The more things change, the more they stay the same. That pretty much describes the 2005 Porsche 911, which received a redesign that combined both a sleek, contemporary, more aerodynamic style with a bit of a throwback look to the 911s of the 1960s. Under that sleek skin, though, Porsche made more wide-ranging changes. The 2005 Porsche 911 received more powerful engines, a revamped interior and improvements in the the dashboard, seats, steering, suspension, brakes and transmission. The result was a superior sports car with handling, responsiveness and power that are among the best in the automotive world, in a package that, unlike many exotics and supercars, is ultimately designed to be driven daily.

The 911 model lineup for 2005 could essentially be divided into coupes and convertibles (or cabriolets, for the purists). The Carrera was the base model, while the Carrera S added a more powerful engine. A Turbo S model was also available, although it was packaged in the previous platform (officially, the 996, as opposed to the new models' 997 designation).

The base Carrera models (coupe and convertible) are powered by a 3.6-liter 6-cylinder engine that produces 325 horsepower, while the Carrera S models come with a new 3.8-liter 6-cylinder that pumps out 355 horsepower. The Turbo models are equipped with a 3.6-liter turbocharged 6-cylinder engine that produces 444 horsepower.

A 6-speed manual transmission is standard for all 911 models, and a 5-speed automatic Tiptronic transmission, with a gate that enables the driver to shift manually, is available as an option.

Features for the 911 include all the standard amenities, such as air conditioning, power windows, power door locks, leather seats, cruise control, a stereo sytem with a CD player and dual front, side and curtain airbags, as well as an Active Suspension Management system, variable ratio steering, traction control and antilock disc brakes.