The Porsche 911 is the granddaddy of the automotive world - it's been stubbornly pressing on with the same styling and rear-mounted engine in defiance of the laws of physics since its introduction in the early-'60s.
It's mind-boggling to think how Porsche manages to make each iteration of the car that much better than the previous one when nothing fundamentally changes, there must be some jiggery-pokery or witchcraft involved. That rear-engined layout is inherently unstable, and early cars can be quite a handful, but to its credit Porsche has stuck with the design and finessed it for nearly 50 years.
What we have these days is one of the most thoroughly-developed cars on the market, an instantly-recognisable icon - for fashionable types it's probably worth buying for that cachet alone.
The driving experience remains so definitively Porsche 911 and so demonstratively one of the best in the world that it gets very difficult to describe in original words if at all. The 911 is the benchmark for engaging handling, and even the 'entry-level' versions of the car are monstrously quick.
There are a lot of 911 derivatives around these days so life can get confusing - if you're planning on buying one then the best thing do is to clear a few days out of your schedule and try and get your head round them all. You've got standard Carrera models - accomplished sports cars - up to the GT2/3/S models, a Targa version and the Turbo. At the top of the range are some of the quickest and most terrifying cars in the world.
The prices range from a reasonable £64,000 for the entry car up to a frankly insane £168,000 for the hardcore GT2 RS, so whichever version you buy is going to depend on your means, and that includes the high running costs. That said depreciation is low enough that a 911 represents better value than many rivals.
The real focus for the latest-generation 911 has been in improving the cabin, to obvious effect. The materials are of a much higher standard in this car, and the construction is much more solid. Practicality remains deficient - the rear seats aren't even good enough for small children and the boot at the front of the car is rubbish - but you won't care much.
The 911 is a definitive sports car, and each generation seemingly represents the pinnacle of automotive know-how. If you can, why not?