Benjamin Zhang/Business Insider
It’s been about a decade since I graduated from the University of Georgia. (Go Dawgs!)
In that time, my friends and I have found ourselves spread out across the US. While some of my college friendships have fallen by the wayside, many have remained strong.
And when my friends and I do meet up, it’s like we haven’t missed a step. Even though we’re all a bit older, less broke, and more stressed out about life, the essence of our friendship endures
The sense of familiarity and a general feeling of comfort is ever present.
Which brings me to the Porsche 911. It’s the automotive embodiment of a loyal best friend.
Here’s why.
On a recent trip to Atlanta, I found a 2017 911 Carrera 2 clad in a resplendent Racing Yellow paint job waiting for me at the airport.
With a starting price of $ 89,400, the Carrera 2 is the most affordable of the 22 different variants of the 911 on sale in the US. My lightly optioned C2, with an as tested price of $ 97,010, represents the 911 in its purest and most basic form.
(The term “lightly optioned” is used in a relative sense. Our test car came with the company’s new Porsche Communications Management infotainment system complete with full Apple CarPlay integration, a sports exhaust, and ventilated sport leather seats. Although the 150 watt stereo was simply too low rent for a car of its caliber and price. )
Benjamin Zhang/Business InsiderHowever, with a 370 horsepower twin-turbo flat-six located behind the rear axle sending power to the rear-wheels and an old school stick shift at your finger tips, it’s everything you’re looking for in a traditional 911 experience.
As an automotive journalist, I have the privilege of spending a few days every year behind the wheels of a 911.
(Last year Business Insider had the chance to spend a couple of weeks with a blue 911 C2 PDK and a 911 Targa 4S.)
Without fail, the experience time and time again is consistent excellence. While there is certainly a myriad of fine automobiles out there, the 911 rises to a different level.
On my drive home, as I launched the Porsche down the highway on ramp, the turbo-six came to life. The engine revved freely and smoothly towards its 7,500 rpm redline, allowing me to make my way quickly through the seven-cogs in Porsche’s slick-shifting manual gearbox.
Benjamin Zhang/Business Insider(The current 991.2 generation 911s are all turbocharged by default with the track-oriented GT3 the lone naturally aspirated hold out.)
I didn’t do metered 0-60 mph testing, but Porsche’s claims that the manual C2 can do it in 4.4 seconds feels spot on. (The optional twin-clutch PDK transmission equipped cars are a bit faster at 4.0 seconds.)
In case you’re wondering, the manual C2’s manufacturer-claimed top speed is 183 mph. Obviously, I didn’t try to verify Porsche’s figures on the streets of suburban Atlanta.
Exiting the highway, I found myself winding through the twisty back roads of the Appalachian Piedmont. This is where the 911 really shines.
Benjamin Zhang/Business InsiderPorsche’s engineers have worked wonders with this car. The 911 dives into corners with confidence and launches out of them like a race horse out of the chute. In the twisty bits, the 911 is nearly telepathic. It’s ability the predict what I want to do is simply uncanny. Never have I experienced a car that was so in tune with my thinking. Almost like an old like an old friend just making up for lost time.
Sounds weird? Perhaps a bit. But, after spending 500 miles behind the wheel of our 911 test car, it’s the only way I could properly describe how I felt about Porsche’s most iconic contribution to the automotive landscape.
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