The human is in charge.The Carrera is also the best justification of Porsche's new twin-turbo engine.

This is the state of the sports-car world where the key lives on the left.But the lovely Guards red 911 Carrera revealed a salient point when driven alongside its higher-powered brethren: Simplicity triumphs.

What makes it special.

It's a ferociously accurate, violent simulacrum of a Cup car.

How can it be so calm one moment and so mind-bogglingly fast the next?Therein lies its charm.

Turbo, schmurbo.

Secondly, the 996 shared many body parts with the new at that time, Boxster. But of course after years and years of progress, Porsche has given the.Well it wouldn’t be the early ones like the air-cooled 930’s or the late 80’s and 90’s versions.

The rear-wheel-drive, manual-equipped 911 was the most direct route to Fun Town. The Porsche 911 is the perfect sports car and new models like a GT3, Turbo, and possibly a GT2 will make it even better.

Certainly.

But the argument is simple: With a third pedal, no automatic rev-matching, and rear-wheel drive without rear-wheel steering, the base 911 is a car that does what you tell it to.

And of the cars in this test, the RS seems the most like an old-school 911—you have to manage the nose and keep it from jacking, pay attention to the mass in the rear, learn to use the car's natural traction.Only because you have 338 lb-ft of peak torque going through just two wheels, and because those wheels are shod with Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2s and not slicks, and because it is human nature to always want for something, the RS occasionally seems undertired.

The whole package is so gloriously abusive that you climb out after a hard lap and feel like you've been somewhere. Disqus Comments.

But remember there were only a few years of this model made (low production numbers) and you should stay away from the all-wheel-drive models and early year models due to their engine head problems (i.e. Toggle from Normal to Sport Plus mode and experience levels of acceleration (0–60 mph in 2.5 seconds, the quarter-mile in 10.6 seconds at 130 mph) and grip (1.06 g lateral acceleration) that initially confuse your brain.

You got something done.This isn't a Cup car.

Because it's special.Cruise at everyday speeds and the Turbo S behaves like any good luxury coupe should.

Don’t count out the fried-egg-headlight 911 just yet. We recalled some old lessons and woke to a few new ones. Only a Cup car doesn't have 500 hp, electronic rear steering, such a hellacious noise, air-conditioning, carpet, satellite radio, and a passable excuse for street tires.That's the cliché everyone knows.

Over a late, carb-heavy dinner at an iffy diner in Willows, California, energy lagging and eyes sagging, we unanimously professed our love for it.That could be because it was the sole 911 equipped with a manual, or as a show of reverse snobbery. You may be able to find more information about this and similar content at piano.io,For Sale: 1-of-7 Rimac Concept One For $1.6 Mil,The Acura NSX Sounds Best When Supercharged,Last Zanardi Edition Acura NSX Sells For $277K,There's a 1-of-300 Dodge Durango Shelby SP-360 For,The Best Off-Road Tires for Your Truck or SUV,This Blue Mercedes 300SL Is Utter Perfection,The Corvette L98 Was the ZR-1's Bargain Brother.Road & Track participates in various affiliate marketing programs, which means we may get paid commissions on editorially chosen products purchased through our links to retailer sites.the 996 Porsche 911 Turbo gets a lot of attention,pick this one up in Texas for a hair over $50,000.

Doug DeMuro. There's nothing wrong with playacting—that's part of the fun of sports cars.

The 911 isn't as wonderful without that naturally breathing flat-six buzz behind you, no matter what Porsche … The latest chassis innovations have the same goal. How does this car not wheelie at launch or catapult itself into the next county?

So for something like $37,000, you can have a reliable, enjoyable, exciting, high-performance sports car with exotic-rivaling performance and a Porsche badge up front.

This is the fastest Porsche 911 on sale today, which makes sense, since it’s also the most powerful. All Rights Reserved.The Porsche 997 is a Legend in the Making,Best Used Porsche 911 to Buy (OUR LIST FOR 2019),2013 Porsche 991.1 Base in Anthracite Brown,2007 Porsche 997 4S Black/Black with low miles. Our product picks are editor-tested, expert-approved.

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We may earn a commission through links on our site.What do we think about the Porsche 911? Take the twin-turbo flat-six from the 911 Turbo, and stick it in a wide-body rear-drive chassis and you get a wild masterpiece. 1990, 1991 models).