TOTAL 911 VERDICT

The 964 was the last 911 to be built before the cost accountants and work-study specialists alighted upon Porsche’s predilection for over-engineering everything. The final rear-drive and single-turbo 911 was by some margin the best yet: Weissach enhanced the Turbo’s driveability and the 964 3.6 Turbo lacked only the sophistication and better mpg that the Motronic management already used on the Carrera would have endowed. If the ride was sportscar rather than ‘boulevard’ the 3.6 Turbo’s lower, wider stance ensured sharper road holding than before. Today, this is much more than a mere weekend toy: a practical classic 911 in which to go touring, untemperamental in traffic, easy enough to drive fast, but above all offering a real challenge to the skilled 911 exponent capable of getting the best from what is an entirely analogue sportscar. The once extrovert spoiler and wings still attract attention, but because the air-cooled 911 looks so small compared with modern supercars and its frogeyes are such a classic old-porsche feature, the Turbo is more likely to generate smiles than snarls.