I've never seen the 911 as a GT car. They have no boot space and no back seats worth talking about.
To me it represents the affordable supercar - take some basement level components, add some go faster bits, and see if you can't come up with a usable, everyday, timelessly pretty sportscar with supercar punch.
With that in mind, although it competes with Ferrari, Aston Martin, etc, they're not really competitors. The 911 started out (from 356 roots) as a pretty body over a (not actually) cheap saloon car. With that in mind something like a Chevette HSR would be closer to the mark but that wasn't a mass produced car.
So what do I think offers the same kind of deal?
Well, you could have an E-type, but that's a GT. You could have a TR6, but that's a sportscar and nothing else. Perhaps it's close though. But for me, sticking to that theme of taking something humbler and making it great, giving it giant killing performance, and looks and aura to match -
I give you the A-H 3000:
and the AC Cobra:
You could have a Mercedes 280SL but that is a personal luxury car, as was the first gen Ford Mustang. The Elan was a little sports car, a Jensen was just a massive GT like a Bristol or Bentley and were meant for going to Nice for a week not rallying through the Ardennes forest on a gravel stage.
I should suppose that you could do that with an Opel GT:
I'd dearly love to pitch an A-R Sprite in here, but they are more like a little GT to me. Oh well, they're too pretty, so:
What got attention in the 70s? The Countach, the Pantera, the succession of Mopar madness that spilled out of the late 60s. All of which are amazing, none of which were fighting for 911 sales.
But what was?
I'd dare to say the Europa:
The E9:
I'm hesitant to put forward the notion of an X1/9 as a 911 contender, but:
and, of course, the 240z:
Big scoops and flat wedge fronts aside, the 80s were amazing for style - in fact, just include those scoops as well. The hot hatch was in full swing, GT cars I could namecall in abundance, but we're here for chuckable little sportcars with supercar performance and usability on road or track.
So, like as if there was anything else more obvious, the M3:
The DeLorean was meant to be a personal luxury car, as were all Mercs, ever, even the mighty 500SEC. Sierra RS500 kind of fits the bill but really that's a saloon car with a massive engine shoved in. Well, actually, it's sort of the same formula as the 911 represents to me... so:
Which leads me to the Integrale:
I'm not sure if there was an Audi Quattro suitable for daily road use but the above were certainly aimed in that segment. Same for the RS200, homologation only really. We're staying away from supercars but the Ferrari Mondial was out all through the 80s and was a bargain basement coupe aimed at the same price level perhaps but never fulfilling the sporting side or surprising performance quotas.
The BMW E24 had already taken up the slack from the E9 but was a GT model and so BMW left this sporting market empty. The Japanese were getting involved and while I think the Skyline, 929 coupe, Celica were fantastic, they were all really 4 seater GTs.
In America the Corvette was still really the only sportscar so its getting a mention:
The Firebird and Camaro were muscle cars descending into weak sporty-looking coupes and I don't think they really ever competed with Porsche for market share.
As far as I can see the 80s were kind of left alone for the 911 to go forth unhindered and arouse a generation of impressionable teens with its massive wing and bubble arches. Hence why we have such threads now; the reputation was stamped in during that decade.
I've been looking forward to this one. The one where the 911 got pushed to compete again. I have a long list of cars I think rivalled the Porker in various ways.
The NSX:
The Supra:
The Viper:
The Esprit:
The A610:
The BMW E31, all the Astons and Jaguars, Maseratis, and Mercs still were after other markets.
Unsure, but maybe - the RV8:
I'd like to put a TVR in but we're talking about sportscars that can be used everyday. I'd like to include something from Nobel but really they were supercars to begin with.
And one more, just because I love them.
So hopefully I've conveyed what it represents to me - usable, everyday, timelessly pretty sportscar with supercar punch - and so presented what I would think were contemporary alternatives to buying one. If I'm wrong, if my opinion about what a 911 is about is wrong, do share, but do so with lots more pictures of what you think the 911 was up against...
