911 Carrera

Make
Porsche
Segment
Coupe

For nearly six decades, the Porsche 911 has been the consummate all-rounder in the sports car segment. Combining thrilling driving dynamics with everyday usability, quality and dependability isn't an easy thing to do, but the boffins in Zuffenhausen have been perfecting the recipe for many years. Sure, die-hard fans of the brand can tell the difference between an S and GTS, but for many, it can be complicated - even Porsche admits to this.

But there's almost always a reason behind the model designations. For example, the Porsche 356 A 1500 GS Carrera: The 1,500 represents the 1.5-liter engine, and GS (Grand Sport) and Carrera (Spanish for racing) underline it as a sportier, more refined 356. What about contemporary models, though? Well, to understand everything, we need to delve into the brand's history for a moment.

In the early 1930s, Ferdinand Porsche's engineering design office adopted an in-house numbering method, with each new project receiving a consecutive number. The brand says it started with seven; a sedan for the now-defunct Wanderer brand. The 22nd creation was the iconic Auto Union Grand Prix racing car, with number 60 being the original Volkswagen. As he gained more work, the numbers rose, eventually culminating in project number 356 - the first-ever car produced under the official brand name, as the Porsche 356.

The simple but effective numbering system was retained, even after the 356 came to fruition. With various projects commissioned, the internal numbers rose faster than ever. As with the 356, the 550 Spyder saw Porsche using the internal code as the official model name. But two unlikely hiccups saw Porsche's upcoming flagship receive the iconic 911 badging it still wears to this day.

With the possibility of future cooperation with Volkswagen, Porsche had to change its numbering system to be compatible with the system used over at VW. The company elected to use the 900 numbers, with 901 chosen for six-cylinder engines and 902 for a four-cylinder derivative. A spanner was quickly thrown into the works, though.

Peugeot claimed it had the legal rights to three-digit numbers with a zero in the middle. The French carmaker still uses it to this day, with models such as the 208 and 308 available in other markets. To get around this, Porsche simply switched out the zero for a one, duplicating the '1' typeface. While the company's decision-makers didn't know it then, this decision marked the birth of a legend: 911.

In the years that followed, Porsche stuck with the 900 numbers, introducing the mid-engined 914 and, later, the more affordable 924. This was followed by the brand's first-ever V8 car, the 928 grand tourer. The Stuttgart-based brand notes all these vehicles received their internal numbers as model names, cementing the brand's practice of using three digits starting with a nine as a Porsche characteristic.

Make sense? Well, hang on - it's going to get a mite more complicated. When it came to naming new models, the brand found the need for flexibility. So, even though 911 was a code- and model name, 1968 models received yet another internal designation; A Series. This continued until the redesigned G Series, first seen in '73. Special models still received a unique type number now and again - the 930 Turbo is probably the best-known example of this.

1988 beckoned the arrival of the completely redesigned 911 964. Throughout the years, Porsche has released several new renditions of the 911, with the 993 (1993), 996 (1998), 997 (2005), 991 (2012), and the current model 992 (2019). During this period, Porsche's model range grew to cater to a broader audience, offering vehicles such as the Cayenne. While these new additions used unconventional model names, they still retain the internal codes.

Even though Porsche's offerings are far easier to understand these days, it can still be perplexing for fans. The Boxster is currently the cheapest drop-top in the range. It received the name because of the unique boxer engine configuration and roadster body style; Boxster is simply a portmanteau of the two words.

While Carrera has essentially become a synonym for 911, it was previously used to denote a more powerful engine. The Carrera nameplate is derived from the Carrera Panamericana, an endurance race Porsche enjoyed great success in.

Perhaps the most recent Porsche badging, E-Hybrid simply designates a vehicle with both a combustion engine and electric motor on board, providing more power while reducing overall CO2 emissions. Executive simply signifies long-wheelbase Panamera.

Nomenclature used on several sportier Porsche models is the GTS badging. Short for Gran Turismo Sport, it was first used on the 1963 904 Carrera GTS, and was revived in the 90s with the 928 GTS. Now, the three letters are used to designate a particularly sporty and exclusive Porsche in the respective lineups.

Better known due to their popularity with performance car enthusiasts are the RS-badged models. "RennSport" models are road-legal cars that lean heavily on Porsche's motor racing equivalents. It has also been used on other performance-oriented models, such as the 911 RS America.

RSR (RennSport Rennwagen) Porsches are purely for competition racing and aren't road legal. S (Sport or Super) simply hints at a model with a more muscular engine. Additionally, S denotes superior equipment levels over the basic model. The Spyder nameplate is reserved for open-topped mid-engined cars and can be traced back to the coach-making term for lightweight, two-seater carriages.

The last three are also well-known among Porsche fans, with Turbo simply denoting a Turbo (except in the Taycan EV, of course), "4" signifying that the vehicle boasts all-wheel drive, and Targa representing an open-roofed derivative of the 911, distinguished by the roll-over protection bar and unique removable roof.

While initially confusing, Porsche's naming system does start to make a lot of sense once you delve into it. It's amazing to think that a simple logistical problem and potential legal issues led to the iconic 911 name. Now approaching its 60th year in production, there are very few cars that can match the 911 and its legendary status. Here's to the next 60.