Porsche Turbo

The last of the air-cooled Porsches, the 993 generation of the iconic 911 is seen by some hardcore Porsche purists as the last truly great model in its long lineage, despite the fact that in terms of performance, comfort and safety it has been obviously surpassed by all subsequent generations. Launched at the end of 1993, it was the third all-new 911 in the history of the Zuffenhausen sports car maker, albeit it did feature some carryover parts from the 964 generation.

Penned by Tony Hatter, who is still working at Porsche and recently penned the second-generation Cayman, the 911 (993) brought an air of modernism at the German carmaker, especially when seen from the rear. Featuring wider wheel arches but a much more subdued and somewhat slippery overall look, the model was still very much part of the classic 911 lineage in terms of styling, although sprinkled with many contemporary design motifs. It was under the body shell where most of the novelties resided, with the model featuring a revised flat-six engine lineup and an entirely new suspension that worked to reduce much of the snap-oversteer tendencies of its predecessors.

Built over a span of just under five years, the 993 family featured three body styles, two types of traction and at least six official engine variants. The base model, christened 911 Carrera Coupe, was equipped with an evolution of the 3.6-liter, boxer engine from the 911 (964), first offering 272 horsepower and then 285 horsepower after Porsche upgraded its induction system to VarioRam in 1995. The most powerful variant of this flat-six was found in the hardcore GT2 and the 911 Turbo S, which came with a more-than-satisfying 450 horsepower.

Click past the jump to read more about the Porsche 911 (993).