The Management and Staff of Beverly Hills Porsche take a day to celebrate the 100th Birthday of Ferdinand Anton Ernst Porsche also know as Ferry Porsche. The successful story of Dr. Ing. F. Porsche AG, Stuttgart, would be inconceivable without the lifetime achievement of Ferry Porsche. 鈥淎t the beginning I looked around, but I could not find the car I was dreaming of. So I decided to build it myself.鈥?Building the first Porsche 356 and, later, the Porsche 911, Ferry Porsche consistently lived out his dream of 鈥渄riving in its most beautiful form鈥? With a precise feeling for each and every detail, he set the foundation for the Porsche. As the Managing Director and Chairman of the Supervisory Board he shaped the destiny of the Porsche Company for five long decades. In particular, it was his achievement as a visionary and an outstanding entrepreneur to make Porsche the world鈥檚 leading manufacturer of sports cars. When Ferry Porsche passed away on 27 March 1998 - the same year the last air-cooled 911 left the production line - he left the world as one of the last great automobile men. His lifetime of achievement earned a him a position in the European Automotive Hall of Fame. On 19 September 2009 Ferry Porsche would be celebrating his 100th birthday. Among other notable activities, the Porsche Museum will be releasing a new book, Ferry Porsche 100 Years to mark the occasion. To experience the Porsche Difference visit Beverly Hills Porsche at 8425 Wilshire Blvd. Beverly Hills Porsche is an authorized factory dealership of Porsche cars, SUVs, accessories, parts and merchandise. Centrally located to all of Los Angeles, we aim to be a complete lifestyle destination for all Porsche owners and fans!
Part of the feeling of refinement is contributed by Porsche鈥檚 new electro mechanical steering, which filters out much of the vibration and feedback, though keen drivers may find that this first version lacks mechanical interaction. Its accuracy, on the other hand, is faultless. Here, the new car is nothing short of a revelation. It is behaviour that inspires tremendous confidence. Gone is the feeling (on dry surfaces at least) that either end is nearing breakaway, and what seems like ridiculously high cornering speeds can be easily sustained. Porsche brakes represent an industry benchmark. For the new Carrera they are essentially unchanged, carrying over the 997鈥檚 330mm discs and four pot calipers (front), but with enhanced cooling from new ducts. The bite, stability and stamina of 911 brakes have long set the standard, and the 991鈥檚 uphold Zuffenhausen鈥檚 honour. Porsche鈥檚 main objectives with the 911, besides the normal updating, were increases in performance, fuel economy and reduced emissions.
This is a squaring of the circle that Porsche has become past master at. Gone are the days when each new generation of 911 was heavier. Weight is the enemy of performance and fuel consumption, and during planning for the 991 an all-aluminium mock-up was built, which turned out to be heavier. The 9A1 engine from the 997 has been subject to internal changes mostly related to lightening reciprocating parts and drivetrain components and reducing friction losses. The same philosophy has resulted in the energy saving electric steering. An energy recovery system now operates through the alternator, collecting kinetic energy (without the GT3 Hybrid鈥檚 enormous flywheel) from deceleration, which is fed into the battery. Using the same logic, when the accelerator is floored, power to ancillaries is reduced, enhancing acceleration and lessening the overall demand for fuel. A further intelligent saving is the managed cooling system. The 991鈥檚 electronic brain confines coolant to the cylinder head, momentarily shutting out the crank case passages, and accelerating the warming up phase when combustion engines are at their most thirsty.
In terms of acceleration, only a stopwatch can separate the old and new 911, yet it feels faster, perhaps because it鈥檚 lighter and stiffer. Power is up by 5bhp, with an additional 3lb ft of torque, and it鈥檚 a tenth of a second quicker to 62mph, yet boasts both lower fuel consumption and CO2 emissions. Where the 991 does impress over the old car, though, is with the interior sound level. The newer car, as mentioned earlier, dispenses with much of the 997鈥檚 tyre noise. Once again, it is no surprise to find that the new 911 is the better car. The real surprise is how radical some of the changes are and, on the road, how successfully a larger 911 offers the same - if not even more - driver involvement than before. Reworked suspension front and rear and a wider track bring appreciably higher levels of refinement than the 997, but above all, transform traditional 911 handling. Gone is the initial turn in understeer, replaced by an altogether more balanced corner entry and grip.