2020 Porsche 911: Beautiful Evolution of a Timeless Classic Sports Car
Eighth generation Porsche 911 features an array of subtle changes that create another beautiful sports car.
The 2020 Porsche 911 introduced the world to the eighth generation of the legendary German sports car at the 2018 L.A. Auto Show, and as expected, the new 911 looks a great deal like the current model. Each generational change of the 911 has looked very much like the generation before it and after it, as the automaker’s designers have preserved the classic form better than any other car sold in the world.
If you look at an original 1963 Porsche 911 compared to the 2019 models currently on sale, the modernization is obvious, but there is no question that the exterior design of the seventh generation is derivative of the original. The eighth generation follows that same pattern, introducing a new look without a vast departure from the classic design, and frankly, I absolutely love the look of the 2020 911.
Beautiful Exterior
On the outside, the changes will seem subtle at most to the average onlooker, but a devout Porsche enthusiast is likely to notice the differences between the seventh and eighth generation 911. Overall, the shape of the car has remained the same overall form, but some of the body lines have been tweaked to give the new 911 a sharper, wider look.
Up front, the grille appears to reach across the entire fascia, whereas the current models have three distinct openings. If you look closely, the new 911 has recessed separations that break up to open-mouth look, but in passing, it looks like one huge opening. Also, the center of the front fascia extends out further and the new hood reaches down further than the current models and back at the base of the windshield, the indentation in the center of the hood has returned from the classic models.
Along the sides, the eighth generation 911 has new mirrors, revised angles from the fender and quarter panel to the wheel openings, newly-shaped doors and with the elongated front end, the 2020 model has a lower, sleeker topline.
The eighth generation introduces a new look without a vast departure from the classic design, and frankly, I absolutely love the look of the 2020 911.
The rear end is the most heavily-revised aspect of the 2020 911, with a taillight design that is sleeker than the current models, extending across the entire curvy tail of the new sports car. The exhaust tips have been raised into the rear fascia area, flanking the relocated license plate spot which creates a cleaner area below the taillights.
These changes may not be substantial enough for the average driver to notice, but all of these alterations have created a sleeker, sharper-looking Porsche 911. Most importantly, these changes have been made without departing in any way from the classic shape of the legendary sports car, ringing in a new generation with subtle-yet-impactful tweaks.
Improved Performance
While it is important for the Porsche design team to constantly tweak the look of the 911 without going away from the classic look, performance improvements are just as important. After all, this is one of the world’s greatest sports cars, so the engineers didn’t just change the look of the new 911.
Under the hood of the Carrera S models that debuted last week at the 2018 Los Angeles Auto Show is a new 3.0-liter, twin turbocharged, flat-six engine that delivers 443 horses and 390 lb-ft of torque. That is 23 more horsepower and 22 more lb-ft of torque than the current 911 Carrera S, but more importantly, the new 911 is quite a bit quicker.
In all-wheel-drive Carrera 4S form, the 2020 Porsche 911 with the standard 8-speed dual clutch transmission rips from a stop to 60 miles per hour in just 3.4 seconds while the rear-drive Carrera S takes 3.5 seconds. That makes the new 911 almost a half-second quicker on the launch than the current models, while the wider track should offer improved cornering abilities, leading to an all-around-improved sports car.
More power, improved performance and a new look that preserves the classic lines makes the 2020 model yet another incredible sports car; one that is sure to continue to proud heritage of the legendary Porsche 911.
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