Porsche 356
The Porsche 356 was a Porsche sports car sold from 1948 through 1965, and Porsche's first production automobile. It was preceeded by the Porsche 64, which has lead to some argument over which car is offically the first Porsche, although the Type 64 was never mass-produced and was never much more than a driveable test-mule. The 356 concept was created by Ferdinand "Ferry" Porsche (Ferry being a nickname), styled by Erwin Komenda, and mechanically derived from the Volkswagen Beetle, which Ferdinand Porsche Sr. had designed. It was available as both a coupé and a roadster and went through several evolutions before being retired. 356 "Carrera", "Super 90" and "Speedster" models are among the most desirable versions; 356 Carrera models often sell for well over $100,000 USD. Porsche replaced the 356 with their then-new 911 model in 1963, although they continued to sell 356s in North America through the end of 1965 as a lower-cost vehicle. The 356's engine was later re-used to power Porsche's "entry level" 912

Porsche 911
The Porsche 911 is a famous and distinctive sportscar made by Porsche AG of Stuttgart, Germany. Evolving continually since its introduction, the car is sometimes known by its internal names: Type 901 (shortly during 1963 before production started), Type 911 (1963-1988), Type 930 (turbocharged models prior to 1989), Type 964 (1989-1992), Type 993 (1993-1997), Type 996 (1998-2004) and Type 997 (from 2004). The 911 has been modified, both by private teams and the factory itself, for racing, rallying and other types of automotive competition, and has been extremely successful both on and off the track since its inception. The 911 was developed as a more powerful, larger, more comfortable replacement for the Porsche 356, the company's first model, and essentially a sporting evolution of the Volkswagen Beetle. The car made its public debut as the 'Porsche 901' (901 being its internal project number) at the 1963 Internationale Automobil-Ausstellung, better known to English speakers as the Frankfurt motor show. After a legal protest from Peugeot (on the grounds that they owned the trademark to all car names formed by three numbers with a zero in the middle), but before production started, the car had its name changed to 911. It went on sale in 1964. Its 130 PS1 (96 kW) six-cylinder engine, in the 'boxer' configuration like the 356, air-cooled and rear-mounted, displaced 1991cc compared with the 356's four-cylinder 1600cc unit. The car had four seats to the 356's two, although the rear seats are very small, and the car is usually called a 2+2 rather than a four-seater. It was mated to a five speed manual 'Type 901' transmission. The styling was largely by Ferdinand "Butzi" Porsche, son of the company founder Ferdinand "Ferry" Porsche. Erwin Komenda, the leader of the Porsche car body construction department, was also involved in the design. The 356 came to the end of its life in 1965, but there was still a market for a 4-cylinder car, particularly in the USA. The Porsche 912, introduced the same year, served as a direct replacement. It used the 356's 4-cylinder, 1600cc 90 PS (66 kW) engine but wore the 911 bodywork and was in most respects a 911. In 1966 Porsche introduced the more powerful 911S, the engine's power raised to 160 PS (118 kW). Alloy wheels from Fuchs, in a distinctive 5-leaf design, were offered for the first time. In motorsport at the same time, installed in the mid-engined Porsche 904 and Porsche 906, the engine was developed to 210 PS (154 kW). In 1967 the Targa version was introduced. The Targa had a removable roof panel, a removable plastic rear window (although this was soon replaced by a fixed glass item) and a stainless steel roll bar. (Porsche had, at one point, thought that the NHTSA would outlaw fully open convertibles in the US, an important market for the 911, and introduced the Targa as a 'stop gap' model.) The name 'Targa' came from the Targa Florio road race in Sicily, in which Porsche had notable success: victories in 1956, 1959, 1960, 1963, 1964, 1966, 1967, 1968, 1969, 1970 and 1973.

