TEN YEARS AFTER
It seems absurd to consider I’m writing an introduction to an issue of 911 & Porsche World celebrating the 991’s tenth anniversary. After all, it only seems like yesterday the eagerly anticipated replacement for the massively popular 997 was unveiled at the 2011 Frankfurt Motor Show. And yet, here we are, looking back at the successes of a 911 which managed to not only outsell its predecessor, but usher in a new platform for 911 development, one we see continuing with the current generation of Porsche’s flagship product.
In this issue, we also celebrate another special anniversary: exactly forty years ago, two-time World Rally Championship winner, Walter Röhrl, and his time-served co-driver, Christian Geistdörfer, hit the ADAC International Metz Rally in a pre-series 924 Carrera GTS. Dressed in sponsor graphics from cognac producer, Monnet, the car was something of a test mule for Porsche and performed brilliantly throughout the 1981 season. Fast-forward four decades and, on the occasion of Röhrl’s seventy-fourth birthday, the very same turbocharged transaxle was reunited with the German speed merchant, the car fully restored by Porsche Classic under the supervision of original assembler, Roland Kussmaul, at the Porsche Development Centre in Weissach, where production took place in period.
If Röhrl has inspired you to take an interest in Porsche’s exploits on dirt surfaces, you’ll love the Cayenne off-roader we also showcase in this issue of 911 & Porsche World. Proof, if proof were needed, a Porsche SUV can make the humdrum school run and the weekly shop a whole lot more fun.