Porsche 911

The name

Interestingly, the car that we today know as the 911 was initially named the 901 (901 being its internal project number). However, the rival company Peugeot objected to the name on the ground that they had an exclusive right to name cars with three digits and the middle digit being 0. Although these rights were only valid in France, Porsche renamed the line of cars to 911 to avoid any complications. Thus was the name for one of the most popular automobiles in history selected; as a compromise.

The development

Since it’s unveiling in 1963, the 911 has gone through many transformations and with the advent of newer and most advanced technology, the modifications are still going on. The 911 range can broadly be classified into two on the basis of the cooling technology used in them. They are –

• Air cooled – These vehicles used air as the cooling medium for the engines and thus the heat losses were substantial. The earliest 911’s were of this type and the technology was used by Porsche till 1998. The cars built with this technology include Porsche 911 classic (1964-1989), Porsche 964 (1989-1993) and Porsche 993 (1993-1998) wide body.

• Water cooled – As the name reveals, this line of vehicles had water as the cooling medium and thus their efficiency improved manifold. This technology has been adopted by Porsche for all its vehicles since 1998. The cars built with this technology include Porsche 996 (1999-2004) and Porsche 997 (2004-Present).

Interesting facts about the 911

• The 911 is the third oldest sport car nameplate still in production in the world.

• A poll for the Car of the Century saw the 911 being voted the fifth favourite.

If you are interested in a Porsche 911 then visit www.porschemelbourne.com.au. This is the website of Porsche Melbourne, which is the premier dealership of Porsche in Melbourne. Get in touch with them and get your hands on your dream car.

Danny Lambert has been an automobile enthusiast since he received the first toy car on his second birthday, and the love affair continues passionately. Danny has always been a ‘decent’ writer, by his own admission and combines his passion for cars and writing to write interesting and informative articles on the internet.

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