For five decades the 911 has defined the Porsche brand - unlike any other sports car in almost every way you can think of. Few cars can look back on such continuity; since its debut as the model 901 at the Frankfurt motor show in September 1963, more than 820 000 Porsche 911s have been built.
For each of its seven generations the engineers in Zuffenhausen and Weissach have reinvented it, while retaining its distinctive shape.
Porsche will be celebrating the 50th anniversary of the 911 at this year's Frankfurt show, which opens on 12 September, with the release of a commemorative 50 Years Edition - of which, appropriately, only 1963 will be made.
DISTINCTIVE SILHOUETTE
Like that first coupé, the 50 Years Edition has the distinctive 911 silhouette, rear-mounted, flat-six engine and rear-wheel drive. It's based on the current 911 Carrera S, but with the wider body - 44mm broader across the rear wheel arches - of the all-wheel drive Carrera 4.
Porsche Active Suspension Management, with special tuning to complement the increased track, is standard, as is a sports exhaust system for 'increased emotional character'.
Under the rear deck there's a 3.8-litre flat six rated at 295kW, that'll take the 50 Years Edition from 0-100km/h in a claimed 4.5 seconds (4.3 with the optional PDK dual-clutch transmission) and on to 300km/h (298 with PDK).
Porsche quotes average fuel consumption of 9.5 litres 100km (8.7 with PDK) and CO2 emissions of 224g/km (205 with PDK).
SPECIAL TRIM
To remind everybody of where the engine in that 1963 Type 901 was, there are special chromed strips on the fins of the engine-compartment grille, with matching trims on the front air inlets, and a strip across the car between the tail lights.
The 50 Years Edition also has special five-spoked 20” rims in matt black with machine-polished centres, inspired by the Fuchs rims (actually an in-house Porsche design) first fitted to the 911 in 1966.
The anniversary 911 will be available in two different shades of metallic grey (each unique to this model) as well as gloss black for purists, with a special three-dimensional, two-tone '911 50' badge on the rear lid, repeated in three-colour embroidery on the head restraints and as a two-colour logo on the rev counter and the aluminium door sill plates, as well as on the passenger side dashboard trim together with the limited-edition serial number of the car.
It also has high-gloss window frames, SportDesign exterior mirrors and a dynamic cornering function for the bi-xenon headlights.
There are lots of 1960s-inpired styling touches inside, such as green lettering on the instruments with white pointer needles and silver caps on the instrument pivot pins, and fabric centre panels on the lather seats patterned after the original 'Pepita' tartan design.
The leather-trimmed interior can be specified in either grey or black with decorative stitching. Sports seats with 14-way adjustment are standard, with 18-way adjustment available as an option. The gear shift (or selector lever, if you opt for the dual-clutch transmission) comes from the Porsche Exclusive custom tailoring programme and is trimmed in brushed aluminium, as are the trim elements on the dashboard, doors and centre console.
The 911 50 Years Edition is available to order now, with first deliveries scheduled to start in December 2013, priced from R1 369 000 with a three-year maintenance plan and R1 419 000 with a five-year maintenance plan.