Today we think of the #Porsche964 as part of the “classic 911” universe because it’s air-cooled, but when it was new @Porsche was keen to emphasize that it was a mostly new car. Despite its evolutionary look 85% of the car was said to be all new and the 964 is not a de facto “classic” 911. “964” was its internal designation, but it was so substantially different from the earlier 911s that it was even often referred to this way even in the media, a practice that continued with later new 911s. The exterior was designed by Benjamin Dimson, a native of the Philippines who went directly from the ArtCenter College of Design to Porsche in the early 1980s. The 964 project got underway properly In late 1985/early 1986, around the time of the debut of the 959. Thus it’s no surprise that the 959 heavily informed the thinking behind many of the 964’s upgrades, particularly the addition of AWD in the form of the Carrera 4, the first 964 to go on sale. The “New 911” debuted at the Paris show in late 1988 and the Carrera 4 (a bit of 959 *you* could buy) went on sale in early ‘89. The regular rear-drive Carrera 2, a direct replacement for the 80s Carrera 3.2, went on sale in 1990. Power steering and anti-lock brakes were standard for the first time in a 911 on these new cars, and the chassis and suspension had been through a thorough update. Many of these changes, particularly on the Carrera 4, were meant to instill more cornering confidence for drivers caught out by the tail-happy nature of earlier 911s. Later, the 964 would become the first Porsche to feature the #Tiptronic system and on-board diagnostics systems. With all that new tech, the engine stayed air-cooled - now a base 3.6 liter with 247 hp - which necessitated complex oil piping and big heat exchangers to deal with the temperatures. The technological additions also meant more complex maintenance. This, along with purists’ preference for earlier 911s, kept 964 values relatively low until recently. As with all 911s there were a gaggle of special performance models. Sadly much of the 964’s life coincided with a time when Porsche sales stumbled due to high prices and a recession, but it was still a great drive. https://www.instagram.com/p/B9Zi9CEF_we/?igshid=c1nihe84chcj
