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911 Carrera 4

911 Carrera 4

1989–1994Coupé · Targa · Cabriolet

The Carrera 4 opened the third generation and was the first series-production 911 with all-wheel drive. Porsche reused the electronically controlled system first developed for the 959 supercar, sending nominally 31 per cent of torque forward and 69 per cent rearward, with a traction-control switch on the centre console. Everything else was new too: coil springs and MacPherson struts up front, semi-trailing arms behind, power steering and ABS, dual ignition, a knock-sensor, a three-way catalyst and a rear spoiler that rose out of the engine lid above 80 km/h and sank flush below that. The 3.6-litre flat-six made 250 PS. It went on sale in August 1988 at DM 114,500 — the first 911 that cost more than 100,000 Deutschmarks — and was the first passenger car fitted with a metal catalytic converter as standard.

SpecificationsSound: Porsche 911 R (1967)Edvvc · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Commons (opens in a new tab)

Unofficial fan showcase · media licensed per asset

Specification plate

Numbers as published

Every figure below is quoted from the sources listed at the foot of the page. A dash means the number was never published — it is never estimated.

Engine

3.6 L

M64/01 air-cooled flat-six, twin-spark plug ignition, DME with knock control, three-way catalytic converter

Power

250 PS

0–100 km/h

0–97 km/h (60 mph) 5.7 s; 0–100 km/h 5.7 s

Top speed

260 km/h

162 mph)

Weight

1,475 kg

3,252 lb) DIN

Drivetrain

All-wheel drive — electronically controlled permanent AWD developed for the 959, nominally 31% front / 69% rear with variable distribution, plus a console traction-control switch

Transmission

5-speed Getrag G50 manual (C2) / 5-speed Getrag G64 manual (AWD); 4-speed Tiptronic optional from model year 1990

Production

13,353 Coupés + 4,802 Cabriolets + 1,329 Targas = 19,484 (Eberhard Kittler via Wikipedia; the same table's 20,395 subtotal adds the 911 Jubilee)

Body styles

Coupé · Targa · Cabriolet

Torque

310 Nm

229 lb-ft) @ 4,800 rpm

3D viewer

Spin it yourself

Reduced motion — still frame shown

Reduced motion is on — a still frame stands in for the live viewer

007 (tangwang920) · CC Attribution 4.0 · 22edb81d9ccf46c09a1add7a9ebda2c0

Paint

The viewer is not mounted, so there is nothing to tint.

Wheels
StockSportTurbo

The viewer is not mounted.

Gallery

7 views of the Carrera 4

Click a frame · Esc closes · ←/→ move

Watch

6 films on the Carrera 4

Variant-specific films first, then the curated set for the generation. Every player is an embed that loads on click.

  • This variant · AutoTopNL

    1989 Porsche 911 964 Carrera 4 // 0-100 100-200 POV & SOUND

    launch-era C4 with acceleration runs and induction noise

  • This variant · Tedward

    1992 Porsche 911 C4 - Why This AWD 964 Is The Perfect Air Cooled Daily (POV Binaural Audio)

    long-form POV on why the C4 works as an air-cooled daily

  • Generation · MotorWeek

    1989 Porsche 911 Carrera 4 | Retro Review

    Jay Leno-era retrospective drive of the first AWD 911

  • Generation · Number 27

    From Most Hated to Most Loved, Is Porsche's 964 Now Overhyped?

