Magazine Extras:
Before the Boxster, Cayman and 996 turned the brand’s fortunes around, Porsche had spent fifty years evolving and refining the recipe for its air-cooled cars, starting with 356 no.1 in 1948 and stretching all the way to the last of the 993-generation 911s in 1998. As you’d expect, early and late air-cooled Porsches are very different vehicles, but common characteristics are ingrained in all Porsche output of this era: class-leading engineering, rock-solid reliability, sublime handling and exquisite design. In this issue of Classic Porsche, we’ve paired bookends of the company’s air-cooled history: the 356 Pre-A and 993 Carrera RS. Just how easy is it to detect similarities between these very different Porsches? Let’s take to the road and find out.
Issue Summary:
Bringing together amazing examples of the first and last air-cooled Porsches, this issue of Classic Porsche showcases a 1953 356 Pre-A and a 1995 993 Carrera RS.
Top 3 Issue Features:
GENERATION GAP - Four decades separate these two Porsches: the 1953 356 Pre-A represents the first of the air-cooled line-up, while the 1995 993 Carrera RS is the culmination. We turn back the years in the lee of Donington racetrack.
JOURNEY OF DISCOVERY - Amazed by the capabilities of his wife’s 987 Boxster S, Andrew Douglas bought an accident-damaged 1972 911 S 2.4 and embarked on a personal mission to restore the rare Porsche to its former glory, adding a genuine Carrera RS 2.7 engine along the way.
THROUGH THICK AND THIN - In 1977, Porsche’s somewhat improvised development of the previous year’s 936 took on the full-court press of four twin-turbocharged V6 Renault-Alpines at Le Mans. Following a less than satisfactory qualifying session and many pit stops during the race, none of the Stuttgart squad’s works drivers or support crew saw victory coming their way.
Magazine Extras:
Before the Boxster, Cayman and 996 turned the brand’s fortunes around, Porsche had spent fifty years evolving and refining the recipe for its air-cooled cars, starting with 356 no.1 in 1948 and stretching all the way to the last of the 993-generation 911s in 1998. As you’d expect, early and late air-cooled Porsches ....
