A feat for the long journey - Porsche 911 in the (historic) test

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A feat for the long journey - Porsche 911 in the (historic) test

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Created on February 5, 1965

Text:

David Phipps / Hado und Jürgen Stockmar

Photos:

Porsche AG / Porsche Schweiz AG

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Porsche 911 (1965) - on the handling course

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Porsche 911 (1965) - ready for the test drive

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Porsche 911 (1965) - during the handling test

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Porsche 911 (1965) - Cockpit, steering wheel and gearshift

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Porsche 911 (1965) - A look under the hood of the test car

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Porsche 911 (1965) - View into the trunk

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Porsche 901 (1963) - Ferdinand Alexander Porsche poses on the new sports car officially attributed to him

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Porsche 901 (1963) - a new 901 surrounded by its ancestors, a Taunus 17M and an Opel Rekord

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Porsche 901 (1963) - taken in September 1963

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Porsche 901 (1963) - one of the first examples of the new six-cylinder sports car

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Porsche 901 (1964) - a test car from the front

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Porsche 901 (1964) - rear view of a test car

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Porsche 901 (1963) - Presentation at the IAA in September 1963

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Porsche 901 (1963) - International Motor Show (IAA) in Frankfurt 1963 - Prototype version of the upcoming Porsche 901 or 911

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Porsche 901 (1963) - at the 1964 Geneva Motor Show. The 356 almost seems to attract more interest

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Porsche 901 (1964) - Front design with the characteristic pig headlights - Geneva Motor Show 1964

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Porsche 901 (1964) - gently sloping rear of the new sports car, which is to go into series production in summer 1964 and is still called the 901 in Geneva - Geneva Motor Show 1964

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Porsche 901 (1963) - New two-liter six-cylinder engine

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Porsche 901 (1964) - View into the engine compartment - Geneva Motor Show 1964

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Porsche 901 (1964) - View of the blower and engine of a test car

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Porsche 901 (1964) - View into the front trunk of a test car

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Porsche 901 (1964) - Dashboard - Geneva Motor Show 1964

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Porsche 911 (1966) - Cutaway model of the engine - Geneva Motor Show 1966

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Porsche 911 (1966) - Safety steering system, presented at the Geneva Motor Show

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Porsche 911 (1965) - detailed sectional drawing

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Porsche 912 (1965) - rear suspension (identical to 911)

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Porsche 912 (1965) - front suspension (identical to 911)

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Ferdinand Piëch (left) and Ferry Porsche next to the Type 718/2 engine for the Porsche 901 around 1963

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Porsche 901 (1963) - illustration on sales brochure

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Porsche 901 (1963) - pre-production model from September 1962, note the circular fuel filler flap on the fender

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Porsche 901 (1963) - Pre-production model of the new coupé in front of two 356-C convertibles and a 356-B coupé. The lady is allegedly Huschke von Hanstein's secretary Ilse Nädele

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Porsche 911 (1966) - still with fog lights as standard

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Porsche 911 (1967) - Fog lights now an optional extra

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Porsche 911 S (1966) - during test drives

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Summary

Today, the first Porsche 911 is often portrayed as the ultimate in German sports car construction and showered with superlatives. An early test report shows: It was no different back in 1965. Even a carburetor that was set too lean and a clunky gearshift could not dampen the test engineer's enthusiasm for the car's roadholding and revving performance. This article reproduces the original wording of the test and explains in detail what makes the 911 a "magnificent Grand Tourisme car".

This article contains the following chapters

Bodywork
Interior
Gearbox
Driving behavior
Engine
Zwiti
Addendum
Technical data & measured values

Estimated reading time: 22min

Preview (beginning of the article)

The brand new Porsche 901, with a 6-cylinder boxer engine, 5-speed gearbox and four disc brakes, was first presented to the public at the Frankfurt Motor Show in 1963. At that time it was more of a prototype, and a year had to pass before it went into series production. - In the meantime, the price was reduced and the model number changed, the latter because Peugeot declared that it had a patent on 3 digits with a 0 in the middle. (It begs the thought that Peugeot's time would be better spent applying advanced engineering skills to its obsolete cars). Be that as it may, there is no question that the 6-cylinder Porsche, regardless of type number, was worth the wait and that it is in every way much better than all previous road Porsches. It is faster - although not much faster than the Carrera - it handles better, it brakes better, and it is much more sophisticated, mainly due to the extra two cylinders. It also has very modern styling, which makes the 356 shape particularly beefy and brings practical benefits such as 58% more window space and 186% more luggage space. To give an impression of the car: Standard equipment includes fog lamps, three wiper speeds and two heaters. The additional, petrol-electric heater is for instant defrosting, while the normal VW-style heater (which also heats the rear window) makes it warm. My test car had two major faults: carburetor set too lean and very high wind noise. Once both faults have been eliminated, the "911" is a magnificent automobile.

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