The All-New Porsche 911 Proves That The More Things Change, The More They Stay The Same

TopSpeed

By Kirby Garlitos

Published Nov 28, 2018

That rear section looks pretty special, though

There aren’t that many cars in the world that are as important to an automaker as the 911 is to Porsche. When you think of Porsche, you think of the 911. It comes as little surprise then that Porsche pulled out all the stops when it officially debuted the eighth-generation 911 at the Porsche Experience Center, days ahead of its appearance at the 2018 Los Angeles Auto Show. Orders for the eighth-generation Porsche 911 Carrera S are already open, though don’t expect deliveries to take place until the summer of 2019. The price of the 2020 911 Carrera S starts at $113,200, while the 2020 911 Carrera 4S will be offered from $120,600. Expect an extra charge of $1,050 to account for delivery, processing and handling fees.

The 2020 Porsche 911 992

If there’s one thing you can count on Porsche, it’s that it’ll go to great lengths to protect the legacy of the Porsche 911. It comes part and parcel with the 911’s status as Porsche’s most important model. The 911 defines everything that Porsche stands for. One look at the all-new 992-generation 911 and you’ll understand why. By and large, the profile of the car looks the same. Not that it’s a bad thing because Porsche has dipped into this classic formula to great success. Why change something so timeless, right?

There is one big design change, though, and you can find it by taking a stroll to the rear section of the 992 911. What you’ll see is a lighting configuration that every automaker today seems to have taken great affinity to the stretched-out taillights. To its credit, Porsche used the design to great effect on the 991 911. The aesthetically balanced design is clean to look at. There’s enough space for the sharp bumper to establish its own presence. Same goes for the dual tailpipes that now sit closer together — they’re flanked by the license plate holder — compared to the previous generation. On that end, the 992 911 wears the design like a well-manicured suit.

Elsewhere, the 992 911 now features integrated electric door handles that pop out when needed. Think of this new setup as aerodynamically advantageous to the new 911. Size is another noticeable change in the new 992 911. The all-new model is bigger than its predecessor. The size disparity isn’t obvious if you look at the car, but it is significant enough to change the whole performance makeup of the model. Porsche notes, too, that the entire rear body width has increased to 72.91 inches from 71.2 inches in the previous model. The increased size of the sports coupe is also evident in the wheel housings, all of which are now wider than they were in the last generation. The wider housings create more room for those 20-inch front wheels and 21-inch rear wheels.

Overall, the Porsche 992 911’s design embodies the saying “the more things change, the more they stay the same.” The engine layout remains in the back. The luggage compartment remains in front. The iconic round headlamps are still there, and the nose remains rounded as ever. Even the front bumper design isn’t a far departure from its predecessor.

There’s an aura surrounding this model that undercuts design language. When you see a Porsche 911, you know exactly what generation it is. That’s what makes the 911 so special compared to other performance cars. Its design cuts across generational lines like no other car in the industry today. In a lot of ways, that’s exactly why it’s the 911. No other car — not a Ferrari, not a Lamborghini — can lay claim to having that kind of aesthetic legacy.

The 2020 Porsche 911 992

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