London 20 October 1993 -- Today at 9.11 am, the latest evolution of PORSCHE'S legendary 911 makes its UK debut at the London Motor Show. For the car, which epitomises high performance driving, timeless design and technological excellence, this latest model again sets new engineering standards for the automotive industry and demonstrates the brilliance of the original 911 design.

The launch of the new Porsche 911 Carrera signals a double celebration, coinciding with the car's 30-year anniversary as one of the top performance cars in the world.

Whilst the new 911 Carrera retains many of the established attributes of the 911 more than eighty percent of the car's components have been significantly reengineered.

DESIGN

The distinctive shape of the new 911 Carrera clearly shows its impressive lineage, yet the skill of designers Harm Lagaay and Briton, Tony Hatter, has given the car a more contemporary feel, which still remains true to the original 911 design concept.

Some of the most striking changes are to the front of the car with its newly designed ellipsoid headlights and visible air exits in the bumper, ahead of the wheels, which provide a marked improvement in air resistance.

Kevin Gaskell, Managing Director of Porsche Cars Great Britain Ltd, comments: "The 911 has a unique visual impact and one that has been enhanced further by the skills of our design team. But the changes are not cosmetic. The new car is bursting with technological features and innovations which point to the future of automotive design."

CHASSIS AND BRAKES

A completely new chassis design with a multi-link rear axle (LSA) gtves Improved active driving safety, plus enhanced vehicle handling to make driving more enjoyable. The ABS 5 braking system, for example, with Its optimised control programming, offers even better braking deceleration and Is the most advanced braking system ever used on a production car.

DRIVELINE

A new six-speed gearbox which improves gear-shift action and synchronisation is offered as standard and a refined version of Porsche's own Tiptronlc automatic system is available as an option.

ENGINE

The 3.6 litre boxer engine, producing more than 272 bhp, is ten percent more powerful than its predecessor. It incorporates hydraulic valve-play adjusb11Mt, which enables longer service intervals and contributes to lower exhaust emissions in the warm up phase.

As expected in an age of growing environmental awareness, the new 911's design improves fuel consumption, and achieves significant reduction In exhaust and noise emissions through a new twin-pipe exhaust system.

SAFETY AND COMFORT

Driver and passenger airbags are fitted as standard - proof of Porsche's commitment to safety - but the interior design ensures they take up a minimum amount of space to maintain standards of driving comfort.

The new design has also enabled Porsche to increase the 911's luggage capacity by twenty per cent.

BODY

Built in sheet steel, hot dip galvanised on both sides for greater longevity, there is considerable emphasis on protecting the body from stone-chipping, and light bumps. In common with all Porsche's the 911 carries a full ten year anticorrosion warranty.

The new Porsche 911 Carrera will be delivered to UK showrooms in December 1993. The new 911 Carrera will cost £53,995 and will include electric sunroof, passenger airbag. metallic paint and immobiliser as standard: these features were an options on the previous model.

A Cabrio version is planned for Spring 1994, a Turbo in early 1995.

Issued: 20 October 1993

11 FACTS ABOUT THE 911

• The 911 was originally called the 901 but Peugoet had previously registered all 3 figure numbers with a central digit of 0, therefore the number 911 was chosen.
• The 911 is a direct descendant of the Porsche 356, which in tum was designed by the same man responsible for the WI Beetle.
• The original UK price for the 911 was £3,438.55
• The 911 was the first production sports car in the world with exhaust turbo charging.
• The 911 was the first car in the wor1d to have a galvanised body.
• The 911 was the first high performance sports car to be fitted wfth a catalytic converter.
• The 911 was the first car in the wor1d to be fitted with a space-saver tyre.
• The 911 Turbo is the fastest accelerating production sportscar in the world. In 1984, it was timed from a standing start to 1 kilometre in 23.98 seconds reaching 135 mph.
• The 911 can fly - in 1983 Porsche developed and modified the 911 3.2 litre engine so that it could be fitted in to a Mooney light aircraft.
• Since the 911's introduction thirty years ago, 351,908 cars have been built.
• As at the end of December 1992, there were nearly 12,000 registered 911s in the UK.