Eighth Generation (1995-1998)

With its distinctive laid-back headlamps and gracefully rounded bumpers, the 1995 911 (known internally as the 993) wasn't just a new-looking 911; under that new bodywork was a much better car in almost every way.

A new A-arm rear suspension and thoroughly revised front MacPherson strut suspension underpinned the 993. The 3.6-liter engine now made a thrilling 270 horsepower in both Carrera 2 and Carrera 4 models and fed a new six-speed transmission. The disc brakes were larger and controlled by a new ABS system, and 17-inch wheels were now standard equipment. About the only things missing from the new 1995 911 was the Turbo and, alas, the Targa.

The Turbo returned for 1996 with two compressors now feeding its 3.6-liter maw and a six-speed and all-wheel drive delivering the resulting 400 horsepower to the pavement. It was almost everything the 959 had been a decade earlier for the bargain price of just $105,000.

Also new for '96 was a heavily revised Targa, which used a new Webasto-built roof with sliding glass panels on the 911 Cabriolet's body (a body which in turn was based on the original Targa). However, as Motor Trend noted, "Particularly at night, the reflections in the two [overlapping] rear windows can be wacky."

The new Targa, like all normally aspirated 911 Carreras that year, also benefited from engine revisions (new cylinder heads with 1-mm-larger intake and exhaust valves, a revised camshaft and a new "Varioram" variable induction system) that swelled output to 282 horsepower. Motor Trend's six-speed Targa leapt from zero to 60 mph in just 5.0 seconds and gobbled up the quarter-mile in only 13.5 seconds at 103 mph.

Also new in '96 was the Carrera 4S that featured the wide body of the 911 Turbo (but not the rear spoiler) and the Carrera 4's normally aspirated drivetrain.

For 1997 most 911s were barely changed from '96. The major exception being the new Turbo S model that featured a power boost to 424 horsepower — something no one really needed, but was appreciated nonetheless.

While Europe was already getting the all-new water-cooled 996 during the 1998 model year, the 993 marched on in the U.S. shorn of its Turbo and Turbo S models and otherwise mostly unchanged.