Ten Best Porsches of All Time by Drivin’ Ivan + New Porsche Four Door Sedan

October 1, 12:10 PMSports Car ExaminerIvan Katz

While Ten Best lists always come with some bits of controversy, I’m sure many of you will have to agree with most of my choices for the: Ten Best Road Going Porsches of All Time.”  I am listing the cars in no particular order with no ranking system.  So without further adieu, here they are: 

Number 1 

I figured it makes sense to start with the number one!  The first Porsche ever produced by Ferry Porsche and his son Ferdinand in 1948 in Gmund Austria is a true priceless classic.  It clearly was VW Beetle based and also had styling cues that would later be seen on the 356.   

550 Spyder 

OK, so my list is not supposed to have any order or ranking at all, I did choose to put the Porsche 550 Spyder just ahead of the Boxster for obvious reasons.  The great unforgettable shape of the 550 Spyder was of course the basis for the retro look of the original Porsche Boxster.  It was fast, agile, and dependable as any Porsche should be.  You could drive it to the track and then drive it home the same night after a long day of competition.  Only adding to the legendary status of the 550 is its forever association with James Dean who of course met his fate while driving his 550 to a race.

Boxster

Basically a 550 Spyder for the modern age this classically shaped sportster offers everything you’d expect in a great sports car.  Two seats, and two seats only, great performance and a convertible top all in an irresistible package!   Originally released in 1997 and still going strong today, this “entry level” 911 is definitely worthy of the Porsche emblem. 

356 Speedster

The 356 is a true classic in its own right, and when you chop the windscreen a bit and add that great lined convertible top, well true automotive art is the result.  Porsche attempted to capture some nostalgia when releasing a version of the 1980’s 911 cabriolet with a chopped windscreen and calling it the Speedster, but it looked a bit awkward and the proportions were no where near that of the vintage version.  

928 

While Porsche’s intentions for the 928 to replace the 911 series entirely were ill conceived, the 928 was a great shape, and a great grand touring cruiser.  I once spoke to a Porsche dealer in the 1980’s about the ideal transmission choice for the 928, automatic or 5 speed and he said that the car has so much torque from its 8 cylinder engine that the automatic was the ideal choice.   I’m sure choosing the 928 as one of my top Porsches might rub some enthusiasts as “Risky Business”; remember that my formative years were spent during the 1980’s!

911 (1978-1989)

Sure I’m biased due to my own 1982 Targa, but I truly feel that the 911’s from this era epitomize all that is great from the 911.  The quintessential shape, air-cooled engine, great overall functionality and reliability, and fun go-kart like handling.  Being a Porsche purist, I would have a hard time picking any 911 as a “best” that is water-cooled!   The Porsche 911 SC and Carrera are simply the greatest cars of the 911’s esteemed forty plus years of production. 

911 Slant Nose

When you took the standard 911 shape and added modified it with the “slant nose” option of the 1980’s the 911 really seemed like a true exotic.  The slant nose although mimicked by many Porsche tuners of the 1980’s was a factory option from 1985 thru 1989.  I would have liked to have specifically chosen the Gembella Avalanche from the 1980’s with its purple paint job, outrageous bodywork, white leather interior, and video cameras for backing up, but I was sticking to true factory produced cars for this list.  Actually, the current Avalanche also has some great paint schemes and styling cues as well.   

959

Produced by Porsche in 1986 thru 1989 to homologate their Group B rally car, the 959 was a true exotic.  All wheel drive combined with ultra high performance made the 959 an instant classic.  With a top speed of almost 200 mph and a 0 – 60 time of just 3.5 seconds the 959 was definitely a super car.  The 959 was never officially imported to the US.  To read about how the 959 made it to America click here:

How the Porsche 959 Made It to America

Carrera GT

Sure the 911 GT 2 and GT 3 are great Porsches, but to me they lack that true “exotic” quality because they do still in the end resemble the widely available 911.  So naturally I feel that the limited production Carrera GT fills the need for the exotic “uber” Porsche.  With a top speed of 205 miles per hour and 0 – 60 time of 3.5 seconds from its 10 cylinder engine, the Porsche Carrera GT was a bargain at $440,000 as compared to the Ferrari Enzo at $660,000.  The Carrera GT was sold between 2004 and 2006 with just 1270 cars produced during its brief production run. 

Panamera

While I’ve never been thrilled that Porsche went into the SUV business with the Cheyenne, I do appreciate their need to keep up with market trends and stay profitable like any other good company.  I also see the need for a true sports car to have a four seat variant to accommodate those of us who need two extra seats and a good sized trunk.  I always thought the four seat 928’s made exclusively for Porsche executives were pretty cool cars.  The Porsche Panamera will be their first front engined, four door sedan.  The V 8 engine will come in two versions, the entry level making 400 HP, and the turbo which will be good for 520 HP. All-wheel drive will be optional   Top speed should be around 180 miles per hour and it should be available late in 2009 as a 2010 model.