Design Icons
When bigger brakes were needed, Porsche fitted items that became an integral part of the 911’s aesthetic appeal
As their name suggests, they’re big, red and responsible for scrubbing speed from the 911…
since its earliest days the 911 has always boasted ample stopping power, with lightweight aluminium calipers specified since the B-series ‘s’. However, the 1992 introduction of the 360bhp 964 Turbo 3.6 demanded something a bit more special, with italian brake specialists, Brembo, chosen to step in. Founded in 1961, the company honed its performance credentials in Formula 1 and has spent decades since stopping the world’s fastest cars. For Porsche that expertise resulted in the development of the ‘Big Red’ caliper. The blown 964 utilised a single-piece monobloc design cast in aluminium alloy, each caliper featuring four pistons of 36mm and 44mm diameters for the leading and trailing pistons respectively. aside from the additional pressure they could exert, this new design also allowed for the fitment of pads with a notably greater surface area. added to that was the painstaking quality control throughout the process, as each caliper is cast, machined, heat-treated, painted and assembled.
Painted in a striking red to mark their prominance – and significance – from behind a Porsche alloy wheel, it’s no surprise that the company would retain ‘Big Reds’ for future iterations of range-topping 911s, and by the 997 Turbo they had been further developed to feature six rather than four pistons. Rather unusually for such an outstanding feature they have also become linked to an oft-mentioned issue that can affect a 911’s brakes – that of ‘plate lift’. it’s where a steel plate inserted into the aluminium caliper causes corrosion and sticking of the brake pads, but that hasn’t stopped them being revered for providing the ultimate in stopping power. But it’s not just their outright performance we’re interested in here – important as that is – because their very distinct appearance behind the spokes of each wheel is a keen reminder of the link between form and function that’s been at the heart of the 911 since the very beginning. Just seeing them wrapped around hefty discs certainly inspires confidence, but there’s no ignoring the fact that their beautiful finish adds immeasurably to the aesthetic appeal. eventually knocked off the top of the braking tree by Pccbs with yellow calipers, as an instantly recognisable element of the 911’s timeless design and engineering ethos, their place on this page is well deserved.
“Brembo has spent decades stopping the world’s fastest cars”