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Turbonut
 
Raceboy's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jun 2009
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Drove seven generations of 911's at the track in few hours, what an experience!

Sometimes my job as a co-writer in our biggest car magazine rewards the efforts nicely. This time I sourced seven 911's from each body-type (nevermind the SWB and engine types) and took them to a track for a brief test drive, starting from 1972 911T 2.4 (no long-hood S or E in Estonia) to brand new 2013 991 Carrera 4S. Luckily I got the 991 Carrera 4S for few days just for pleasure driving also (covered ~800 km's in it).
Took some videos also unfortunately not all due to batteries running flat (¤#%"/"%).

1972 Porsche 911T track test drive - YouTube

Porsche 997 Carrera S on the Audruring track - YouTube


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'83 924 (2.6 16v Turbo, 530hp),'67 911 hot-rod /2.4S, '78 924 Carrera GT project (2.0 turbo 340 hp), '84 928 S 4.7 Euro (VEMS PnP, 332 HP), '90 944 S2 Cabriolet
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Old 06-13-2013, 11:02 PM
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Awesome.

How can i get the complete article?
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Old 06-14-2013, 04:40 AM
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I would have liked to see a 3.2 in there as well, but if this gets to English, I'm a reader.
Old 06-14-2013, 04:41 AM
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I'll upload the article in weekend. But unfortunately there will not be english version, the article is ~15000 characters lol.

3.2 Carrera was 1st choice from impact bumper cars but my friend could assemble his beauty on time unfortunately (~300-400 Porsches total, 1/3 of them are Cayennes). There are not so many Porsches to choose from in here, with population of roughly 1,3 million people our country is smaller than mid-sized city in US
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'83 924 (2.6 16v Turbo, 530hp),'67 911 hot-rod /2.4S, '78 924 Carrera GT project (2.0 turbo 340 hp), '84 928 S 4.7 Euro (VEMS PnP, 332 HP), '90 944 S2 Cabriolet
http://www.facebook.com/vemsporsche
Old 06-14-2013, 05:07 AM
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WOW..... What an experience, and GREAT photo! Look forward to reading teh article.
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Old 06-14-2013, 05:27 AM
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I think posting your impressions would be in order.....since most of us won't be able to read the magazine. Over many years I've driven a few versions of the 911 but it's hard to remember exactly the traits (from 912 to 997). The problem is, you drive in the context of the time, and your experience is filtered through what you drive every day. Your experience sounds like a blast!
Old 06-14-2013, 05:44 AM
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Good for you. I was just reading a similar one on the latest Excellence... Please post your article, and we will see what Google Translate does for us.
Old 06-14-2013, 11:57 AM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by wildthing View Post
Good for you. I was just reading a similar one on the latest Excellence... Please post your article, and we will see what Google Translate does for us.
Should be good for a huge laugh, that technology has definitely not got all the wrinkles out.LOL, Cheers
Old 06-14-2013, 04:43 PM
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I'll try to sum up the cars briefly.

911T: very nimble, light responsive steering and snappy 2.4 motor with surprisingly good torque down low. Doesn't feel as slow as it would seem by the numbers alone as it weighs almost nothing. Would only imagine what it would feel like if there's been an E or S engine in the back.
Downsides: seats which does not offer ANY side support and half the effort at the track goes to holding yourself on the seat (not in, the seats are flat lol). Also the shifter is really sloppy. The gearbox went through complete overhaul but apparently shifter and bushings were not addressed. I've driven other early 915 cars and they were better.
Summary: to have a bit more than just a Sunday cruiser (meaning going to the track occasionally), one must use different seats, have the best shifter possible and preferrably change out the steering wheel. Then it's like heaven.

911SC: steering was a bit heavier due to higher weight but still ok, steering wheel was aftermarket but very good (could have been closer to the driver though), suspension was softer than T (T is lighter) and SC generally was quieter and "luxurious" than T, but I personally prefer long-hood with less stuff in the car. Seats were like a night and day compared to T seats, even though they were usual Porsche seats like they used on 924/944 etc. Engine had a lot of torque but was "lazy" and has lost some of the flat six sportiness. Reminded me a bit of 928 V8 engine. SC had also 915 (obviously) but the shifting was much better even though 3rd gear syncro was a bit worn.

964: even though 964 is heavier than SC it felt actually lighter when driving. Power steering had its share on this I think and the engine felt very nice. Engine itself was stock (just rebuilt) but it had aftermarket standalone ECU installed and Cup pipe+200cpi race cat which made the sound much richer.
Really loved the G50 ease of shifting. I was suprised how much fun 964 was at the track, didn't expect that to be honest.

Here's a vid of 964 at the track: Porsche 964 track test drive - YouTube
Nevermind the talking during driving, 911 T owner was sitting on the passenger seat.