    balanced verdict on whether the 964 deserved its reputation

  • Generation · Petrolicious

    1992 Porsche 964 Carrera RS: Rituals of Rennsport

    92 RS 3.8 in period trim, and what 'Rennsport' meant

  • Generation · MotorWeek

    1994 Porsche 911 Turbo 3.6 | Retro Review

    the 3.6 turbo that made air-cooled Porsches mainstream

Compare

Set it against its neighbours

911 Carrera 21990–1994Same body, same era911 Carrera Cabriolet1990–1994Same body, same era911 Targa1990–1994Same body, same era
Compact specification comparison between the 911 Carrera 4 and 911 Carrera 2, 911 Carrera Cabriolet, 911 Targa
Spec911 Carrera 41989–1994911 Carrera 21990–1994911 Carrera Cabriolet1990–1994911 Targa1990–1994
Years1989–19941990–19941990–19941990–1994
Engine3.6 L M64/01 air-cooled flat-six, twin-spark plug ignition, DME with knock control, three-way catalytic converter3.6 L M64/01, M64/02 air-cooled flat-six, twin-spark plug ignition, DME with knock control, three-way catalytic converter3.6 L M64/01, M64/02 air-cooled flat-six, twin-spark plug ignition, three-way catalytic converter3.6 L M64/01, M64/02 air-cooled flat-six, twin-spark plug ignition, three-way catalytic converter
Power — identical across all cars250 PS250 PS250 PS250 PS
0–100 km/h0–97 km/h (60 mph) 5.7 s; 0–100 km/h 5.7 s0–97 km/h (60 mph) 5.5 s manual / 6.4 s Tiptronic (Excellence); Car and Driver, January 1990, recorded 4.8 s to 60 mph and 13.3 s for the quarter mile0–97 km/h (60 mph) 5.5 s manual / 6.4 s Tiptronic (Carrera 2 Coupé figures, Excellence)0–97 km/h (60 mph) 5.6 s (Carrera 2); 5.7 s (Carrera 4)
Top speed — identical across all cars260 km/h260 km/h260 km/h260 km/h
Weight1,475 kg1,375 kg—1,375 kg
DrivetrainAll-wheel drive — electronically controlled permanent AWD developed for the 959, nominally 31% front / 69% rear with variable distribution, plus a console traction-control switchRear-wheel driveRear-wheel drive (Carrera 2) or all-wheel drive (Carrera 4), 31% front / 69% rear nominalRear-wheel drive (Carrera 2) or all-wheel drive (Carrera 4), 31% front / 69% rear nominal
Transmission5-speed Getrag G50 manual (C2) / 5-speed Getrag G64 manual (AWD); 4-speed Tiptronic optional from model year 19905-speed Getrag G50 manual; 4-speed Tiptronic automatic (from model year 1990, Carrera 2 only)5-speed Getrag G50 or G64 manual; 4-speed Tiptronic optional on Carrera 25-speed Getrag G50 or G64 manual; 4-speed Tiptronic optional on Carrera 2
Body stylesCoupé · Targa · CabrioletCoupé · Targa · CabrioletCabrioletTarga
Production13,353 Coupés + 4,802 Cabriolets + 1,329 Targas = 19,484 (Eberhard Kittler via Wikipedia; the same table's 20,395 subtotal adds the 911 Jubilee)18,219 Coupés; additionally 11,013 Cabriolets, 3,534 Targas, 1,532 Turbo-Look Cabriolets and 936 Speedsters on the C2 platform (Eberhard Kittler via Wikipedia)11,013 Carrera 2 Cabriolets + 4,802 Carrera 4 Cabriolets = 15,815, plus 1,532 Turbo-Look Cabriolets (Eberhard Kittler via Wikipedia)3,534 Carrera 2 Targas + 1,329 Carrera 4 Targas = 4,863 (Eberhard Kittler via Wikipedia)
Open the full comparison

Pairs load as /compare?a=964/carrera-4&b=964/carrera-2

Sources (6)

  1. 3rd generation Porsche 911 (964), 1988–1994 — Porsche Newsroom (opens in a new tab)
  2. 3rd Generation – Bodystyles and innovations — Porsche Newsroom (opens in a new tab)
  3. Model 911 (type 964) — Porsche Classic (opens in a new tab)
  4. Porsche 911 (964) — Wikipedia (opens in a new tab)
  5. 1989 911 Carrera 4 Coupé specifications — Excellence (opens in a new tab)
  6. Porsche 911 Carrera 4 Coupé (964) model guide — Stuttcars (opens in a new tab)

What the sources do not settle (4)

  • Production split conflict: jtcars lists 19,484 as the Carrera 2 total and 13,353 as the Carrera 4 coupé total, which inverts Wikipedia's Porsche Classic-derived table. Wikipedia/Kittler figures are used here.
  • Curb weight: Wikipedia and Excellence both give 1,475 kg (3,252 lb) DIN; Stuttcars lists 2,970 lb (1,347 kg) and auto-data.net 1,450 kg — measurement standards differ.
  • Porsche Classic dates the model 1989–93; the final 964 Carrera Coupé and Targa left Zuffenhausen in August 1994, so 1994 is used as the end year here.
  • Porsche Newsroom states the Carrera 4 reached customers in August 1988 while Porsche Classic and the press-kit headline use model year 1989; both dates are recorded, yearsStart uses 1989 (model year).

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