Porsche 911 Sixth Generation (2004-2012)

In July 2004, Porsche unveiled the sixth generation Porsche 911, known as the type 997. With this new generation, Porsche 911 became more dynamic and muscular.

Porsche 911 Sixth Generation

The sixth generation 911 was easily recognized by its oval headlights, which from a distance looked virtually circular. Other lights such as the parking lights, fog lights and indicators were integrated into the unit behind a clear plastic disc. This gave the entire front of the vehicle a clearly structured appearance, while the design of the rear end made it more muscular.

The clear oval headlights with separate blinkers in the front end were a visual return to older 911 models. After the facelift in July 2008, the front end featured bi-xenon headlights and LED daytime running lights.

New Technology

The 997 didn’t impress just with its design, the car’s performance was impressive too. The 3.6-litre six-cylinder engine of the Carrera initially produced 325 PS. For the Carrera S model, the cylinder bore was increased by three millimetres. With a displacement of 3.8 litres, Carrera S featured the largest flat engine in a series-production 911 thus far.

With the 2008 model update, Porsche revamped the engine range and introduced direct fuel injection for the first time. This improved both the fuel economy and the performance of the engine. The 3.6-litre engine produced 345 PS and the 3.8-litre in the Carrera S 385 PS.

In 2006, Porsche brought out a 911 Turbo, which was the first production car with a petrol engine to have a turbocharger with variable turbine geometry. The 911 Turbo S offered 530 PS and came as standard with a seven-speed dual clutch transmission. The most powerful variant of the 997 generation was the 911 GT2 RS with 620 PS.

With the 997, Porsche also introduced Porsche Active Suspension Management (PASM) and developed a rack-and-pinion steering system with a variable steering ratio. Other new features were the valve-controlled exhaust system and a Sport mode that could be activated at the touch of a button.

Large Family

With the 997 generation, Porsche 911 was available in more different versions than ever before. The 911 family included Carrera, Targa, Convertible and Speedster body types, rear- and all-wheel drive models, turbo, GTS, GT2 and GT3 version and some special editions. In total, the sixth generation Porsche 911 comprised 24 different models.

The sixth generation Porsche was replaced by the seventh generation Porsche 911, known as the type 991. A total of 213,004 cars of the 997 generation were built between 2004 and 2012.

Image by Porsche