Which porsches are the best overall?
 

I'm NOT going to consider race cars. Yeah, "1000 + HP in a 917," but can you touch one, not to mention buy one, not to mention legally street one? NO. There were some classic Porsche designs that had a certain FEEL. Can you quantify that? NO. Can any of those cars run anywhere near as fast or corner anywhere near as well as modern Porsches? NO. I'd love to have a mint air-cooled rear engine 356C, but it will not be mentioned here. I will mention the zenith of air-cooled Porsches, the 1997 911 Turbo S.MS908 PRO Lighter and simpler than today's water-cooled machines, this all-wheel drive beauty (some say "the most beautiful car ever built") produced 424 HP and 400 lb-ft of torque.

As MaxiSys Pro with virtually all cars, the latest of the breed is the quantifiable best. Yes, the turbocharged 2011 GT2 RS has the most power and torque (620 HP, 620 lb-ft), but only the consummate driver can handle it around a road race course to beat what a normally aspirated 2011 GT3 RS (450 HP, 317 lb-ft) can do in the hands of a good driver. And the relatively heavy all-wheel drive 2011 911 Turbo S, with 530 HP and 516 lb-ft torque, can whip the GT2 RS from 0 to 60 mph due to the Turbo S's seven speed, double clutch PDK transmission, which makes manual shifters look like they're in suspended animation. Almost any driver with the courage to hold on can make that Turbo S sing around corners, with all four wheels clawing the pavement.

1. 2011 911 Turbo S coupe

2. 2011 GT2 RS

3. 2011 GT3 RS

The discontinued Carrera GT has been left behind. The GT2 RS has the same top speed - 205 mph, and both it and the Turbo S out accelerate the Carrera GT. All three cars I've listed are much less expensive than the Carrera GT (the GT2 not so much less), and have body work which is repairable. The Carrera GT's rear mid-engine placement was an advantage, but the Turbo S's all-wheel drive more than compensates for that.

One more point: The rear mid-engine Boxster and Cayman designs are inherently better balanced than the rear engine 911s. If Porsche put its finest engines in a Cayman, THAT could be the best Porsche.