Porsche 912
The Porsche 912 is a sports car automobile manufactured by Porsche GmbH of Germany between 1965 and 1969 as an entry-level model. It was intended to fill the price gap between the previous 356 model and the pricey new 911 flagship model as well as to broaden accesability to the brand. It shared the 911 bodyshell and chassis as well as some suspension and braking components, but was powered by essentially the same four-cylinder engine used in the 356 rather than the 911's "flat" six-cylinder powerplant. It substantially outsold the 911 during the first few years of production, primarily because of its pricepoint and the proven reliability of the 4-cylinder engine that powered it. It was replaced as the entry-level model by the 914 model in 1970. Porsche produced slightly more than 30,000 912s during the initial five year run, then reintroduced the designation for one year during 1976 as the 912E. The "E" model was designed to occupy the entry-level position left vacant by the discontinued 914 model while the new 924, the 914's offical replacment, was being finalized and put into production. It featured the "G-Series" 911 bodywork and was powered by Volkwagen's 2.0 litre four-cylinder engine, previously used in late-model "Type IV" versions of the 914/4. 2,099 were manufactured solely for the US market.

Porsche 914
The Porsche 914 was an automobile built collaboratively by Volkswagen and Porsche from 1969 through 1975. It was originally intended it to be sold in four cylinder trim as a Volkswagen, to be the top-spec VW sports car, and in six cylinder trim as a Porsche, to be Porsche's entry level car, replacing the 912. Although they stuck with this setup in Europe, Porsche decided during development that having VW and Porsche models sharing the same body would be risky for business in the U.S. market, and convinced VW to allow them to sell both versions as Porsches in North America. Unfortunately for Porsche, the original deal fell apart after the death of Volkswagen's chairman. As a result, the price of the chassis from VW was raised considerably, so the 914/6 ended up costing only a bit less than the 911T, Porsche's next lowest price car. This substantially hampered the sales of the car. Nonetheless, the car managed to be Porsche's top seller during its entire model run, outselling the 911 by a wide margin. Over 118,000 cars were sold worldwide. Volkswagen versions originally came with an 80hp fuel-injected 1.7 litre flat-4 engine based on the unit that powered the VW 411 and 412 saloon cars (the VW Type 4). Porsche's 914/6 variant came with a carburetted 2.0 litre 110hp flat six cylinder engine, taken from the 1969 911T. Karmann manufactured the rolling chassis at their own plant, then either sent them to Porsche for fitment of the Porsche suspension and flat-six engine or kept them in house for VW hardware. Porsche handled export to the U.S., where both versions were badged and sold as Porsches. Many enthusiasts regard this as having been a big mistake on Porsche's part. 914/6 production ended in 1972, with just over 3000 cars produced, to be replaced with a redesigned Type IV of 2.0 litres capacity in 1973, in an attempt to keep the price down. For 1974, the 1.7 was bored out to 1.8 litres, with the US version using fuel injection, and the European version using twin carburators. 914 production ended in 1975 (though some leftover 1975 production was sold as 1976 model year cars), two years prior to the introduction of its eventual replacement, the 924. The Type IV was used in 1976 in 911 bodies, sold as the 912E, to provide an entry-level car until the 924 could be delivered. The 914 was Motor Trend's Import Car of the Year for 1970. A supercar version known as the Porsche 916 was planned for production in the mid-70's, but was cancelled after the production of approximately 16 prototypes. These can be easily recognized by their flared fenders and more aggressive front ends when compared to the 914. Two "special edition" 914s, dubbed 914/8, were built during 1969. The first, a silver unit, was built to comemorate "Ferry" Porsche's 60th birthday, and was powered by a carburated and de-tuned 908 race motor making 260 hp (194 kW). The second, a red unit powered by the full-blown, 400 horsepower (298 kW) 908 motor was presented to Ferdinand Piech, Ferry's son-in-law and then chairman of the Volkswagen group. The 914/8 bodywork differed from that of the standard 914 in only a few small but noticeable ways. Wheel arches were flared out, larger wheels were fit, and a cooling aperture for the oil cooler was affixed to the front bumper. The chassis remained largely unchanged, although retuned shocks and custom coil springs cut from titanium were added to the package along with the upgraded bodywork, larger wheels and tires and uprated brakes. The 914/8 was not considered for production as a regular model. Some say that the Volkswagen New Beetle "feels" and drives very similarly to this car.

