60 YEARS OF 911 TECH: BUYING GUIDE
Launched in November 1988, the 964 marked a sea-change in the 911's development. Porsche CEO, Peter Schutz, and the company's chief engineer, Helmuth Bott, aimed to make the new model the most advanced sports car to wear the 911 badge. Indeed, many of the 964's key features were inherited from the earlier 959, bringing supercar technology to a much wider audience.
Despite Porsche claims the 964 was eighty-seven percent new when compared to the outgoing Carrera 3.2, changes to the iconic 911 silhouette were prohibited. Nevertheless, the 964's polyurethane bummpers, aerodynamic rain gutters and flat undertray were all new components taking clear cues from the 959.
The 964's drag coefficient was improved to 0.32 over the Carrera 3.2's 0.39. Additionally, devoid of any superfluous addenda, the newer 911's passage through air was helped by a retractable rear spoiler, which automatically extended at 50mph, eliminating the risk of lift at high speed.
The first 964 to land was the Carrera 4, so-called because of its 959-derived fourwheel drive system. Porsche purists may have howled into their Black Tower, but the manufacturer was keen to push the 911 envelope. Tellingly, despite sixty-nine percent of the Carrera 4's power being sent to its back end, many of the outgoing 911's driving characteristics were retained.
The most powerful normally aspirated 911 in the model's then twenty-six year history, the Carrera 4's flat-six M64/01 engine boasted 3.6 litres of displacement. Power was up to 250bhp with 228lb-ft torque delivered at 4,800rpm, enabling a sprint to 60mph from rest in just 5.5 seconds, romping on to a top speed of 163mph. If the four-wheel drive system had caused consternation, the performance of this new 911 for a new era certainly didn't. It wasn't just the model's engine that was substantially revised, though. Underneath the familiar lines and stovepipe front wings lay a coil-spring suspension system (the long-used torsion bar setup finally junked), as well as ABS and power steering as standard equipment. The rear-mounted powerplant
