1992 Porsche 911 Carrera

For the 5 decades the Porsche 911 has been produced, it has proved to be a capable Grand Tourer, circuit racer, and rally car. The first 911 made its appearance in 1963 at the Frankfurt Motor Show as the '901'. Just after production commenced in 1964, its name was changed to the 911, following Peugeot's complaints about the use of '0' model numbers. The 911 had a similar rear-engine layout as the preceding Type 356, though it switched to unitary construction for the body shell and exchanged the 356's VW-based suspension for a modern McPherson strut and trailing arm arrangement. The first incarnation of the 911 was powered by a single overhead camshaft, air-cooled flat-six that displaced 1991cc and offered 130 horsepower. Over the years, it was enlarged and developed, eventually growing to more than 3 liters. With the help of a turbocharger, the engine produced over 300 horsepower.

Porsche launched the Benjamin Dimson designed 911 Carrera 2 and Carrera 4 (known internally as the Type 964) in 1989. Initially, just the four-wheel-drive form (Carrera 4 or C4) was offered; the following year the two-wheel-drive Carrera 2 (C2) was introduced. This marked the first time that four-wheel drive had been used on a series-production Porsche model. With its smoother sills and flatter floorpan, it had a drag coefficient of 0.32. High-speed stability was ensured with the help of a self-deploying rear spoiler.

Porsche had gained experience with 4-wheel drive on the 959 supercar, and many of those lessons learned influenced the design of the 964's suspension and chassis. Power-assisted steering (a first for the 911), anti-lock brakes, and a five-speed manual transaxle were standard equipment.

The Type 964 was 85-percent different from the outgoing model. The displacement was now 3.6-liters and developed 250 horsepower. Aerodynamics, downforce, stability, and road holding at high speed were greatly improved. The retractable spoiler automatically extended at 50 mph which increased downforce and doubled the volume of cooling air fed into the engine compartment. The interior received revised instrumentation which had a larger set of warning lights that were tied into the car's central warning system, enhancing Porsche's reputation for reliability.

Zero-to-sixty miles per hour was accomplished in 5.3 seconds and top speed exceeded 160 mph. During its five years of production over 62,000 examples left the factory.

In 1992, the European market was given the opportunity to purchase a lightweight, rear-wheel-drive-only version of the 964 called the Carrera RS. It was available in three variants that included Touring, Lightweight, and N/GT. The standard engine received modifications, internally titled M64/03, with output increased to 260 hp. A lightweight flywheel was coupled to the G50/10 transmission with closer ratios, symmetrical limited-slip differential, and steel synchromesh. For increased stiffness and rigidity, the body shell was entirely steam-welded. Thinner glass was installed for some of the windows, the wheels were magnesium versions of the cup wheel, and the front bonnet was constructed from light alloy. Its stance was lowered by 40 mm and the suspension was given stiffer springs and shocks in addition to adjustable anti-roll bars. These improvements made the Carrera RS 345 pounds lighter than the United States version Carrera 2 model. The lightweight 964-generation 911 Carrera RS was essentially track-day specials that could be legally driven on the road.

For the United States market, they received the limited-edition American Roadster in 1992. They were built to commemorate the 1952 American Roadsters that had competed at Thompson Raceway in 1952. They were equipped with air-conditioning, power steering, a six-speaker stereo, and the turbocharger 201.3 CID engine with 320 horsepower.

The 1992 Carrera 2 and Carrera 4 were available as a coupe, Targa, and cabriolet. Pricing began at $63,900 for the Carrera 2 Coupe and 609 examples were sold. The Carrera 2 Cabriolet was the most popular in the lineup with 654 examples built.

by Daniel Vaughan | May 2019