Porsche 924
The Porsche 924 was an automobile produced by Porsche AG of Germany from 1976 to 1988. A two door, 2+2 seat sports car coupe, the 924 replaced the 914 as the company's entry level model, and was the model that finally retired the 912. It was the first Porsche model powered by a water-cooled, front mounted engine to make production, although the similarly configured 928 was designed before the 924. The front engine, rear drive arrangement was normal for most other manufacturers, but it was unusual for Porsche, who had previously only used mid or rear mounted engines of a boxer configuration, all of which had been air cooled. The 924 was a success, and not only helped to take Porsche out of financial ruin, it created the revenue stream needed to continue building and developing the 911. The 924 was replaced by the 944, but the two were produced together for some time. The 924 was originally intended to be VW's flagship sports coupe. VW commissioned Porsche to design the car, who developed a fresh chassis and gearbox that would work with an existing Audi straight-4 engine. They also handled the suspension and the interior and exterior design. Porsche decided on a rear wheel drive layout, and designed a rear transaxle to help provide 50/50 front/rear weight distribution. Due to growing concern over the oil crisis, Volkswagen put the project on hold, eventually dumping it entirely after their eventual decision to move forward with the Quattro Coupe' model instead. Porsche, who needed a model to replace the 914, made a deal with VW leadership, agreeing to buy the design for 100 Million DM. The deal specified that the car would be built at the ex-NSU factory in Neckarsulm located north of the Porsche headquarters in Stuttgart, the VW employees would do the actual production-line work and that Porsche would own the design. It became one of Porsche's best selling models to date, and the realitive cheapness of building the car made it both profitable and farily easy to Porsche to finance. The original design used an Audi sourced four-speed manual transmission for the 924 (initally an automatic transmission was not offered) mated to VW's EA831 2.0 litre, straight-4 engine, previously used in the Audi 100 and VW LT van and producing 95 hp (71 kW) in North American trim. Euro models, which didn't require power sapping emissions equipment, made 110 hp (82 kW). The original 5-speed transmission was a "dogleg" Porsche unit, which was subsequently replaced with a normal H pattern five speed, a three speed automatic transmission eventually became available as well. The brakes were solid discs at the front and drums at the rear. The overall styling was penned by Dutchman Harm Lagaay, a member of the Porsche styling team, with the hidden headlights, sloping hoodline and grilless nose giving the car it's popular wedge shape. The car went on sale in the USA in July of 1976 as a 1977 model with a base price of $9,395. Porsche made small improvements to the 924 each model year between 1976 and 1985, but nothing major was changed.

Porsche 928
The Porsche 928 is an automobile made by Porsche AG of Germany from 1977 to 1995, during which time it was their flagship model. It is classified as a grand tourer, but the combination of its V8 engine and 50/50 weight distribution made it a competent sports car. It was designed to replace the Porsche 911, although ultimately it failed. The 928 has been nicknamed Shark and Land Shark, due both to its shark-like appearance with its headlights down, and its ability to 'eat up' large segments of road, in very little time. The 928 design study began in 1971. Many different drivetrain layouts were considered during early development. These included V8 at rear like on 911, mid-engine etc. All were dismissed because of technical and/or legistative difficulties. It was feared at the time US legislation would ban use of rear engined cars in wake of Chevrolet Corvair and Ralph Nader's book Unsafe at Any Speed. Rear engine layout problems also included having engine, gearbox, catalytic converter(s) and exhaust all in a very small area making emission and noise control more difficult. Mid-engine didn't allow enough room for passanger compartment and so on. Front engine and rear mounted gearbox was viewed as the best possible compromise. To achieve performance expected from Porsche and at same time comply with strictening emission requirements it was deemed engine needed to have fairly large displacement. Especially compared to earlier Porsche street cars. First running test engines were 5 liter 90 degree V8 and gave close to 300 hp. These still used one four throat carburetor. It was replaced by Bosch K-Jetronic fuel injection before development was finalized. During seventies oil crisis downsizing was considered necessary in order to get better fuel economy. 3.3L 180 hp engine was favored by certain managers while engineers wanted full 5L version despite it's somewhat higher consumption. Selected engine was compromise of the two extremes. Engineers got their desired power levels eventually when S model was released outside North America. Finished car debuted at the 1977 Geneva Motor Show before going on sale. Porsche had wanted to add a luxury touring car to their line-up, and slumping sales of the 911 model led executives to believe that they would soon need a replacement for it. Porsche's Managing Director at the time, Ernst Fuhrmann, believed that the company's future lay with practical grand tourers rather than with pure sports cars, partly because he had seen the 911 sales slip so greatly. When Peter Schutz took over from Fuhrmann in January, 1981, he decided that the two models should be sold side by side, feeling the company should wait for the consumers to pick a favorite before actually discontinuing the 911. Although the 928 developed an avid fan following, it never sold in the numbers that Fuhrmann had originally predicted, and was discontinued in 1995. The 911 remains Porsche's most recognized model.

