I WAS in Stuttgart for a Porsche launch, which counts as a good day at work. But if anything tops that, it’s hanging around for a while to drive more Porsches, for which I can thank Brendan Mok, the plucky head of public relations and communications at Porsche Asia-Pacific, who figured that since we had travelled all the way there, we might as well raid the brand’s press fleet for a day.

Brendan scrounged up a Porsche each for me and Diandra Gautama, an Indonesian racing driver and motoring journalist. Given how she had made my life flash before my eyes several times in a 718 Spyder RS the day before, merrily sliding it around in heavy rain, I wanted to kiss Brendan on both cheeks for getting us two cars instead of making us share again.

In fact, young Brendan exceeded himself, selecting a 911 Sport Classic for me and putting a 911 Dakar at Diandra’s disposal.

At this point, it might be worth saying that if the motoring world agrees on one thing, it’s that the Porsche 911 fully deserves its iconic status as the definitive everyday sportscar. Uniquely engaging and yet comfortable enough for daily use, it embodies everything a driving nut wants in a car.

It’s also utterly confusing, because the 911 has grown into an entire family of cars, thanks to Porsche’s ability to mix and match components like a master chef with a larder full of fine ingredients to play with. Porsche’s Singapore website lists 26 different versions of the 911. Frankly, it takes encyclopaedic knowledge that’s beyond me to understand the finer points of each one.

Just as well I’ve never met a 911 I didn’t like, although it’s not hard to fall in love with the Sport Classic. No longer available in Singapore (Porsche only built 1,250 examples), the car is a love letter to the past. It pays homage to the original 911 from 1964 (with a badge sporting Porsche’s logo from that era), but also draws heavily from 1972’s Carrera RS 2.7, a legend among legends; it was the fastest German car in its day, and cracked a then-psychologically-important six-second barrier by sprinting to 100 kmh in 5.8 seconds.

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Racing versions had a habit of winning at major events such as the 24 Hours of Le Mans and Targa Florio, and founded Porsche’s reputation for motorsport supremacy. 

The RS 2.7 also embodied fitness by shedding more than 100 kg over a regular 911, and influenced car designers (and boy racers) everywhere with its upswept “ducktail” spoiler. 

The modern-day Sport Classic has a similar ducktail, and much more besides: Its wide body recalls any number of racing 911s, while its carbon fibre roof and hood are nods to the RS 2.7’s dedication to weight loss.

Inside, the analogue rev counter with retro colours (a white needle against green numbers) is a loving ode to the 1970s, along with the Pepita cloth upholstery and gold-plated badges. Perhaps the biggest nod to an era of driving purism is the seven-speed manual gearbox.

But despite all the retro touches, the Sport Classic’s performance is anything but old-school. It’s based on the 911 Turbo, so it has that car’s brawny engine (albeit tuned down to 550 horsepower so it doesn’t eat the gearbox) and an all-wheel steering system (though it does without the four-wheel drive).

Sure enough, the Sport Classic has an addictive thrust. It blasts to the engine’s redline and, before you know it, it’s time to snatch a hurried gearchange and unleash another frenzied lunge to three-figure speeds. 

Lots of cars (especially electric ones) are just as quick, but there’s nothing quite like having to work three pedals and a gearlever to make it feel like you’ve coaxed a car into doing your bidding.

That alone makes the Sport Classic irresistibly engaging. When you’re biffing along gently and just soaking up the everyday comfort that the 911 offers, you snick the gearlever into place gently while your feet dance gingerly on the clutch and accelerator pedals.

Want to turn up the pace? Let the engine sing, slam the shifter across the gate while you stomp on the clutch and do it over and over, making sure to keep a firm hand on the delicate steering.

As lovely as it was to drive, the Sport Classic had me dewy-eyed before I even fired up its engine. From the moment I spotted its retro interior, I knew we were going to get along just fine.

Mind you, that didn’t stop me from sweet-talking Diandra into letting me have a turn in the 911 Dakar (if you count begging as sweet talk, that is). While the Sport Classic celebrates the 911’s evolution into a hardcore sportscar and racing legend, the Dakar is a hyper-cool homage to Porsche’s big win at 1984’s Paris-Dakar Rally, perhaps the toughest race of all.

Just 2,500 will be made, and you’ll certainly know one when you see one, thanks to its rugged looks. The Dakar’s jacked-up ride height, all-wheel drive system, knobbly tyres and dedicated driving modes make it the first off-road-ready 911. But the 911’s iconic silhouette means it would look just at home rolling up the driveway of the St Regis.

On the way there, you’re certainly in for a unique experience. The Dakar is like no 911 I’ve driven. Climbing aboard is an occasion, thanks to the roll cage and racing bucket seats, and once on the move you’re buzzed by engine vibrations, while the off-roading tyres send a roar through the cabin. Above 180 kmh, where 911s feel rock steady, the Dakar actually squirms around a little on the tyres’ large tread blocks.

But you do feel confident enough to attack corners from the get-go, maybe because the tall ride height lets you see well up the road.

Needless to say, the 911 Dakar is wickedly quick, reaching 100 km/h in only 3.4 seconds. But given how technology has made horsepower relatively cheap and tyres super sticky, that sort of pace is no longer exotic. Instead, what the Sport Classic and Dakar really have to offer is something more than vulgar speed: the ability to not only turn heads but spark conversation, and a callback to important stories in motoring history.

The 911 might make you think that Porsche builds the best sportscars on the planet, but versions such as the Sport Classic and Dakar can’t help but remind you that it’s done so for nearly 60 years.

Porsche 911 Sport Classic Engine 3,745 cc, turbocharged flat-six Power 550 hp at 6,750 rpm Torque 600 Nm from 2,000 to 6,000 rpm Gearbox 7-speed manual 0-100 kmh 4.1 seconds Top speed 315 kmh Fuel efficiency 12.5 L/100 km Agent Porsche Singapore Price S$1,234,488 without COE Available NA

Porsche 911 Dakar Engine 2,981 cc, turbocharged flat-six Power 480 hp at 6,500 rpm Torque 570 Nm from 2,300 to 5,000 rpm Gearbox 8-speed automaticl 0-100 kmh 3.4 seconds Top speed 240 kmh Fuel efficiency 11.2 L/100 km Agent Porsche Singapore Price S$1,116,988 without COE Available Now