The very first sports car to bear the Porsche name was introduced to the world in June, 1948. Therefore, as the proud, independent Swabian automaker celebrates sixty years of sports car excellence, it is only fitting that it has a new 911 Carrera— for many the quintessential Porsche—to help mark the milestone.

This latest 911 Carrera Coupe and its higher-performance variant, the 911 Carrera S Coupe, are the most sophisticated, potent and environmentally friendly 911 Carrera models that Porsche has ever offered.

Despite their abundance of 21st century technologies, the 2009 911 Carrera Coupe and Carrera S Coupe clearly trace their engineering and aesthetic roots to the seminal Porsche. That original car evolved over fifteen years from the highly coveted 356 to the first 911 when, at the 1963 Frankfurt Motor Show, the ground-breaking 1964 911 Coupe debuted. As a testament to the genius of its design, after more than forty years of development and six generations of engineering improvements, the 911 Carreras still showcase a horizontally opposed, rear-mounted six-cylinder engine carried in a distinctive and instantly recognizable body.

Highlights: New for 2009
Though the 2009 911 Carrera and Carrera S Coupes boast several important refinements over the 2008 cars, the cars carry the same internal 997 designation as their immediate predecessors. Chief among those refinements are new, more powerful and fuel-efficient engines and the availability of Porsche's seven-speed double-clutch transmission, the PDK, in place of the optional Tiptronic S.

Other critical changes include larger, more potent brakes, a revised Porsche Communication Management system with Bluetooth connectivity and available voice commands, a fresh exterior with BI-XENON™ headlights, and light-emitting-diode rear lighting.

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