Porsche 930
The 930 was a sports car built by Porsche. 930 was the internal type number for the turbocharged version of the Porsche 911 produced from 1975 to 1989. It was Porsche's top-of-the-range model for its entire production duration. At the time of its introduction, it was the fastest production car available in Germany. The father of the Turbo was Ernst Fuhrmann. He adapted the turbo-technology developed in the legendary Can-Am race car 917/30 resulting in one of the first turbocharged production sports cars. Originally, the Turbo was intended to become a lightweight homologation version similar to the Carrera RS. However, with new homolgation regulations Porsche could finally market the Turbo as a high-performance gran turismo with some (optional) luxury features such as air-conditioning. Outside, the Turbo features distinctive styling elements, including flared wheelarches and a 'Whale-Tail' rear spoiler. Porsche first introduced the Turbo at the Paris auto show in Ocotber 1974 and prodcution began in the spring of 1975. The second year, 1976, the Turbo was exported to the United States. Dubbed 'killer turbo' by many and in best traditon of its ancestor 917, nicknamed 'the widowmaker', the 930 and every Porsche 911 Turbo thereafter have been among the best performing sports cars at their respective time. However, the 930 was a demanding car for one attempting to explore its enourmous potential. Already, the naturally aspirated 911 was prone to oversteer effects due to its rear engine lay-out and short wheelbase. Now this combined with the vast amount of power of the Turbo and its significant turbo-lag, the 930 could have an inexperienced driver face some serious hardship. The laws of physics became quite obvious when the explosion-like boost transformed road turns into somewhat of a rodeo ride for the unaware. Several fatal accidents (and far-reaching product liability laws) resulted in lawsuits in the US, which finally made Porsche to offer driver's training for customers. In 1980 Porsche ceased to offer the Turbo in the US and in Japan due to emission regulations. At that time, Ernst Fuhrmann had the vision that the Porsche 928 would eventually replace the 911 and drove back any further investments in the 911 line. Fuhrmann was wrong. In 1986, Porsche introduced a 282 hp (DIN) version with emission controls. Between 1980 and 1986 several Turbos made their way into the U.S. via the 'gray market'.

