Item: 1964 Porsche 911 Coupe
Rating: 3

The original, classic 911
Willing 2.0-litre flat six-cylinder engines
Effective brakes
Steering is accurate…

… but too direct
Unforgiving dynamics: steady-state understeer, transient oversteer and bump steer
Lift-off oversteer
Chain tensioner failure can destroy the engine. Owners should consider fitting mechanical tensioner guards.

Review: Porsche O- and A-Series 911 Coupe (1964-68)

Overview

Production of the 911 Coupe commenced in September 1964 at Porsche’s Zuffenhausen factory in Stuttgart, Germany. A rear-engined fastback, the rear-wheel drive 911 was originally powered by a 2.0-litre flat (or horizontally-opposed) six cylinder engine. In October 1966, production of the more sporting 911 S (S for ‘Super’) commenced. Production of the A-Series 911 from August 1967 resulted in a new 911 L variant which combined the body of the 911 S with the standard 911 engine.

Engines

Of the engines:

For the 911 and 911 L, the air-oil-cooled 2.0-litre six-cylinder engine had an alloy cylinder block and head, a single overhead camshaft per cylinder bank (driven by roller chains), a triple-choke Solex carburetor for each cylinder bank, two valves per cylinder and a compression ratio of 9.0:1. From early 1966, however, Weber carburetors were used; and,
For the 911 S, the engine featured triple-choke Weber 40IDS carburetors, raised piston crowns for a higher compression ratio (9.8:1), larger inlet and exhaust valves and a freer-flowing exhaust system.

Transmissions

The O- and A-Series Porsches were both available with a five-speed ‘Typ 901’ manual transmission. From August 1967 (A-Series production), a ‘Typ 905’ ‘Sportomatic’ transmission was available. The four-speed, semi-automatic Sportomatic transmission combined a conventional four-speed manual transmission with a fluid torque converter and an electro-mechanical clutch, thereby eliminating the need for a clutch pedal. Gearshifts required the driver to lift off the throttle and, when the gearshift lever was touched, the clutch would be disengaged via a valve and a vacuum servomotor. Once the gear shift was completed and the lever released, the clutch would re-engage. With its 2.15:1 gear ratio, the converter permitted brisk starts.

Dimensions

The original 911 Coupe was 4163 mm long, 1610 mm wide, 1320 mm tall and had a 2211 mm long wheelbase. For the B-Series 911, detailed below, the wheelbase was extended to 2268 mm.

Suspension

The 911 had independent front suspension with longitudinal torsion bars and lower transverse arms, while the independent rear suspension had semi-trailing arms and transverse torsion-bar springs.

Porsche O-Series and A-Series 911 Coupe specifications
	Engine	Trans.	Years	Peak power	Peak torque
911	2.0-litre petrol F6	5sp man.	1964-67	96 kW at 6100 rpm	174 Nm at 4200 rpm
911 S	2.0-litre petrol F6	5sp man.	1966-68	118 kW at 6600 rpm	179 Nm at 5200 rpm
911 S	2.0-litre petrol F6	4sp semi-auto	1967-68	118 kW at 6600 rpm	179 Nm at 5200 rpm
911 L	2.0-litre petrol F6	5sp man.	1967	96 kW at 6100 rpm	174 Nm at 4200 rpm

August 1967: A-Series 911

Production of the A-Series 911 commenced in August 1967. In addition to the 911 L variant, other changes included the introduction of 5.5 J x 15-inch tyres (previously 4.5 J), an upgraded brake system and stronger windscreens.

To reduce exhaust emissions, the A-Series 911 had belt-driven air pumps which directed warm air to the valve heads to oxidize hydrocarbons and carbon monoxide.

Visually, the A-Series 911 could be identified by its redesigned door handles (which replaced the push button with a lever inside the handle), larger door mirrors and matte-black and repositioned windscreen wiper blades.

Review: Porsche B-Series 911 Coupe (1968-69)