had managed to write one off. ‘The curve was marked for 90 km/h but was safe for 130. He took it at 150,” explained our host from Porsche.

In addition to all-wheel drive, the Carrera 4 has ABS. and this combination makes the latest 911 nearly invincible. Blast down the road toward a corner, nail the brakes, turn in and lay into the throttle. The 964 makes it as easy to do as it is to say. Power-assisted rack-and-pinion steering helps a lot, and if you think this system is for wimps, try driving a normal 911 with the

same abandon. Bring steroids.

How different is the Carrera 4? A lot—and a little. The classic 911 shape and fundamental rear-engine layout are the same, and easily apparent. But the newness involves much more:

the floorpan. much of the bodywork. plus the suspension. steering. engine. driveline, brakes. ventilation system and instrumentation.

Consider the floorpan. a clean sheet of metal. It’s beefier, stiffer too and undoubtedly owes much of its rigidity to a central tunnel

Although it still looks like a 911, Porsche’s allwheel-drive Carrera 4 definitely doesn’t handle like one, as all-wheel- drive turns dreaded oversteer into benign understeer. And the rear spoiler’s no longer a drag; it stays hidden when not needed.