# Porsche 911 **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [November 9, 2008, 10:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/porsche-911/471945 "2008-11-09T22:10:43Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 11\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![cainxinth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/7bcc69/32.png) [@cainxinth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cainxinth)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2008, 9:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/porsche-911/471945/21 "2008-11-10T21:13:17Z")
I think the new Targa is stunning. Definitely a dream car. [http://rcd.typepad.com/personal/porsche\_997\_targa\_4\_sky\_big\_02full\_at\_tekapo.jpg](http://rcd.typepad.com/personal/porsche_997_targa_4_sky_big_02full_at_tekapo.jpg) ---
**Author:** ![Throatwarbler\_Mangrove](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/8c91f0/32.png) [@Throatwarbler\_Mangrove](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Throatwarbler_Mangrove)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2008, 9:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/porsche-911/471945/22 "2008-11-10T21:16:11Z")
> [@](#): > > The Corvette is a barbell. Big, heavy, good brakes, but a barbell. A miata (and I suspect the 911) less so. Which generation of Corvette would this be referring to? Because everything you’ve said is basically backwards(not unlike a 911). The modern Corvette (C5/C6) are essentially mid engined cars, mid-engine being defined as having the engine located between the axles. Both the Corvette and the Miata would be much less “barbell” in nature than the 911, where the engine is in fact located outside the wheelbase. The C6 Corvette is also smaller than the 911 (4435mm vs 4461mm) and the base model Corvette Coupe weights about the same as the 997 S. ---
**Author:** ![Unintentionally\_Blank](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/unintentionally_blank/32/5418_2.png) [@Unintentionally\_Blank](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Unintentionally_Blank)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2008, 9:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/porsche-911/471945/23 "2008-11-10T21:34:11Z")
Sorry, my bad. I’ve got a C4 and a C5, and you’re right, the C5’s engine is farther back,and the transaxle helps contribute to better weight distribution nearer the CG of the car. The C6 is also a bit shorter. I just didn’t think it through. (dija happen to catch my username, perhaps?) It _is_ based on direct experience from going from a C4 Corvette to a Miata, back-to-back…but my C4’s nearly 20 years old now, I need to update my references. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Phlosphr](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/c68b51/32.png) [@Phlosphr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Phlosphr)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2008, 9:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/porsche-911/471945/24 "2008-11-10T21:45:46Z")
> [@cainxinth](#): > > I think the new Targa is stunning. Definitely a dream car. > > [http://rcd.typepad.com/personal/porsche\_997\_targa\_4\_sky\_big\_02full\_at\_tekapo.jpg](http://rcd.typepad.com/personal/porsche_997_targa_4_sky_big_02full_at_tekapo.jpg) WOW! I don’t know which is more beautiful? The car or the scene? ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2008, 10:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/porsche-911/471945/25 "2008-11-10T22:11:23Z")
> [@cainxinth](#): > > I think the new Targa is stunning. Definitely a dream car. > > [http://rcd.typepad.com/personal/porsche\_997\_targa\_4\_sky\_big\_02full\_at\_tekapo.jpg](http://rcd.typepad.com/personal/porsche_997_targa_4_sky_big_02full_at_tekapo.jpg) My boss’ boss has a midnight blue Targa 4S. It’s very lovely. ---
**Author:** ![bathsheba](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/9e8a1a/32.png) [@bathsheba](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bathsheba)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2008, 7:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/porsche-911/471945/26 "2008-11-11T07:12:50Z")
> [@Johnny\_L.A](#): > > OTOH I could have bought another 911, but I have an MGB. _sigh_ You’re almost as perfect as James May. ---
**Author:** ![Pushkin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ee59a6/32.png) [@Pushkin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pushkin)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2008, 8:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/porsche-911/471945/27 "2008-11-11T20:39:33Z")
> [@Johnny\_L.A](#): > > I read once (I think it was in _Excellence_ or else under its previous name of _Porsche_) that Porsche aimed to build one fewer car every year than demanded. I don’t know if that’s true, but I think the impression was They know their shit when it comes to economics as much as engineering. They recently put the share price of Volkswagen up to something like $1000 a share, from $200. Made a killing and completely took the folk for whom this is a living by surprise. I like the look of the really early Porsche 911s. They seem quite delicate and nimble, nothing brutesque about them at all. ---
**Author:** ![JKilez](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e5b9ba/32.png) [@JKilez](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JKilez)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2008, 2:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/porsche-911/471945/28 "2008-11-12T02:59:56Z")
I am biased, but I think the [993S series](http://www.aceautosports.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2007/10/98-porsche-993-c2s-coupe-blue-018-medium.jpg) widebody has the best aesthetic. They took styling clues from the 959 and created the most curvaceous 911 ever. There is something about the flattened bug look of that extremely exaggerated tail end. ---
**Author:** ![Philster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/13edae/32.png) [@Philster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Philster)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2008, 4:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/porsche-911/471945/29 "2008-11-12T16:19:29Z")
Somewhere in the 90’s, technology went off the charts and it’s hard to pinpoint when ‘spartan character’ eroded enough or overlapped successfully enough with modern safety/comfort features. It’s not a 911 issue exclusively. Something about late 1980’s through Mid-1990’s makes me think the right one is in that stretch somewhere. I’m thinking 1993. But that’s me. ---
**Author:** ![lieu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/c2a13f/32.png) [@lieu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lieu)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2008, 4:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/porsche-911/471945/30 "2008-11-12T16:35:47Z")
> [@JKilez](#): > > I am biased, but I think the [993S series](http://www.aceautosports.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2007/10/98-porsche-993-c2s-coupe-blue-018-medium.jpg) widebody has the best aesthetic. While there’s never been any variation of 911 I didn’t love, the first time I saw the 993 Turbo I think I actually uttered an audible gasp. Remended me of when Shelby got his hands on a 'Tang and made something that could take desire to an altogether new level. ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2008, 4:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/porsche-911/471945/31 "2008-11-12T16:37:37Z")
> [@Philster](#): > > Somewhere in the 90’s, technology went off the charts and it’s hard to pinpoint when ‘spartan character’ eroded enough or overlapped successfully enough with modern safety/comfort features. > > It’s not a 911 issue exclusively. Something about late 1980’s through Mid-1990’s makes me think the right one is in that stretch somewhere. I’m thinking 1993. But that’s me. In every generation of 911s since the 70s there have been stripped-out track day models, though; the 70s RS and RSR, the 80s CS and RS, and the 90s CS, GT2 and GT3. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/porsche-911/471945.md?page=1)