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Why do Porsche people call a 911 a 997?
One name, eight different cars
'911' sounds like one car. Porsche counts eight generations since the 1963 original, and each one has the same badge but a different car underneath.
Source: Porsche Newsroom, 2019
Every Porsche has two names
Since 1931, every Porsche project has gotten its own type number. The model is sold as the 911; Porsche's own type number for the 2004–12 generation is 997.
Source: Porsche Newsroom, 2022
The 901 that almost was
In 1963 it debuted as the 901. Peugeot objected: in France it held the rights to three-digit names with a zero in the middle, used since 1929. Porsche renamed it 911 on 22 Nov 1964.
Source: Porsche Newsroom
The generation codes, in order
964 (1988–94), 993 (1993–98), 996 (1997–2005), 997 (2004–12), 991 (2011–19), 992 (2018–): Porsche's own years for each 911 generation, one overlapping the next at every changeover.
Source: Porsche Newsroom, 2019
The first water-cooled 911
In 1997 the 996 became the first water-cooled 911; the 993 just before it was the last air-cooled one. Fans nicknamed these headlights the 'fried egg.'
What you'd notice: the rounded 'fried egg' headlights mark a first-series 996.
Source: Porsche Newsroom
After 997 came… 991?
After the 997 came... 991, not 998. Porsche calls it 'a return to 991' with 'a certain degree of creative freedom.' The generation after it, pictured here, is the 992.
What you'd notice: Pictured: a 992, the 991's successor — badge reads 911 Turbo S.
Source: Porsche Newsroom, 2022
Sources and assumptions
- Porsche Newsroom: Terminology at Porsche: do you understand the Porsche code? (2022): Every Porsche has an official name and an in-house type number, sometimes identical and sometimes not; since 1931 each order/project of Ferdinand Porsche's design office got a consecutive number; the 911 line runs 964 (1988), 993 (1993), then 996, 997, 'a return to 991' and 992; the three-digit tradition is kept 'with a certain degree of creative freedom' (checked 2026-09-29)
- Porsche Newsroom: The Porsche story 5 (901 → 911): The 911 was presented as the 901 in 1963; in early October 1964 Peugeot objected, claiming it had used three-digit numbers with a zero in the middle since 1929 and held the rights in France; Ferry Porsche renamed it Type 911 on 22 November 1964; the existing '1' was simply doubled for brochures and the rear lettering (checked 2026-09-29)
- Porsche Newsroom: The 996: First 911 with water-cooled flat engine: The 996, introduced in 1997 as the fifth generation, was the first 911 with a water-cooled engine instead of air cooling (checked 2026-09-29)
- Porsche Newsroom: The 993: Pinnacle of the air-cooled era and the last of its kind: The 993, unveiled in autumn 1993 at the IAA as the fourth generation, was the last air-cooled 911 (checked 2026-09-29)
- Porsche Newsroom: The 997: Technology offensive, new design and great variety for the 911: Porsche built 213,004 type 997 cars between 2004 and 2012 (checked 2026-09-29)
- Porsche Newsroom: The type 964: a new start with this 911: 63,762 type 964 cars built 1988–1994 (checked 2026-09-29)
- Porsche Newsroom: For eternity (eight generations of the 911, 2019): Eight 911 generations with years: original 911 (1963–1973), G series (1974–1989), 964 (1988–1994), 993 (1993–1998), 996 (1997–2005), 997 (2004–2012), 991 (2011–2019), 992 (2018–) (checked 2026-09-29)
- Porsche Newsroom: The new Porsche 911 (992 world premiere, Los Angeles 2018): The eighth-generation 911, type 992, was presented at the Los Angeles Auto Show in November 2018 (checked 2026-09-29)
- Porsche Newsroom: Technical Data 911 Carrera (992.2): Porsche itself uses the '.2' suffix (992.2) for the updated version of a generation (checked 2026-09-29)
Assumptions:
- Page fetching (WebFetch/curl) was blocked in this research environment, so every Porsche Newsroom claim was verified through WebSearch extracts restricted to newsroom.porsche.com, which quote the named pages. The review step should open the 2022 terminology article and the 901→911 story to confirm the exact wording.
- 'Eight generations' counts the original 911 and the G series as generations 1 and 2, as Porsche's own 'For eternity' article does. The G series is left off the code timeline because this record does not verify its in-house type number.
- Porsche's sources give no official reason why 991 followed 997 instead of 998. The slide must not invent one (for example '998/999 were taken'); it quotes Porsche's 'return to 991' and 'creative freedom' only.
- 'Fried egg' is the enthusiast nickname for the first-series 996 headlights (folklore/nickname, not a Porsche term).
- Generation years are Porsche's own start–end years; the overlaps (1993/1994, 1997/1998, 2004/2005, 2011/2012, 2018/2019) are real model-changeover overlaps, not errors.
Photos:
The cheat sheet
- 911 = the model name
- 993 = the last air-cooled 911
- 996 = the first water-cooled 911
- 997 → 991 → 992 = later ones
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