The Porsche 911 is the quintessential high-performance sports car and has been for as long as we can remember. A lot of driving enthusiasts grew up wanting one. This iconic machine celebrates it 40th anniversary in 2004, and it remains the standard by which other sports cars are judged. The legend of the Porsche 911 is no myth. The current version delivers the latest engine and chassis technology and better performance than all but a few exotic cars available in North America. What's really impressive, though, is how easy it is to drive a 911. It's more user-friendly than a Ferrari, a Chevrolet Corvette or a Dodge Viper, and it's easier to live with as a daily driver. The 911 makes a better daily driver than the Porsche Boxster, as well. Porsche rightfully prides itself on the 911's wash-and-wear quality. As true high-performance sports cars go, the 911 has a reputation for being nearly bullet-proof, and there's very little about it that's finicky. When Porsche says racing improves the breed, it's more than advertising fodder. The 911 is built on race-proven architecture. Two years ago, its body structure was stiffened and its front end was restyled to make all 911s look more like the highline 911 Turbo, and less like the less-expensive Boxster. The 911's rear-mounted, 3.6-liter horizontally opposed six-cylinder engine was enlarged and upgraded in both turbo and non-turbo versions. The base normally aspirated engine, which comes on all Carrera and Targa models, delivers an impressive 315 horsepower.