A higher percentage of Porsche owners participate in PCA track events in the US than do BMW owners participate in BMWCCA track events.
The 911 actually stopped being the 911 with the advent of the 964, in around 1989. Up until that point it really had been the same tub for 30+ years, with engine and other changes.
The 964 was the first significant new redesign, featuring coil over suspension, etc. The subsequent 993 was the last air cooled porsche, and with the 996 the car was doing parts-bin sharing with the Boxster, thus the gay-tacular front end and headlights. The 997 redeems the top dog quite a bit, appearance wise.
It's worth pointing out that in the span of 20 years, from the 964 to the 997 of today, the "911 Carrera" has always been 3000 lbs, plus or minus 150 lbs or so.
Compare that to the BMW M3:
E30: 1988: 2700 lbs
E36: 1995: 3100 lbs
E46: 2001: 3400 lbs
E90: 2008: 3700 lbs
BMW's shit-hot performance car has put on 1000 lbs in the same number of years and same number of generations. The 911 has kept the same weight, and upped its power and gotten faster every generation. The M3 has gone sally struthers they just keep sticking bigger and bigger lumps under the hood to make up for it. The 4 liter V8 in the M3 today makes 2x the power (at about 2x the displacement) of the 2.3L I4 in the M3 of 20 years ago. Yet the E30 M3 is the one with the most circuit racing victories. Every subsequent M3 has been a heaiver, softer version of the previous one, which is why you see E46's with neon, subs, and fucking chinese lights, whereas the E30 you see with a full cage and R-comps.
So between a BMW, of which only the M3 is a realistic contender, and the 911 family, which is the more performance oriented car? Which is less likely to be driven by a poseur?
Hating on Porsche being a "brand only" car when you're hiding behind a BMW or a Benz is hillarious.
The appeal of BMW was never that it was the better track car than the 911, but that could be as fast, and still not suck to drive to work, the store, or whatever. The BMW is the every-day practical car that doesn't embarass itself on a road circuit. The 911 is the top-shelf super car that runs like a German car instead of an italian one.
And don't get me started on Mercedes. If there was ever a status brand in the US, it's MB. Except its the status brand of divorced women with big hair.
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