35 YEARS OF 964 9M11S
Thirty-five years of 964? Goodness, how did that happen? There’s nothing like an anniversary to make us feel old. That said, the 964, when ushered in for 1989, was the antithesis of old. It was the 911’s brave, modern, ‘new world’ future. Turning its back on the G-series cars of yore, the 964 featured a bold, smooth new look. Out with impact bumpers, in with slippery front and rear aprons. In, too, with an active rear spoiler and a low-drag flat floor. So long Fuchs five-leaves, welcome Design 90 wheels, shared with Porsche’s transaxle family of products.
Back in the mid-to-late 1980s, and well into the early 1990s, no automotive feature suggested modernity quite like four-wheel drive. Think Audi Quattro and the mighty 959. The 964 therefore got all-wheel drive, plus a 247bhp 3.6litre engine, complete with twin-plug ignition and dual distributors to better burn then modern 95-octane unleaded fuel. Modern too, was the adoption of power steering and suspension with Macpherson struts and coil springs, replacing the 911’s torsion bars, which could be traced back to the very earliest Porsches. There was anti-lock braking, too. Oh, and let’s not forget the sequential Tiptronic transmission for an easier driving experience. Don’t scoff — Walter Röhrl raced a Tiptronic-equipped 964 Carrera Cup car, with some success.
The 964 was claimed to be eightyseven percent new over the outgoing Carrera 3.2, which is kind of odd, because most 964s are seemingly now eighty-seven percent old. How and why has the 964 gone from being the unloved 911 to being the blank canvas homage to the restomod art, though?
Well, the 964 being unloved is key. You think the 996 gets it in contributor, Jonny Tipler, knows only too well), the dual mass flywheel was a troublesome appendage, and those supposedly brave new looks were deemed more miss than hit. Even within Porsche, the 964 was not at all popular, with factory engineering boss, Helmuth Bott, being particularly offended by the MacPherson strut suspension, for some reason. Never mind the fact this was a dynamically better 911 — all these complaints kept prices low and ushered in the 993 earlier than many anticipated. Indeed, the 964 was canned after little more than four years.
