Overview & Reviews

Porsche cars have a virtually untarnished reputation and are considered among the finest performance vehicles in the world. It's a reputation that's well-deserved. With razor-sharp handling and power aplenty, Porsche vehicles offer a driving experience like no other. It's little wonder that, for many, the marque has come to define the sports car category. For years, the only Porsches available were sleek sports cars, but the manufacturer recently expanded its lineup to include other types of vehicles.

The brand has its roots in the Porsche Engineering Office, founded in Stuttgart, Germany, by Ferdinand Porsche in 1931. Porsche brought with him years of experience as an automotive engineer; in the '20s, while employed with Daimler, his skill was tapped to create Mercedes' iconic SS and SSK sports cars. Porsche has long had close ties with Volkswagen, and the first Porsche vehicles were small two-seat sports cars that were largely based on VW chassis. From 1948-'50, most of these early Porsche cars (the brainchild of Porsche and his son Ferry) were actually built in Austria before production was switched to Zuffenhausen, Germany. Ferdinand's first real production car was the VW Beetle, so it was no surprise that his sports cars used those components and had their air-cooled engine mounted in the rear.

The 1950s saw the birth of two icons, the 356 Speedster with its low-cut windshield and the lightweight, midengined 550 Spyder. Both cars helped Porsche rack up a multitude of wins on the racetrack. In the mid-'60s, the 356 made way for the revered 911. Powered by an all-new six-cylinder engine, the coupe scored two consecutive wins at Monte Carlo. Following in the footsteps of its predecessors, the 911's air-cooled flat-six engine was located in the rear of the vehicle.

By the time the '70s rolled around, Porsche had introduced the 914 (the "affordable" Porsche with a midengine design and a targa top), the mighty 911 turbo, the disrespected 924 (powered by a weak front-mounted, water-cooled inline four) and the flagship 928 (front-mounted V8, four-seat coupe). The '80s saw the birth of the 956, a car that went on to become the most successful racecar of all time. The twin-turbo, all-wheel-drive 959 was also launched; it became the first sports car to win the Paris-Dakar Rally and the street version could hit nearly 200 mph. The athletic 944 debuted in 1983, as did a convertible version of the 911, something that had been missing for some years. The '80s also saw the rebirth of the 924, now with some muscle courtesy of the 944's strong-for-the-time (147-horsepower) inline four.

By the early 1990s the 928 had been discontinued and the 944 was replaced by the similar 968. Because of a lack of dynamic product and a tough market climate, Porsche was suffering financially. The company's savior, the Boxster roadster, debuted in 1997 and brought back the spirit of the old 550 Spyder. In 2003, Porsche committed what purists considered a sin as the company brought the Cayenne SUV to the market. However, once those enthusiasts discovered the Cayenne's sporting performance (especially in 450-hp turbo form) all was forgiven. The following year, Porsche brought out the ferocious (605-hp) Carrera GT supercar.

Today, Porsche's lineup is quite broad for a specialty automaker and now even includes a luxury super sport sedan, the Panamera. Throughout its history, Porsche has exhibited amazing resilience, weathering changes in consumer tastes and the economic climate. As such, it's safe to assume that this ever-robust company will continue to be known for making vehicles that excel at performance, luxury and usability.

User Reviews:

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  Not a good Porsche model - 2006 Porsche Cayenne
  By John - July 31 - 7:23 am

  The car runs hit and miss (stalls). Its steering and overall performance are not up to Porsche standards. The radio is cheap (speakers are fine) and finding a well trained service dept. is a challenge. After communicating my concerns with the Porsche people in the corporate NA Headquarters in GA as well as the dealer and service personel I would not recomend this car. I have owned two Porsches before but it seems the company has changed in both quality and service.

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  me - 2003 Porsche Cayenne
  By asda4444 - July 24 - 2:00 am

  this is a great practicalesuv with a sporty feel

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  Cayman S 19 inch wheels - 2009 Porsche Cayman
  By Anthony T - July 22 - 4:33 am

  Already own 1987 Porsche 930, have owned for 13 years. Drove new vette, new 911, sl 65, fell in love with cayman s, handles likes its on rails, top end is very good for normally aspirated six. Pulls hard in every gear. Lots of low end grunt. Great looks. If you like 911s, this car will out handle any 911. Sounds awesome from in the car. Feels like its carved out of a solid piece of granite. Very rugged little car.

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  Fun to Drive - 1997 Porsche Boxster
  By Bill77 - July 19 - 10:00 am

  There is nothing better for a car lover than red, lots of power, no top and no back seat. I cant help but smile when driving this car. This was worth every cent.

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  They get better every year... - 2007 Porsche 911
  By Ross - July 17 - 1:53 am

  This car is much improved over prior years. It is just so well screwed together, plus the performance is outstanding. It has more torque and more HP. I love the new front end, as I always hated to 996 "fried egg" headlamps. I decided not to spring for the "S" version, as the additional $10,000 was tough sell with the wife. This is my fifth Porsche and it finally feels like the price is justified. I splurged for the Carrera 19" wheels - the added grip is noticeable and they are worth every penny. The Litronic headlamps are great too. The new 6-speed is slightly notchy, but this could be due to newness of vehicle.

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  Finally - 2013 Porsche Boxster
  By myspyder - July 16 - 5:29 am

  Finally the Boxster is worthy of being named a Porsche.

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  cool car for us grey heads - 1996 Porsche 911
  By 2525ken - July 14 - 2:20 pm

  I have never had a real sports car until now but drove the boxster and they was no kick at all. I said I just want a nice convertible and so I drove the masda miata and for the same money got a good used 96 911. I have never been sorry, this is fun to drive if I can stay alive long enought. It hits 105 from 4th to 5th and still has plenty to go. This is the lady of my dreams. My wife loves it to.

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  One of the best - 2008 Porsche Cayman
  By franklinbrit - July 13 - 7:24 am

  I have own the Cayman for four years now was only a year old with 7,000 miles on the clock when I purchased, its does have the PASM/Chron options which I love the sport mode feature, only car I have ever owned that actual makes a difference to the car performance when you turn it on, I see several comments on the cars stereo system which is a bit out of date no Bluetooth or iPod/MP3 player as standard, cost me $700.0 for so, so IPod connections but, the best thing to do is turn off the stereo open the widows and drive it hard through a tunnel “sounds fantastic” true Porsche music.

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  Daily Driver - 2002 Porsche 911
  By Richard - July 10 - 10:00 am

  I drive the car all year round in the northeast. I recently rebuilt the engine. The piston rings were shot and I was burning more oil than gas.

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  MUCH improved since 1999 - 2005 Porsche Boxster
  By emilie - July 8 - 2:33 am

  In 1999, before Boxster S existed, I bought a new Aerokit Boxster. I had gone from a 98 Carrera S (that roofers dropped a roof on!), to the 99 Boxster. The 99 was a disappointment, lacking ponies under the hood. The 2005 Boxster S is a world apart in 6 years. I am extremely pleased with the Tiptronic transmission, the acceleration, the handling and definitely the new body style for 2005. Probably the only disappointment was the $61,000 price tag.