Know Your Roots: A 50th Anniversary 911 Meets Its Predecessors

A Photo Opportunity Presents Itself

Recently, Sloan Cars took delivery of a gorgeous 991 50th Anniversary Edition and as it was sitting next to an early Short Wheelbase model, they decided to gather the cars for an impromptu photo shoot.  Soon after, they also realized that there was a 25th Anniversary Edition model from 1988 in their stable as well, and quickly included that car in the fun.  The resulting photographs are absolutely stellar, but what is most interesting is the juxtaposition of the three cars.  It is amazing to have a direct view of what changes have been affected in the 25 years that separate these models from each other, and even more amazing what has remained the same.

The similarities between these three Porsches are many.  Primarily, all three use a flat-six engine, all three have that phenomenal signature Porsche sound, and all three are an absolute thrill to drive in their own ways.  Each of these cars is a slightly different take on a familiar shape, but that shape has been poked, prodded, stretched, and plumped for 50 years to be the amazingly gorgeous 991.

Even though they share a common theme, the Porsches we all know and love have changed drastically over the last 50 years, and most of that change has come in the last 25 years.  The differences are obvious in the photographs, as the 25th Anniversary 911 shares a few hundred parts with it’s earlier counterpart, and yet I would not be surprised if there weren’t a single part in common between the 1989 example and its 2013 predecessor.  Looking purely at the numbers, it is easy to see that the 911 has become larger, more powerful, and faster with every passing year.

3 Generations Of Porsches Compared

The Porsches Involved

The 50th Anniversary 911 features Geyser Grey Metallic paint, adaptive sport seats, the Sport Chrono package, and a sport exhaust.  As of this writing, the car has only 10 miles on the odometer, completely showroom fresh.  The standard 7-speed manual transmission was optioned for this car, and the anniversary model’s vintage touches make this Porsche feel vintage and new at the same time.  The houndstooth cloth seat inserts are straight out of the Sixties, and the original aping green lettered gauges add to that, as well as the chromed engine cover grille.  It is truly a special car.

The Silver Anniversary of the 911 was celebrated with the release of the 25th Anniversary model shown here in Satin Black Metallic, one of only one-hundred-sixty 25th edition cabriolets (240 coupes were also produced).  This model, even though it is 25 years old now, has only traversed 6473 miles, and passed through only two owners.  The Cabriolet was optioned with a full leather Silk Grey interior, beautiful Satin Black Metallic paint, and a HiFi stereo system.

The Irish Green 1966 Porsche shown in these photographs is a bit misleading, as it isn’t a 911 at all, but rather a 912.  For the purposes of comparison photography, the 912 served its purpose well.  While most 912s were not highly optioned when they were new, but rather kept rather spartan for cost savings, this model was built to the hilt.  A wood steering wheel, Hella 128 fog lamps, an especially rare VDO exterior temperature gauge, Pepita cloth seat inserts, and a passenger’s side headrest were all fitted to this car, surely pushing its original price tag well into the 911 range.  Only a two-owner car, this 912 appears to have been well cared for.

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All photography provided by Brett Sloan of Sloan Cars.