A follow-up: the Porsche 911 has gotten so big – or has it?

Your comment to last issue’s star letter that this was “fine automotive journalism” is beyond me. All Porsche aficionados know that since the 997, sadly Porsche has lost its way and the 991 generation onwards are far too big. Until Porsche addresses this, which it probably has no desire to do, given the profitability of the company and the appeal of the brand, we sadly will not return to the true sports car that is supposed to be their heritage.

It’s a shame that as a specialist magazine and ‘mouthpiece’ for 911 owners worldwide you just sit back and accept this trend. I have been driving Porsches for 40 years, having owned two air-cooled 911s and now a 996 Turbo, sadly something inherent has been lost. Perhaps it’s time for you to address this? Bigger isn’t necessarily better. Henry Boxer

The fact is the 991 is the most populous 911 ever, with one in five 911s hailing from the 991 generation. So, without doubt the ‘bigger’ 911 is the most popular 911 of all time, judged by a crucial metric: those voting with their wallets.

Besides, the star letter in question wasn’t denying the fact the 911 had got bigger – moreover, that proportionately the 911 hasn’t grown as much as other long-standing vehicles from other manufacturers over the years, which is something that has been overlooked to date.

The beauty of the 911 stratosphere is that, should you indeed believe the manufacturer had lost its way by the turn of the 991, you still have 49 years of 911s prior to that to enjoy, which it sounds like you are doing with your 996 Turbo.