differences?

[sexaporsche]

what would be the difference between a 1987 3.2 sc, targa and carrera?

[WydRyd]

Huh? There was no "SC" in 1987. Only Carrera's.. coupes, targas and cabriolets. They were all 3.2L motors with the G50 5 spd box.

[sexaporsche]

well whats the diff between a sc and a carrera?

[cbeers]

time to introduce you to that button at the top right of this page, right underneath the Checkout and Order Status bars, there is a grey rectangle called Search.

Your question is long and involved and best left to history books and archives....

-Chris

[tonythetarga]

read this, it should break everything down for you. Next, go to Barnes and Noble or your favorite book store, and in the automotive section pick up a copy of the Porsche Buyers Guide. Sit down and read for a while.

http://www.pelicanparts.com/911/technical_specs/911_guthrie_faq.htm

[pgeorgeson]

The short answer is age and engine size. SC's were built from the late 70's (someone will chime in with the exact year) to 1983. The next version of the 911 was the Carrera, which went from 1984-1989. SC's have 3.0 liter engines and Carreras have 3.2 liter engines. There are, of course, other differences, but that will get you started.

[MRM]

Hey Sexa, don't let the grumpy guys get you down. This is a time-honored hazing ritual on PPBBS. A newbie asks a question brimming with I love Porsches hormones and the old timers pretend that they don't remember what it was like to wallow like a pig in mud in all the new information that is the Porsche 911 world. Then another oldtimer like me chimes in and says "Be nice to the new guy" and welcomes you to the board with the advice that you have to be able to give and take here. I'll let you in on a little secret: we take turns being the one who busts your chops and the nice guy who shows you around. I busted some 20 year old girl's chops all last week so it's my time to take the other side.

Here's the deal. 911 isn't one car or model. It's the name of a car that replaced the Porsche 356 in 1964 (or 1965, depending on how you count). Each new design of the 911 gets a new name and everyone who owns one of the older models curses the newer ones and says what a shame it is that Porsche doesn't build sports cars anymore. Except fot the guys who own 356s, who think that Porsche hasn't built a real sports car since 1965.

Anyway, the first 911 came out as a 1965 model and had a short wheelbase. So ever since it's been known as the SWB model, and lasted until, I believe, 1967. In 1968 the car got a redesign which included lengthening the wheelbase. The 1965-1973 cars share a lot of mechanicals and appearance, so they are all known as "early cars". The 1965 to 1967 or 68's are SWB early cars, the 1968 or 69 to 1973s are called Long Wheelbase early cars. Sometimes they are called long hoods because of the change in body style that came with the 1974 mnodel.

In 1974 emmissions required the cares to go to a 2.7 litre engine with new polution equipment and low impact bumpers. This model ran until 1977 and are known as mid year cars. They get a bad rap because the polution equipment caused the engines to fail (books have been written on this, I'm just giving you an overview) at about 50,000 miles.

The mid years lasted until the SC, which came out in 1978. You want to start a fight? Start claiming you know what SC stands for. No one knows. It might be "Standard Car" it might be "Super Car" "Super Carrera" or something in German. It probably is simply an internal model designation that was used by the factory to differentiate it from the mid year car that it replaced.

So SC is the 911 model that ran from 1978 to 1983. It has a 3 litre engine and is widely considered bullet proof and is a great value.

In 1984 Porsche replaced the 911 SC with the 911 Carrera. Now, Carrera used to be the name of Porsche's performance model, as in the 356 Carrera, but in 1984 Porsche enlarged the engine to 3.2 litres and called the base model 911 the Carrera. This is still known as the Carrera 3.2 to those in the know. The Carrera lasted until 1989 when it was replaced by the first change in platform, and the 911 model 964 was born. Except the Carrera 3.2 comes int wo varieties. 1984-1986 had the 915 transmission. The 1987-1989s had the hydraulic G-50 transmission and a few more HP. So 1984-1986 911s are known as 915 Carrera 3.2s; 1987-1989 models are known as G50s.

In 1989 the inevitable happened and Porsche stopped making sports cars. Instead, they introduce the 964, which was the first time since 1965 that they used a new platform for the 911. 964 is just a factory designation for that model, we Porschophiles use it as shorthand. The 964 got a 3.6 litre engine and is much maligned, just like the mid-year cars, and are great values.

The 964s lasted until 1995 when the 993 was introduced. The 993 is the last of the air cooled 911s. It got a more sophisticated 3.6 litre engine and is very desirable to colectors and enthusiasts.

In 1999 Porsche did away with air cooled engines and started the 996 model of the 911. Again, this is just a factory designation that we have adopted. The 996 lasted until 2005 when the 997 was introduced. All you need to know about them at this time is that they are wicked fast, engineering marvels, but too large and comfortable to be considered real 911s.

The 997 is the current version of the 911. It is widely loved, demonstrating that about every other model of 911 is destimed to become a mid-year car.

Well, that's it except the details. I may be off a year or two on the model breaks, but read the FAQ section and cruise the internet and you'll get the real dates. As I said they're just details. You just need to love them all and buy the newest and best example of one that you can afford. No one has gone wrong with that advise.

[Gene Wilkes]

+1 for MRM!!!!!!!!!!!

[f3nr15]

Here's a couple of useful links for you:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Porsche_911

http://www.qv500.com/indexporsche.php

Welcome, and good luck!

[MRM]

Oh, and "Targa" refers to the roof style. Targa is an open roof that is not quite a full convertible. The Targa Top is fully removable and is about the size of the top of the passenger compartment. There is a bar that still runs over the passenger compartment for roll over protection. The Targa was a compromise between full convertibles, which were in danger of being banned because of safety concerns in the 1960s-1970s, and having to have a full hard top.

[oceanvue]

That's all fine and dandy, but you forgot to explain why the engine is in the trunk.

[porsche930dude]

Originally posted by oceanvue
That's all fine and dandy, but you forgot to explain why the engine is in the trunk.

cus the gas tank is in the front

[sexaporsche]

lol thanks for all the info, you guys are the best

[peritus]

I have an 87 G50, and an 82 SC (being shipped as we speak), and I sware there is a minor difference in the curve on the rear flares. I can't tell by just looking at them, because the difference seems so small...

I've not been able to find any book or website that can confirm the difference between the flares/body between SC and Carrera.

Anyone care to comment?

[KFC911]

I was going to post what MRM did, but it's my turn to bust chops

[Rot 911]

Nice job of explaining MRM!

[sean m]

Hey Sexa,
Here is a picture of the targa top on...

and off.....


Sean

[Wil Ferch]

87 and 82 should have the same body curves... I "swear" ( or is that "sware".....)...my turn to bust.

The enlarged rear flairs came ( generally) along with the first SC's in '78...but the 74 Carrera might have had them too to differentiate the body from the "lesser" 911's....AFAIK.

- Wil

[peritus]

Thanks Wil.

I'll have to post a picture of them side-by-side. Perhaps it's that I have 8" and 10" BBS wheels with spacers that make the 87 look wider.

James