1963-1994
Above is Porsche model 901, serial #300020. This Porsche is the 20th produced, way back in 1963. Back in the late 50's, Porsche was producing the 356, a 4 cylinder model whose life span had run over ten years and needed to be replaced. The 356 not only needed a replacement, but major updates as well.
In the late 1950's, a prototype appeared, called the 695. The 695 was largely based on the 356, and is the first solid evidence of the 911 shape. Porsche engineered an all new 6 cylinder boxer engine for their new car, which would be called the "901." The pistons were horizontally opposed, that is, the engine was flat, with 3 pistons on either side, 180 degrees away from one another.
As it neared 1963, the new model was in the finishing stages. 4 prototypes of the new model 911 were built between the start of the project, and the production debut. One of these 901 prototypes is known to exist today. When the car made its first showing, the world was all ears. This was the first time that the Porsche company introduced a "new" car, the 356 and its derivatives were all they had ever produced.
It turned out that Peugeot notified Porsche of some sort of infringement on rights to model designation numbers and that the designation "901" was property of Peugeot. Therefore, Porsche changed the name to "911," the VERY familiar designation we know today.
And the mighty 911 was born!
The next 31 years wrote the history: We have witnessed the evolution of the worlds greatest sports car. By 1994, the 911 had come so far, yet remained eerily similar to 1963's type 901. Truly it is a legend, a legend that still continues to this very day. The 1995, 911 Carrera, represented the most sweeping redesign in the company's history, and as you probably know, Porsche released type 996 in early 1998. Yes, the new 911 model is water cooled and the flared fenders and the taillight bar is gone, but the legend continues...
1969 model
shown here
From 1963 to
1994, the 911 has taken on over 25 forms. I have tried to devise
a good way to organize this, but there are so many! So starting in
1963 and moving forward, I have listed all of them here, by model
designation, then by the years
that model constituted. Here we go....
911 (1963-1967)
911
T (1968-1973)
911
L (1968)
911
E (1969-1973)
911
2.7L (1974-1977)
911
Carrera (1974-1977)
911
SC (1978-1983)
911
Carrera 3.2 (1984-1989)
911
Carrera 4 (1989-1994)
911 Carrera 2 (1990-1994)