To me it represents the affordable supercar - take some basement level components, add some go faster bits, and see if you can't come up with a usable, everyday, timelessly pretty sportscar with supercar punch.
With that in mind, although it competes with Ferrari, Aston Martin, etc, they're not really competitors. The 911 started out (from 356 roots) as a pretty body over a (not actually) cheap saloon car. With that in mind something like a Chevette HSR would be closer to the mark but that wasn't a mass produced car.
So what do I think offers the same kind of deal?
Well, you could have an E-type, but that's a GT. You could have a TR6, but that's a sportscar and nothing else. Perhaps it's close though. But for me, sticking to that theme of taking something humbler and making it great, giving it giant killing performance, and looks and aura to match -
I give you the A-H 3000:
and the AC Cobra:
You could have a Mercedes 280SL but that is a personal luxury car, as was the first gen Ford Mustang. The Elan was a little sports car, a Jensen was just a massive GT like a Bristol or Bentley and were meant for going to Nice for a week not rallying through the Ardennes forest on a gravel stage.
I should suppose that you could do that with an Opel GT:
I'd dearly love to pitch an A-R Sprite in here, but they are more like a little GT to me. Oh well, they're too pretty, so:
What got attention in the 70s? The Countach, the Pantera, the succession of Mopar madness that spilled out of the late 60s. All of which are amazing, none of which were fighting for 911 sales.
But what was?
I'd dare to say the Europa:
The E9:
I'm hesitant to put forward the notion of an X1/9 as a 911 contender, but:
and, of course, the 240z:
Big scoops and flat wedge fronts aside, the 80s were amazing for style - in fact, just include those scoops as well. The hot hatch was in full swing, GT cars I could namecall in abundance, but we're here for chuckable little sportcars with supercar performance and usability on road or track.
So, like as if there was anything else more obvious, the M3:
The DeLorean was meant to be a personal luxury car, as were all Mercs, ever, even the mighty 500SEC. Sierra RS500 kind of fits the bill but really that's a saloon car with a massive engine shoved in. Well, actually, it's sort of the same formula as the 911 represents to me... so:
Which leads me to the Integrale:
I'm not sure if there was an Audi Quattro suitable for daily road use but the above were certainly aimed in that segment. Same for the RS200, homologation only really. We're staying away from supercars but the Ferrari Mondial was out all through the 80s and was a bargain basement coupe aimed at the same price level perhaps but never fulfilling the sporting side or surprising performance quotas.
The BMW E24 had already taken up the slack from the E9 but was a GT model and so BMW left this sporting market empty. The Japanese were getting involved and while I think the Skyline, 929 coupe, Celica were fantastic, they were all really 4 seater GTs.
In America the Corvette was still really the only sportscar so its getting a mention:
The Firebird and Camaro were muscle cars descending into weak sporty-looking coupes and I don't think they really ever competed with Porsche for market share.
As far as I can see the 80s were kind of left alone for the 911 to go forth unhindered and arouse a generation of impressionable teens with its massive wing and bubble arches. Hence why we have such threads now; the reputation was stamped in during that decade.
I've been looking forward to this one. The one where the 911 got pushed to compete again. I have a long list of cars I think rivalled the Porker in various ways.
The NSX:
The Supra:
The Viper:
The Esprit:
The A610:
The BMW E31, all the Astons and Jaguars, Maseratis, and Mercs still were after other markets.
Unsure, but maybe - the RV8:
I'd like to put a TVR in but we're talking about sportscars that can be used everyday. I'd like to include something from Nobel but really they were supercars to begin with.
And one more, just because I love them.
So hopefully I've conveyed what it represents to me - usable, everyday, timelessly pretty sportscar with supercar punch - and so presented what I would think were contemporary alternatives to buying one. If I'm wrong, if my opinion about what a 911 is about is wrong, do share, but do so with lots more pictures of what you think the 911 was up against...