Porsche 911: 52 years of staying true to its roots - Ars Technica
Even back in 1963, it was clear that putting the engine behind a car's rear axle entailed compromises over front- or even mid-engined cars—clear to everyone outside of Porsche's Stuttgart base, that is. That was the year the company unveiled its... ) The first Porsche 911 went on sale in 1964, and the car has been a cornerstone of the marque ever since. During those 51 years, Porsche engineers have mitigated the problems associated with a rear-engined layout, developing the 911 into one of motoring's greatest living legends. 1964-1968 Rear-engined cars had become a bit of a Porsche family trademark by this point, including the Volkswagen Beetle and Porsche 356. The Porsche 911 of 1964 followed suit. It would be Porsche's largest and most expensive sports car to date, with four seats and a 2l engine. The car's styling was thanks to "Butzi" Porsche, grandson of company founder Ferdinand Porsche (who created the Beetle). Another grandson, Ferdinand Piech, was the engineer responsible for developing the car's new engine: a six-cylinder boxer (two rows of three cylinders, 180 degrees opposed from each other), air-cooled and with overhead camshafts. Source: arstechnica.com
