The Porsche 911 (pronounced as nine eleven, neun elfer in German) is a sports car made by Porsche AG of Stuttgart, Germany. The famous, distinctive, and durable design has undergone continuous development since its introduction in autumn 1963. Mechanically it is notable for being rear engined and, until the introduction of the all-new Type 996 in 1998, air-cooled.

In 2004 the Porsche 911 911 was heavily revised and the 996's replacement, the 997, was unveiled in July. The 997 keeps the basic profile of the Porsche 911 996, bringing the drag coefficient down to 0.28, but draws on the 993 for detailing. In addition, the new front fascia is reminiscent of the older generation, with the traditional "bug eye" headlamps. Its interior is also similarly revised, with strong links to the earlier 911 interiors while at the same time looking fresh and modern. The 997 shares less than a third of its parts with the outgoing 996, but is still technically very similar to it. Initially, two versions of the 997 were introduced- the rear wheel drive (2wd) Carrera and Carrera S. While the base 997 Carrera produced 325 PS (239 kW) from its 3.6 L Flat 6, a more powerful 3.8 L 355 PS (261 kW) Flat 6 powers the Carrera S. Besides a more powerful engine, the Carrera S also comes standard with 19 inch (48 cm) "Lobster Fork" style wheels, more powerful and larger brakes (with red calipers), a more sporty suspension, complete with PASM (Porsche Active Suspension Management) which allows for electronic adjustability of suspension settings, Xenon Headlamps, and Sport Steering wheel. In late 2005, Porsche announced the all wheel drive versions to the 997 lineup. Porsche Carrera 4 models (both Carrera 4 and Carrera 4S) were announced as 2006 models. Both Carrera 4 models are wider than their rear wheel drive counterparts by 1.26 inches (32 mm) to cover wider rear tires. 0-60 mph (97 km/h) for a base Carrera 4 with the 325 PS (321 hp/239 kW) engine was reported at 4.5 seconds according to edmunds.com. The 0-100 km/h (62 mph) acceleration for the Carrera S with the 355 PS (350 hp/261 kW) was noted to be as fast as 4.2 seconds in a recent Motor Trend comparison, and Road & Track has timed it at 3.8 seconds. The 997 lineup includes both 2 and 4 wheel drive variants, Carrera 2 and Carrera 4 respectively. The Targas (4 and 4S), released in November 2006, are 4-wheel drive versions that divide the difference between the coupes and the cabriolets with their dual, sliding glass tops.

Porsche 911 997 GT3 Turbo

The Turbo version of the 997 series featured the same 3.6 L twin-turbocharged engine as the Porsche 911 996 Turbo, but this time it developed 480 PS (353 kW/473bhp) and 620 N·m (460 ft·lbff) of torque. This was in part due to the 997's VTG (variable turbine geometry), which essentially combines the low-rev boost and quick responses of a small turbocharger with the high-rev power of a larger turbocharger. As well as producing more power and flexibility, the new turbocharger improved fuel consumption over the 996 Turbo. With these performance upgrades, it accelerates to 100 km/h (62 mph) in 3.7 seconds (3.4 with the Tiptronic transmission) and reaches a top speed of 310 km/h (193 mph). However, these are official figures and Porsche is notable for being conservative about their power and performance ratings. Motor Trend Magazine has clocked the 997 Turbo's 0-60 mph time in 3.2 seconds with the Tiptronic transmission. The optional Sports Chrono overboost package increases torque to 680 N·m (505 ft·lbff) for short periods (maximum 10 seconds) but over a narrower rev range.

The 997 Turbo features a new all wheel drive system, similar to the one found on the Porsche Cayenne. Featuring PTM (Porsche Traction Management) the new system incorporates a clutch-based system which varies the amount of torque to the front wheels, regardless of wheel slip front and rear. This, according to Porsche, aids traction and the handling by redirecting the torque to control oversteer or understeer, thus resulting in far more neutral handling, as well as greatly improved performance in all weather conditions (as opposed to older AWD system which gave the Turbo stability under hard acceleration).

Styling wise, as with the 996 Turbo the car featured more distinctive styling cues over the Carreras, one of the more distinctive elements the front LED driving/parking/indicator lights mounted on a horizontal bar across the air intakes. The traditional rear wing is a variation of the 996 bi-plane unit.

Porsche 911 997 GT3

The Porsche 911 GT3, announced on February 24, 2006 is reported to accelerate 0-100 km/h in 4.1 seconds and have a top speed of 310 km/h (193 mph), almost as quick as the Turbo. Porsche's factory reports can be conservative though; Excellence magazine tested the 997 GT3 and recorded 0-100 km/h in 3.9 seconds and a top speed of 312 km/h (194 mph). The 997 GT3 was released in the summer of 2006. It was recently crowned "the best handling car in America" by Motor Trend.

Porsche 911 997 GT2

The Porsche Type 996 911 GT2 was superseded by the Type 997 GT2 in 2007. On July 16, 2007, Porsche sent out the first official press release concerning the 997 GT2. The new 911 GT2 arrived at dealerships on November 2007.

The Porsche 911 997 GT2 has a twin turbocharged 3.6 litre 6-cylinder engine, which generates 523 hp (390 kW) at 6500 rpm. The GT2 accelerates in 3.6 seconds to 60 miles per hour (97 km/h) and in 7.4 seconds to 100 mph (161 km/h) and has a maximum top speed of 204 mph (328 km/h). This makes it the first street-legal 911 to exceed the 200 mph (322 km/h), with the exception of the 1998 911 GT1 race car (which is sometimes not considered a true 911 due to its mid-mounted engine). The Porsche 997 GT2 also has a curb weight of 3,175 lb (1,440 kg), 505 lb·ft (685 N·m) of torque from 2200 to 4500 rpm, and a 6-speed manual gearbox.

The American auto publication MotorTrend recently tested a 2008 Porsche 911 GT2 0-60 mph at 3.4 seconds, and 11.4 seconds at 127.9 mph (205.8 km/h) for the quarter mile. The GT2 also recorded a braking distance from 60 mph (97 km/h) to 0 of 98 feet (30 m) and recorded 1.10g lateral grip.

A few official pictures of the Porsche 911 997 GT2 have also been released to public recently, and more have been released through the GT2's official minisite. Its appearance slightly different from its sister-car, the Porsche 911 (997) Turbo, in a few ways. It does not have fog lights in the front bumper, it has a revised front lip, it has a different rear wing (with two small air scoops on either side), and it has a different rear bumper (now featuring titanium exhaust pipes).

The Porsche 911 997 GT2 is also different from the 997 Turbo in that the Porsche GT2 is rear-wheel-drive rather than all-wheel-drive.