Porsche 944
The Porsche 944 was a high performance sports car produced by German auto manufacturer Porsche. It was introduced in 1982 to replace the Porsche 924 as their entry level model, although the two cars were sold in parallel for a number of years. Production ended in 1991 when it was replaced by the Porsche 968. The 944 was a huge success for Porsche throughout the 1980s, and was available in several forms throughout its evolution: 944, 944S, 944 Turbo, and the 944S2. The 944 was introduced in 1982 with a 2.5 L straight-4 engine whose design was based on one half of the Porsche 928's V8 engine. Compared to the 924, the 944 had updated bodywork and many improved parts such as its engine, brakes etc. The 944's engine used the patented balance shaft technology developed by Mitsubishi (as used in the 2.6 L Astron engine) to minimise vibration. Porsche had to pay Mitsubishi a fee of $8 for every engine using this system. In mid-1985 the 944's underwent its first significant changes. The interior's ergonomics and air conditioning system was improved and the radio antenna also moved from a standard vertical position to being embedded in the windshield. The alternator was upgraded from a 90 amp alternator to a 115 amp alternator. Other changes included a change in oil sump capacity, new front and rear cast aluminum control arms and semi-trailing arms, a larger fuel tank, optional heated and powered seats, revised starter, and revisions in the mounting of the transaxle to reduce noise and vibration. The "cookie cutter" style wheels used in the early 944s were upgraded to the new "phone dial" style wheels. In 1985 Porsche introduced the 944 Turbo, a higher-performance variant, known internally as the 951. This had a turbocharged version of the standard car's engine that produced 220 bhp (164 kW) at 6000 rpm. The Turbo also featured other revisions, such as improved aerodynamics, a strengthened gearbox, wider wheels and uprated suspension. In 1987 a "Super" version, the 944S, was introduced while dual air-bags and an anti-lock braking system were introduced as options on the base model. The 944S had a little more power thanks in part to the series' first sixteen valve engine, as well as other slight improvements. 1988 saw the introduction of the 944 Turbo S, with 250 bhp (186 kW) and a limited slip differential. Airbags were still not standard in all 944 models. In 1989 the 'S' was dropped from the 944 Turbo S, and all 944 Turbos featured the 'S' package as standard. The regular 944 displacement was increased to a 2.7 L engine. This was the only year for the 2.7 L, as this year saw the introduction of the 944S2 with a 3.0 L engine displacement which saw sales through 1991. The 944S2 had the same rounded nose and valence body of the Turbo model. The S2 was also available as a cabriolet, a first for the 944 line. In early 1990, Porsche engineers began working on what they had intended to be the third evolution of the 944, the S3. Once invested into the development process, they realized that so many parts were being changed that their "evolution" had really amassed to an almost entirely new vehicle. Porsche quickly rethought their plans, and shifted development from a 944 S3 to a car that would replace the 944 entirely, dubbed 968. The 968 debuted in 1992 and was sold alongside the 928 through 1995, when both models were discontinued.

Porsche 968
The 968 was an automobile made by Porsche AG of Germany between 1992 and 1995. The 968 replaced the Porsche 944 and was itself replaced by the Porsche Boxster. The 968 actually started development as a 944 "S3", set to replace the "S2" variant that Porsche had introduced in 1989. However, so many of the 944's components were modified or replaced entirely during development stages that Porsche choose to introduce the variant as a new model, hence the 968 nameplate. It was powered by an updated version of the 944's straight-4 engine, now displacing 3.0 L and producing 240 PS (236 hp/177 kW). The 968's engine was the second-largest 4-cylinder ever offered in a production car, the most powerful 4-cylinder engine ever sold in a production automobile and with a specific output of around 80 hp (60 kW) per litre, it had one of the highest power per litre ratings of any street-legal naturally aspirated automobile ever sold behind only the Acura (Honda) NSX. This high specific output was partly due to Porsche's VarioCam camshaft phasing device, introduced on this model.

Porsche 968 CS
The 968's styling somewhat resembled the 928 although it looked considerably more like a blend of the Type 993 911 and a 944 S2. Like the 944, the 968 was sold as both a coupe and a convertible. Much of the 968's chassis was carried over from the 944S2, which in itself shared many components with the "S1" 944 Turbo (internally numbered 951). Borrowed components include the Brembo-sourced 4 piston brake calipers on all four wheels, aluminum semi-trailing arms and aluminum front A-arms, used in a Macpherson strut arrangement. The steel unibody structure was also very similar to the previous models. Porsche, however, maintained that the 968 was more than 80% new in total, which merited it having a new nameplate rather than being a 944 S3 as had been planned.

