models of the 911 were designated with the Carrera name but in 84 the Carrera became the standard car and they have used the name ever since.

[TRE Cup]

Here's some trivia for discussion: The 1974 and 75 Carreras have a type 911SC stamped on their aluminum id tags. Go look if you have one.
So are all 911SC's also Carreras ?
The turbo was also known as the turbo carrera - see the 76 models with the that name plate on the rear lids
So since 1973, we have had an unbroken line of Carreras aka 911 ?
(ROW markets could still buy the Carrera 3.0 which started in 1976-77)

[dfink]

Someone in a thread a couple of weeks ago referred to the SC designation as standing for "Super Carrera" don't know it that's true but.......

[TRE Cup]

He is accurate since the S in 911S stands for Super

but wouldn't that have been a hoot with Porsche trying to market all these cars with Super in the name- glad they figured that one out

[Won]

In the model year of 1978 the Carrera was dropped from the programme, the new model SC, apart from the turbo, was now the only car to fly the 911 flag. The letters SC stood for Super Carrera but also recalled the type 356 which had the same suffix.

http://www.porsche.com/uk/accessoriesandservice/classic/world/models/roadvehicles/1978-911/

[Zeke]

Certainly not the historian here, but doesn't SC harken back to '64-'65? And Carrera GS and GT from '55? I saw a factory brochure and price list for a '53 Super. I think I can decipher GT, but I'm not gonna guess GS. OK, I will, Gran Super?

[alwaysflat6s]

Wow, back in the day.........

Yes, the Carrera name used to mean something. Porsche was quite proud of their Carrera Panamerica record. That race was the absolute toughest of them all. They first used Carrera for their genuinely exotic 4 cam 356s. [Did you know that ALL early Speedsters had all the brackets and fittings in their chassis in case someone wanted to 4 cam them? And a lot of people today suggest that Speedsters were built for the poser crowd!].

So, in the 356 days the Carreras were exclusively 4 cam cars.

Come the 911 and Porsche started using Carrera only at the end of the long hood period and speicific to the 73 RS.

If you look at a 73 RS chassis plate you will see the designation 911 S C. That meant it was a Porsche 911 - S - Carrera.

In 1974-75 Porsche also built a Carrera. ROW cars had the 911/83 RS engine in a tweaked 911S and for the first time a standard production 911 got rear flares. Yes, it was a 911 -S - C. Even the USA 74-75 got a version of the Carrera, but we were stuck with the crappy horribly engineered 2.7 smog engine [no power, burned itself up due to the Factory not giving a damn about properly smogging it as it was a USA only problem at that time. Shame on them.]

In 1976-77 the Carrera survived as ROW models. Interestingly, in 1976 you could get your 911-S-Carrera in two different flavors; a very small number of 2.7 911/83 powered cars, and a greater number of more advanced and more desiareable [at that time] 3.0 CIS cars which were felt to be much more sophisticated and better performing. [If you have ever driven an early 911 or 74-77 with a slightly tweaked 3.0 it is surprisingly good and I could argue, better, than a 911/83 powered version.] Tho, I think that final run of 911/83 76 Carreras are in some ways very special but that is another long tome....

In 1977 the ROWs Carrera, yes, 911-S-Carrera was strictly a 3.0 CIS car. The engines were tuned more towards high end performance than the following world wide 911SC cars.

Finally, in 1978, Porsche introduced the sensational [at the time] 911SC. Yes, 911 - Super - Carrera. They produced no street cars with the "Carrera" nameplate.

Then in 1984 some marketing fool with the agreement of the stupid BoD decided to dillute the Carrera name by calling every single 911 produced "Carrera". That is why few people realize that even a 74-75 USA Carrera was rather special adn you can get one for damn near the same price of a 74-77 911S [making it a bargain because some day people will realize that this run of cars actually was somewhat special].

As to the 930 cars. EVERY one of them is special. However, Porsche decided in 1976 that they needed even more pizzaz with their new USA Turbo and added "Carrera" to the name tag. The ROW Turbos were simply badged "Turbo". In 1977 the USA version was also simplified to just Turbo. After all, in those early 930 days the word TURBO on the back of a street car, much less a Porsche, really got people's attention and you didn't have to say any more to make people realize you were looking at a significantly serious car.

Now we hear the work "Carrera" and it has almost no meaning. Porsche screwed themselves with their marketing greed [and I think, ineptness] by sticking that stinkin' badge on every one of their 911s to the point where it might as well said VW for all it meant. Now they are resorting to a variety of names with their new, genuine neato cars they are building. If they hadn't been such snots they would have a wonderful name they could have continued to use on their highest performing and special cars.

Carrera is dead. Long live the [real] Carreras.

I usually don't do this "car list" game but it seems fitting with my little rant.....
79 930 Factory Lightweight with too many special bits and a wonderful powerplant =thanks brother [yea, it's a Carrera]
77 911 MYSTERY 911
74 911 Carrera mit tweaked 3.0 [GOOD as a 73 RS -really]
73 RS-R bastard- GONE and good riddance, RS owners have become a bunch of prissy collectors who forgot that these were build to DRIVE, not to look pretty.
72 911 -also- MYSTERY period 911
71 911 softie-derelict perhaps someday project
70 911 2.8 race car.. loud and proud
66 912 barn car still period correct covered with dirt
Beck 550-early chassis built by California surfers- wife's

[alwaysflat6s]

OH! Sorry, I got so carried away I forgot. On the 356s they were using different lettering for different purposes. Remember, 356, 356A, 356B, then 356C.

In 1964 and 1965 you had a basic model of 356C. That had the 2 single Zenith carbed engine. For a tad more bucks you got a SC and that meant- 356C- Super, with the dual Solexs, and all the other bits. They ALSO had a Carrera but it was then called the Carrera 2 with nice big fat gold letters on the behind telling the work that it had a really GO-EY 2 liter 4 cam version of the old 356 powerplant. Neat cars. Anyone else rememger when you could get a decent one for under $3 grand? No one wanted one as few people could tune or properly repair them. I remember trying to work a deal with a local in Monterey to swap my just as powerful built 356 engine for his 2.0 4 cam setup and swap it in my 54 Speedster. Never happened, but I loved the sounds those 4 cams made.