993: the nicest 911 I've ever driven, it is a time-capsule and has just slightly less than 60 000 km's on the clock. It is completely stock 1994 car.
993 felt like a luxury car with all the factory options, quietness etc. And it also was a pure pleasure to drive, but not like a sporty type of fun, but more like just joy. Of course some part of this impression is due to the car being in such a good condition but it really is the best air-cooled 911 to drive if one ever wants to use it as a daily driver.
On the track it was quick even though it didn't seem like that, it just took the corners without much effort thanks to multilink rear suspension. Though the 3,6 engine seemd to be too tamed below 3000 rpm. I have a direct comparison with 3,6 engine that has standalone ecu and it is a beast below 3000 rpm.
Vid: Porsche 993 track test drive - YouTube

'01 996 Carrera 4: Despite having a bad rep due to the intermediate shaft failures (and '01 cars have a singel row ones = more prone to failure) the car was nice and with this one having a 6sp manual gearbox I am having hard time understanding why would anyone want to buy an automatic. Steering was very precise and sharp, though the gearchange could be more precise for such a new car (a rigid link is better, 996 uses cables, which is cheaper). I presonally loved the way 996 handled at the track and with a price range they are + there is a IMS solution also it is easily one of the best bang for the buck Porsches at the moment. 996TT would be even more so, having suffered from the 996NA loss of value though they do not even have common engines.

'06 997 Carrera S: a pre-facelift 355 hp version, it still had a very fast acceleration amongst regular 911's, wonder what would the X51 381 hp or facelift 385 hp engines do lol. Loved the rwd+6spd manual combo, the car offered so much to the driver and took so little regarding driving pleasure. A lot of new cars do everything to separate a driver from the road and minimizing drivers efforts (mostly due to stupid drivers who cannot drive and want to sue the manufacturer for their own mistakes), luckily 997S did not suffer from this.
I was truly impressed with the rwd+6spd combo, I've driven Carrera 4s tiptronic earlier many times and it was not even close enough. Of course, it is a dirty thinking but Carrera 4S with 6spd would be pure fun on the ice track

'13 991 Carrera 4S: it is bigger than all of the previous 911's, it also feels like a bigger car. Sadly 991 is not a sports-car anymore, it is more like a GT car. It does everything you want and more but the electric power steering robs some of the steering feel and responsiveness. The car is by far the best 911 to drive daily as on regular setting and driving on the street it feels as comfortable as my oldie but goldie Audi A8. Turn the Sport or Sport Plus mode on and it is much stiffer, transmission is much more aggressively set up and you can make the muffler sound more race car like with just a button on the center console.
But it doesn't leave too much to the driver as the car does most of the job for him: engine 400hp and is a blast to drive, 7spd PDK changes gears quicker than human can do with manual box (regular, not sequential) and for the 400hp/1460 kg weight the car is super quick, just 3,9 seconds 0-100 km/h with launch control (this car had this with Sport Chrono package). It is by far the best 911 done but I feel it is not for me. It is for the people that actually buy these cars and everybody knows the saying about money and bull$**t.
Next month I can have a test drive on Carrera S with 7spd manual gearbox (insane, isn't it?) so I can have an idea how it compares regarding driving fun.

Summary? To of my favourites are 964 and 997S. 911T would be on top if it had better gearshift and seats.
Huh, that was a long post, hope you didn't get tired
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'83 924 (2.6 16v Turbo, 530hp),'67 911 hot-rod /2.4S, '78 924 Carrera GT project (2.0 turbo 340 hp), '84 928 S 4.7 Euro (VEMS PnP, 332 HP), '90 944 S2 Cabriolet
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Old 06-16-2013, 11:27 PM
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Here's the rest of the article. Some of the capturings are missing (Adobe InDesign makes a nonsense there to get the idea of number of characters needed).


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'83 924 (2.6 16v Turbo, 530hp),'67 911 hot-rod /2.4S, '78 924 Carrera GT project (2.0 turbo 340 hp), '84 928 S 4.7 Euro (VEMS PnP, 332 HP), '90 944 S2 Cabriolet
http://www.facebook.com/vemsporsche
Old 06-16-2013, 11:41 PM
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Thanks for the comprehensive overview of your impressions!!!

The only car on your list that I have not driven is the 964 although I'm not surprised that it performed as you reported...I suspect that is why the 965 is so desirable!

I was weaned on 911s with my dad's 73S and I can assure you that it took the T that you drove well beyond the next level of pure fun...the low end torque was something to behold, especially when traveling uphill.

I love your statement: "Of course, it is a dirty thinking but Carrera 4S with 6spd would be pure fun on the ice track". I've been considering purchasing a 997.2 4S or S for almost a year now (primary use = traveling the western US/Canada with my wife) and I keep coming back to how the 4S would make winter travel (both) more possible and much, much more fun.

One more point: now that you've driven the 991 4S, see if you can get your hands on a 981 CS and provide your impressions. I was able to drive both of these cars back-to-back on the track and for me, the 981 CS is now the machine that I lust after...

Nice work...thanks again!
Old 06-17-2013, 04:26 AM
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Thanks much for your impressions! I'm curious if you are highly experienced with 911s before this, or if these are impressions of a newcomer to the 911?

did the 911T have stock seats?
sounds like the 911T seats might need new foam
Old 06-17-2013, 10:17 AM
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I have driven various 911's for years both due to my job as a car journalist and my "hobby-job" as a standalone ecu installer/tuner. With few 964's and 993's I've driven several thousand km's easily, also drove brand-new 997 back in 2005 when they were introduced.

911T seats were stock and gone through overhaul but they really are that poor on the track. Of course I have more used to with newer stock seats but regular mid-year 911 seats like those found in 924/944 are much better.

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'83 924 (2.6 16v Turbo, 530hp),'67 911 hot-rod /2.4S, '78 924 Carrera GT project (2.0 turbo 340 hp), '84 928 S 4.7 Euro (VEMS PnP, 332 HP), '90 944 S2 Cabriolet
http://www.facebook.com/vemsporsche
Old 06-17-2013, 11:20 AM
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