Return of Round Lights

In July 2004 Porsche put the sixth-generation 911 on sale with its most consequential styling correction since 1973: the "fried egg" headlamps of the 996 gave way to steeper, round clear-glass units with separate indicators, returning the car to the visual lineage of the air-cooled era. Designer Grant Larson's body was 88 mm (3.5 in) wider at the rear, with a drag coefficient of 0.28 for the Carrera and 0.29 for the Carrera S. Beneath the new skin the 3.6-litre flat-six made 325 PS (321 hp) and the newly developed 3.8-litre Carrera S 355 PS (350 hp) — the first 911 since 1977 offered with two naturally aspirated displacements and performance levels.

The July 2008 facelift was the technical heart of the generation. Direct fuel injection replaced port injection, lifting the Carrera to 345 PS (340 hp) and the S to 385 PS (380 hp) while cutting fuel consumption and emissions, and the seven-speed PDK dual-clutch gearbox displaced the five-speed Tiptronic S. Between the Carrera S and the GT3 slotted the new 408 PS (402 hp) Carrera GTS, closing the gap that had separated the road and racing 911s.