6 Highly Desirable Features That Porsche Fans Will Miss

6. Air-cooled engines

There are some among the Porsche purists, who firmly believe the 911 ends with the Porsche 993 – the last air-cooled 911. Most of Porsche’s iconic engines are air-cooled. Porsche has been making cars since 1939 and air-cooled engines were discontinued in 1998, due to legislation and the need for more performance. These days, companies like Singer and its lineup of reimagined 911s produce modern performance levels out of air-cooled engines, which really wasn’t possible back in the 1990s.

In addition to the unique soundtrack, air-cooled engines are also lighter and canont suffer from coolant leaks (since they don’t use any). Then, there is the aesthetic part of an air-cooled Porsche engine, which also serves a key function. The signature large fin at the rear, distributes heat evenly throughout the engine bay. Small wonder, many companies that reimagine the 911 are replicating the air-cooled look, even on water-cooled engines.

5. Hydraulic steering

If you’ve driven older and newer 911s, you know exactly what the problem is – lack of feedback. Now I am not saying modern Porsche 911s lack feedback from the steering, but nothing beats a good-ol hydraulic unit. The constant pressure of the hydraulic fluid provides more direct connection to the steering, allowing you to sense subtle changes in the road surface, and grip. The immediacy and response is something that you don’t get with an electric system.

The Porsche 997 was the last 911 generation to offer a hydraulic steering system. The 991 was the first generation of the sports car to switch to the electrical system, which was noticed by 911 aficionados. One clear advantage is weight. Electric steering is lighter than hydraulic steering as it does not feature nearly as many moving parts.

4. Mezger engines

There are many legendary names in Porsche history, but when it comes to making insanely capable engines, Hans Meger is one name that stands out. The German automotive engineer was instrumental in Porsche’s success in motorsport, particularly during the 1960s and 1970.

From Porsche’s Turbo legacy to high-revving Le Mans racers, Mezger became synonymous with some of the most iconic Porsche engines of all time, which due to their specific features, have a signature soundtrack and were known to be capable of reliable performance for long periods. The last Mezger engine was produced not so long ago and was fitted on one of the most iconic Porsche 911 models from the modern era, the 997 GT3 RS 4.0. Hans Mezger passed away on June 10, 2020, leaving behind a great legacy of very fast Porsches**.

3. Analog gauges

As a driver, you will spend a good amount of time, looking at your car’s instrument cluster. The Porsche 911 for most of its history has featured a classic, five-gauge layout, but even that has evolved (or devolved) over the years. While we still had a part analog, part digital-setup on the 992.1, with the dot 2 update, the 911 takes yet another step towards digitalization, as it is doing away with the analog gauges, in favor of digital ones on a screen.

At least, we still get the classic layout, known from 1964. The 992.2 was the last Porsche 911 to feature analog gauges. Moreover, special-edition models like the 911 Turbo 50 Years Edition feature a signature, classic gauge backdrop, dating back to the Porsche 356.

2. Manual transmission options (for most models)

Like many other automakers, Porsche has been stripping away most models from a manual transmission. While this is to be expected on the more mainstream models like the Macan and Panamera, many Porsche 911 enthusiasts still opt for the manual transmission, despite the PDK being one of the best dual-clutch transmissions in the industry. The 992.2 Carrera T, is currently, the only Porsche 911 that is offered purely as a manual.

The T-Hybrid-powered Carrera GTS is automatic-only and while some custom-built Porsche cars have shown that hybrids can have a manual transmission, I don’t think Porsche will bother giving us a car like that. You can still buy brand-new Porsche sports cars with a manual, but the options are far fewer than they used to be.

1. Naturally-aspirated engines

With a few recent exceptions, mainly the 992.2 Carrera GTS, Porsche has also gone the downsizing route. This happened to a point where the only naturally-aspirated Porsche 911s you can buy new are the GT3 and all its derivatives like the GT3 RS and S/T. These N/A powerplants are the only source of great sound, given that most of the turbocharged one’s are seriously lacking in this respect. All Carrera models since the 991.2 have switched to a 3.0-liter, turbocharged flat-six engine, which replaced the old, 3.8-liter normally aspirated unit.

The Porsche 718 lineup saw a similar fate, even switching to four-cylinder engines in its base variants. From what the 992.2 GT3 showed us and what Porsche GT boss, Andreas Preuninger has said recently, the next-generation Porsche 911 GT3 could be a lot different than the current one. While Porsche is planning to convert its EV-only models to ICE/ hybrid-powered ones, the brand’s traditional high-performance models could be drastically different in the future.