Sixth Generation (1984-1989)

The 3.0-liter 911SC was gone from Porsche's 1984 line and replaced by the 911 Carrera as the sole 911 model sold in the United States. A virtually all-new 3.2-liter version of the 911 flat six powered the Carrera and knocked out an impressive 200 horsepower. That new engine, equipped with Bosch's latest Motronic fuel injection, provided scintillating performance. Motor Trend reported a 5.7-second 0-to-60-mph time for a 911 Carrera coupe with a 146-mph top speed and outstanding everyday drivability. But if scintillating performance wasn't enough, Porsche also offered the infamous "Turbo Look" body package for the 911 Carrera coupes that mimicked the appearance of the Turbo — including the whale tail spoiler — without that pesky turbocharger.

For 1985, Porsche added one-touch centralized locking to the 911 Carrera (especially helpful to those who couldn't or wouldn't reach across the narrow cockpit to the only other door to lock or unlock it). Otherwise the 911 was unchanged.

Finally, the Turbo returned to the United States during the 1986 model year thanks to new engine electronics that finally got the 282-horsepower, 3.3-liter engine through emissions compliance. However, the $48,000 Turbo was still offered only as a coupe and with only a four-speed manual transmission. The regular '86 911 Carrera soldiered forward through the year almost indistinguishable from the '85.

Tweaking the engine electronics boosted output of the 911 Carrera's 3.2-liter six to 214 horsepower for 1987 and it fed a new Getrag five-speed manual transmission. Also for the first time, the Turbo was offered as a Cabriolet and Targa in addition to the coupe. And if you wanted that "slant nose" look (at $23,244) on your $76,500 Turbo Cabriolet and then picked just one more option, the result was the first factory 911 to cost more than $100,000. But at least that Cabriolet, like all '87 Cabriolets, would have a power-operated top.

One 911 that never made it to the United States (at least in a legal road-going form) was the awesome 959. Delivered to its patient buyers beginning in late '87, the 959 was a homologation special built to qualify the car for FIA's Group B racing. The 959 featured wildly soft-edged bodywork, electronically controlled all-wheel drive fed by a six-speed transmission and a radical twin-turbocharged, 2.85-liter flat six with liquid-cooled DOHC cylinder heads, four valves per cylinder and every other technology imaginable to mid-'80s man. Porsche sold only 200 of the 450-horsepower, 197-mph 959s at somewhere north of $240,000 apiece. Oh yeah, a 959 would blast to 60 mph in just 3.7 seconds according to Auto Motor Und Sport.

What's most amazing about the 959 is that it presaged future development of the 911. Much of what made the 959 exotic was normal 911 stuff by the mid-'90s.

Exhausted by the 959 effort, Porsche could only tweak the electronics on the regular 911 Carrera for 1988. That was good enough to push output up to 231 horsepower, just three ponies less than that of the original '76 930 Turbo. Also new for '88 was a "Club Sport" model of the Carrera with a stripped-down interior to minimize weight — perfect if you wanted a 911 but didn't want to be comfortable. And finally, the Turbo was now equipped with a five-speed transmission.

The year 1989 brought forth few changes to the regular 911 Carrera lineup as all the major mechanical pieces carried over intact in both normally aspirated and turbo form. However there was one significant addition to the line that year, the Speedster.

Inspired by the late-'50s 356 Speedster, the '89 version used a cut-down windshield, lightweight convertible top and deleted the rear seats. If you liked the styling, and could live with the impracticality, the Speedster was available for $65,480, which was just about $9,000 more than a regular 911 Cabriolet.

About halfway through the '89 model year, Porsche introduced a heavily revised 911 known internally as the 964. While the 964 may have been introduced as a 1989 1/2 model, it's more properly considered as the first 911 of the '90s.