1994 Porsche 968 cabriolet
A street-legal race variant, dubbed Club Sport, appeared later on with a stripped-out interior including racing seats, revised suspension and larger wheels and tires, but was offered only in Europe. A UK-only version called 968 Sport, a Club Sport model with some "comfort" features added back in, was produced in 1994 and 1995. Porsche briefly produced a turbocharged version called Turbo S—15 were produced in total, and again the car was only sold in Europe. The 968 Turbo S was capable (in 1993) of 0–60 mph in 4.7 s and top speeds approaching 180 mph (290 km/h). A race variant called 968 Turbo RS was added as well, only 4 were produced. There were approximately 2000 cabriolets and 2000 coupes imported to USA 1992–1995. Values are steady and appear to have increased in the last 2 years by approx $1000 across the board. Low milage examples are worth around US$30,000 and 100,000 mile units are worth $11,000–$15,000. The 968 was Porsche's last new front-engined vehicle before the introduction of the Cayenne SUV in 2003. It was sold alongside the 928 GTS through 1995 when both models were dropped. As of 2005, Porsche has not yet built another front-engined sports car.

Porsche Boxster
The Porsche Boxster is a convertible sportscar released in late 1996. The Boxster has a mid-mounted engine, two doors, two seats, and a folding cloth roof. Throughout its production it has been Porsche's smallest and least expensive sportscar model. The Boxster's name plays on the words 'boxer' (its horizontally-opposed engine configuration) and 'roadster'. Boxster production began at the former Porsche 928 facility at Stuttgart after the 928 was discontinued due to poor sales. Boxsters are also manufactured in Uusikaupunki, Finland by Valmet under contract to Porsche. The styling of the Boxster is owed to former "Style Porsche" department head Harm Lagaay. His Boxster design study and the production Boxster stimulated a commercial turnaround for Porsche after several difficult years of falling sales. Porsche internally designated the first generation of the Boxster the 986. The visual appearance of the 986 is heavily inspired by the Porsche Spyder and Speedster. The Boxster features two models; the standard model with a 200 bhp (150 kW), 2.5 L flat six cylinder engine (enlarged to 2.7 L and 225 bhp (170 kW) in later model years), and the model "S" with an enlarged 3.2 L engine producing 258 bhp (186 kW). Combining the traditional Porsche virtues of quality, reliability, performance, and handling, with styling reminiscent of the larger 911 (to the point where buyers of the 911 complained that their car looked too similar to the Boxster), the car has been popular both with car industry journalists and with buyers. It was Porsche's biggest volume seller from its introduction in model year 1997 until the company introduced the Cayenne in model year 2003.

Porsche Cayenne
The Porsche Cayenne is an SUV automobile made by Porsche since 2002. It is the first V8-engined vehicle built by Porsche since 1995, when the Porsche 928 was discontinued. Sales of the Cayenne have been strong, with 100,000 sold as of June, 2005. 40% of Cayenne sales are in North America. The Cayenne was co-developed with Volkswagen, who was also looking to add an SUV to their lineup, as a cost-sharing initiative. Volkswagen shares this chassis to underpin their Touareg sports utility vehicle, although there are numerous styling, equipment and technical differences between the two vehicles. Unlike in the Touareg, which is only available with a 3.2 litre, 240 horsepower VR6 or a 4.2 litre, 310 horsepower V8, there are currently 4 engines available in the Cayenne:3.2 L 250 bhp (184 kW) V6 from Volkswagen (Based on the unit offered in the VW but with modifications made to the intake, exhuast and timing systems and heads),4.5 L 340 bhp (250 kW),V84.5 L 450 bhp (340 kW) 460 ft.lbf twin-turbocharged V8,4.5 L 500 bhp (370 kW) 515 ft.lbf Tequipment ,twin-turbocharged V8.Many Porsche enthusiasts are unhappy with the company for producing an SUV (particularly a 4-door one), seeing it as diluting the meaning of the brand. According to Wheels, a well-regarded Australian car magazine, the decision to develop the Cayenne was a contentious one for the company for this reason. Management reportedly felt, however, that the company needed a more dependable source of revenue than the fickle sports car market. In May 2004, Porsche issued a recall on the Cayennes for seatbelts that do not function properly during a collison. At the IAA 2005, Porsche announced it will produce a hybrid version of the Cayenne before 2010.